AUSTIN, Texas — A beloved Austin celebrity is back in town, and it’s not Matthew McConaughey.
Athena the great horned owl returned to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center last week for another egg-laying season. The mother-of-many has hatched owlets above the center’s courtyard entrance since 2012, earning the title of Official Owl Ambassador from the City of Austin last year and a webpage on the botanic garden’s website.
It’s on this webpage that Athena fans can access the owl cam, which livestreams Athena 24/7 as she nests behind a planter.
According to the Wildflower Center’s website, Athena arrived on March 4 and laid an egg on March 5. She has not laid another egg since then.
Last year, Athena birthed two owlets around roughly the same time. She arrived March 5 and laid the first egg March 6. The second came March 9.
Athena usually has one or two owlets and had three only in 2015. She’s also had successful hatchings every year except in 2022, when she laid two eggs and later abandoned the nest.