This Vian nest has had the strangest season. The cam is solar powered and wasn't on this morning because of weather. Imagine my shock when it finally came up and the nest was completely empty - no egg, no Mrs. Hooty, a stick lying through the middle of it and what appears to be a stain both on the stick and the bedding underneath it.
This is what the Sutton people have posted below the cam:
26 February 2013: The Great Horned Owl persisted in incubating her remaining egg during the snowstorm of about a week ago and continued doing so during several days of nicer weather after the storm. Then another storm system moved through bringing cold rain during the past day or so, and the Sequoyah NWR nest camera was off again for a while. The camera came on about midday today revealing an empty nest. The camera was not operational when the owl and the egg disappeared, so we do not know the extact cause. It is disappointing for the second attempt in this nest to fail this season. We are continuing to work behind the scenes to get another nest on line this season, and while it may happen soon if things go well, we don't yet know for sure if or when it will happen.
