Students at Peralta Trail Elementary School in Gold Canyon may be the Bobcats, but a family of owls have made themselves quite at home on campus for nearly five years.

The school, 10965 E. Peralta Road, is in the Apache Junction Unified School District.

“It all started back in 2018 when Mama Owl started visiting the school and hanging out in a rain gutter near the cafeteria. Over the years she’s come and gone, at one point laying seven eggs in a planter right in the middle of the school courtyard. The school has gone to great lengths to protect both the owls and the students, from building a barrier around that planter to creating a tree perch out of wood — which Mama used in 2022 and eventually welcomed a baby,” according to a release.

Thanks to a trail camera, students and teachers are keeping a close eye on the owl family and learning some valuable lessons in the process.

“It’s teaching them about nature conservancy, science, etc. Mama Owl currently has three eggs laid, with Dad staying close by and bringing her food. Only time will tell how many eggs will hatch this year,” the release states.