Sad ending for great-horned owl nest in flower pot on Wisconsin couple's balcony

It wasn't the ending anyone wanted.

The pair of great-horned owls that captivated wildlife lovers has abandoned their nest in West Bend, Wisconsin.

The birds, named River and Oscar by John and Christine Moczynski of West Bend, attracted attention after they made a nest in mid-March in a flower pot on the Moczynskis' fourth-floor balcony.

The Moczynskis placed video cameras on the overhanging structure to monitor the owls and shared images and information with the public on a Facebook page they created, The Potted Owl.

They also attempted to do their best to create a protective environment for the owls. The Moczynskis kept their shutters closed, lights down and tried to be as quiet as possible in their living space.

River, the female owl, did all the brooding of the two eggs in the nest and in mid-April owl watchers were anxiously awaiting a hatch.

However, it wasn't to be. On the night of April 14, River removed an egg from the nest and ate it, Christine said.

And the next morning River flew off and did not return.

At the advice of staff at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, the Moczynskis left the remaining egg in the nest for two weeks on the chance the owls would return.

That hope went unfulfilled, providing heart-wrenching closure to the wildlife episode on their balcony, Christine said.

"We had a huge emotional swing," she said. "We were anticipating new life but in fact it was a loss. The next morning when River left it felt even worse. But nature knows best and she knew it was time for her to move on. The owls taught us so much and this is one more lesson in acceptance."

The news of the nest failure brought an outpouring of reactions from many of the 9,900 followers on The Potted Owl Facebook page.

"A lot of us will be grieving along with you," wrote Sara Shull Mertes of Indian Trail, North Carolina, in a comment on the social media site.

Bird researcher Bill Stout of Ashippun, who has been studying and banding birds of prey in Wisconsin since the late 1980s, visits about 30 great-horned owl nests a year, most in suburban environments. He said female great-horned owls go to great effort to keep their nests clean, even after chicks hatch. That includes removing egg shell fragments and the droppings of the offspring.

But he has never documented an adult owl eating one of its eggs. He also didn't offer a hypothesis for what might have caused the unusual behavior.

"When we closely observe wildlife some behaviors aren't readily explained," Stout said. "This would fall into that category."

The West Bend owls' nesting site, though rare, is not unprecedented. In 1996 great-horned owls in Lawrence, Kansas, nested in a flower pot on a patio and hatched two owlets.

And this year a great-horned owl laid three eggs in a flower pot at a second-floor apartment in Tucson, Arizona. The information on the Tucson event was shared by Doris Evans, a former Milwaukee resident, on The Potted Owl Facebook page.

The Moczynskis are attempting to create some good out of the nest failure. They are recommending donations to two local wildlife rehabilitation centers, Pineview Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Fredonia and Wanakia Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Richfield, and will also donate proceeds to the centers from items sold on their Facebook page.

With the two-week period up Monday, the Moczynskis will now clean out the nest, Christine said.

As for the future, the red flower pot will be left on the balcony next winter, ready for River if she wants to nest in it again.

"We fell in love with her," Christine said. "All we want is the best for her. And if she wants to come back, of course she will always be welcome."