Life in the slow lane - screech owl nest box install

[moss]

In the last couple months I've hung 3 squirrel boxes and 2 screech owl boxes. The squirrel boxes are for a customer's backyard entertainment in a semi-urban neighborhood. They put out a lot of quality food for "their squirrels" and wanted to complete the picture with free housing. The local hawks are appreciative I'm sure.

The screech boxes are in more rural suburbia, the property owners want to have the chance to see screech owls nesting on their properties. At the very least screech owls can use them for roosting throughout the year even if they don't nest in them in early spring. Many other local creatures will take advantage of them at different times even if the screech don't.

I'd rather optimize habitat snags and do when the opportunity comes up.

-AJ

 

[Bart_]

Why did you work in the dark? To not spook the creatures? Sure didn't look blisteringly cold like we've got here right now. Do you have mild Novembers? Good work!

 

[moss]

Why did you work in the dark? To not spook the creatures? Sure didn't look blisteringly cold like we've got here right now. Do you have mild Novembers? Good work!

It was just convenience, I had regular tree work earlier in the day. When I got there I set my line before dark and then did a walk-through with my customer about some trees they wanted me to look at. By the time we were done it was dark. Not a problem for a job like this. It was on the cold side but not terrible.
-AJ

 

[moss]

Do you have mild Novembers? Good work!

Thanks! Later November can be bitter cold or mild, depends which direction the weather is blowing from.

 

[Chris Schultz]

Cool stuff as always @moss. Do you build all your own boxes too?

 

[ATH]

Very cool!

Have you found any effective ways to discourage other creatures from using owl boxes? I assume its just a roll of the dice a little bit?

I just bought a couple boards of catapla to make some owl and maybe bat houses to hang at the shop property. The Screech owl plans I have say American Kestrel or Eastern screech owl - so they must like similar cavities. I don't have a lot of squirrels out there, but I could see them using it too.

 

[moss]

Very cool!

Have you found any effective ways to discourage other creatures from using owl boxes? I assume its just a roll of the dice a little bit?

I just bought a couple boards of catapla to make some owl and maybe bat houses to hang at the shop property. The Screech owl plans I have say American Kestrel or Eastern screech owl - so they must like similar cavities. I don't have a lot of squirrels out there, but I could see them using it too.

Thx! Your assumption is correct, anything that wants to be in a tree cavity of that size will use it. A screech owl box opening is tight for a gray squirrel but they'll eventually widen it and get in. I had a flicker occupy one of my screech owl boxes and a gray squirrel move in to a kestrel box. I recommend that customers install multiple boxes so the squirrels and screech owls can sort things out. A barred owl can easily evict a squirrel from its nest box. You can install a piece of flashing on the opening to prevent squirrels from widening it. For bluebird boxes I notice that small woodpeckers will widen the openings over several years, they like to forage in the boxes for bugs over the winter.

I see owls in all kinds of weird (compared to nest box plans) natural tree cavity and opening configurations. Something to consider for your nest boxes is to do a horizontal "slot top" instead of round opening. I would make the rectangular opening at the top of a box the same height or slightly larger has the round owl opening specs you find in typical plans.

I had a pregnant raccoon die after getting stuck in the opening of a commercially made round hole opening barred owl box. She was able to get in but couldn't get out. Going forward I'm only doing horizontal slot openings for barred owl boxes.

My overall my philosophy is don't sweat it on the "non-target" critters using nest boxes, just put more up. Think in terms of how cavity nesters actually utilize tree hollows and let that be inspiration if you're coming up with your own box designs or modifying existing plans.
-AJ

 

[cory]

This probably deserves it's own thread but since there's a lot of owl lovers here:

 

[Treetopflyer]

I just hung mutiple boxes do a client months back and he reported he has owls inside I was stoked

 

[moss]

This probably deserves it's own thread but since there's a lot of owl lovers here:

Norman Smith (featured in the vid) is a legend of legends in the New England and beyond raptor and nature education world. He’s still at it making a huge difference.

I get to work with him sometimes, he gets a little cranky about my “modern” climbing technique, he’s always spiked trees to do nest work.

Great man, he’s often in the background giving advice to wildlife rehabbers I work with. He pretty much knows about every move I make doing raptor nest work.

Thx for posting that @cory !
-AJ

 

[moss]

Just watched the film and I'm reminded once again about the depth of his knowledge. He's educated by his own persistent fieldwork and questioning previous natural history assumptions throughout his life. The film doesn't mention his innovations around putting tracking devices on snowy owls. One of the owls he trapped at Logan Airport wandered all the way to Alaska in only a few months after being released in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Norman's stories are incredible, one of my favorites is about a rare gyrfalcon visit to Logan who mistakenly tried to grab a roosting snowy owl. The falcon survived but it went through the equivalent of a high-speed motorcycle accident mid-air when the snowy showed it who's boss.
-AJ

 

[cory]

I was amazed at how easily and naturally he handles those beasts as if they are tame pets!!

 

[moss]

I was amazed at how easily and naturally he handles those beasts as if they are tame pets!!

He's been taloned enough by raptors to know how to avoid it but still, I'll bet he gives a little blood every year ;-)

Yes he is a master of his craft.

When he was a teenager he climbed to a red-tailed hawk nest in a dead tree, the tree failed. Norman has paid his dues for sure.
-AJ

 

[cory]

wow!

 

[ATH]

Got my first screech owl next box up today. Probably a couple weeks later than ideal, but I don't think they "officially start nesting until mid-March. Hopefully someone moved in!

Sounds like Kestrels might use it too ..which I thought could be cool. But then I read about how they "paint" the walls. Now I'm hoping I don't have to clean that up.

If it's a squirrel....well, the Red tail hawks have to eat too.








Thanks for the inspiration @moss

 

[Evo]

What’s going on with the base of the tree? Was it saved from a mulch volcano?

 

[ATH]

What’s going on with the base of the tree? Was it saved from a mulch volcano?

I didn't even notice that "ring" until you said something. I don't think its ever been mulched...this is at my shop. Was a golf course for 50 years before the closed and I bought 5 acres of it in 2020. I did notice today a lot of bark on the ground. That might just be the start of diameter growth...Its a silver maple and budding out, so maybe some early secondary meristem growth forcing the sloughing off of bark?

I'll have to look again in person. There are raccoons, ground hogs and possum running around out there (possibly squirrel, but I don't see them much there)...maybe one of them has been pawing at the base of the tree???

 

[moss]

Cool stuff as always @moss. Do you build all your own boxes too?

Thx. I build boxes here and there, this one is a manufactured box provided by the customer.

 

[moss]

Got my first screech owl next box up today. Probably a couple weeks later than ideal, but I don't think they "officially start nesting until mid-March. Hopefully someone moved in!

Sounds like Kestrels might use it too ..which I thought could be cool. But then I read about how they "paint" the walls. Now I'm hoping I don't have to clean that up.

If it's a squirrel....well, the Red tail hawks have to eat too.


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Thanks for the inspiration @moss

You're welcome!

I've been finding that a box has to be a up a few months at least before nesting season so the owls have a chance to find it and get used to it. Some people are in habitat that's strong for screech owls and they'll pick up on the box more quickly than other locations that are less favorable.

Screech like to be in proximity to low wet areas but that can be upland habitat too if there are seeps, small brooks or ponds. The main thing for a screech habitat-wise is they want mature enough trees that have cavities. Rotted out stub ends or branch collars from tree work are a favorite screech nesting/roosting spot. Screech owls feast on foraging night crawlers so older trees and lawns that aren't over maintained (chemicals) are preferred. I used have a neighbor with a mature Norway maple in their side yard. It was a classic open grown Norway full of hollows, screech owl nested in it every year.

Screech owls use cavities for day roosting year-round so even if they don't nest in it this season they'll use it as sleeping spot at any time of the year. If the customer is seeing or hearing them on a regular basis I'll recommend putting up more than one box to increase roosting and nesting options. That way if a squirrel widens the opening and moves in the screech still has options. If a squirrel widens the opening it doesn't ruin it for a screech, they're used to nesting in all sorts of odd natural cavity arrangements. Concealment is their greatest skill, they can sit in the opening of a natural cavity and look like bark texture, very difficult to see if they don't move their head or open their eyes.

Screech owls act like they're in the federal witness protection program in the off breeding season, they'll rotate cavity roosting spots so that predators don't pick up on them in their most vulnerable state sleeping. More roosting options is good for them.
-AJ

 

[ATH]

I like playing with designs/making ity own and building stuff.
But I'm also cheap...$17 for an Owl house on Amazon, so I'll add a second a few hundred feet from the first I put up this spring.

While shopping I also found a small bat house. It was a big debate, but I eventually settled on the outdoor version LOL