Gus & Willow’s Egg Timeline
We have the best instructors
This has been a season of learning for us all. We’ve stretched ourselves and leaned in to learn about Gus & Willow, the Great Horned Owls occupying the nest. As of 2.18.26, the window for a viable hatch came to a close, sadly, without an egg hatching.
Window of Incubation
In general, the length of incubation for a Great Horned Owl is roughly 30-37 days, averaging 33 days. By 2.18.26, day 38, it became clear the egg would likely not hatch.
Gus & Willow
The Story Continues
The Story Continues
As of 2.26.26, Willow is still faithfully sitting on the egg and Gus remains nearby on watch and to deliver food to Willow. Views of the egg indicate color changes and obvious signs of non-viability and dehydration.
We join those of you who are navigating feelings of loss and sorrow that Gus and Willow’s egg did not hatch. We are with you. There are so many questions. While we do not have all the answers, we appreciate the opportunity we’ve been gifted to learn about Owls and become advocates for them. In that spirit we would like to share some teachings from experts at the International Owl Center.
How long will an owl continue to incubate a non-viable egg?
There is no pinpointed duration of time for this. Owls in captivity have been observed to continue incubating non-viable eggs for several weeks, and even close to two months.
Will Willow lay more eggs this season?
While there is not much scientific study on this for Great Horned Owls, there have been observations of what appear to be second clutches in the wild. The only definitive way we can answer this question with regards to Willow is that we wait and watch with you — time will tell.
You can continue watching Gus & Willow live on our Live Cams page as the story unfolds. Read season updates from past seasons as well as previous updates from this season.
Leave A Comment