The Owl Pages Forum

[beekeeper]

I got an idea while in England to put up an owl nest box. They are loosing their barns therefore nest sits for Barn owls. The barn on this old farm was removed ,with that the nest site for bats and ? owls. So in the fall I put up a owl nest box on a shed.
Well this week we have a barred owl roosting in a cherry tree just off our deck. Will it move in? Will they use a nest box sized for a barn owl? Do I need to modify it before spring? Bark chips ?
I'm excited, and hopeful.

[owlboy]

Juvenile Barred Owls usually pair up around November. They mate for life, or until one of them dies. The one in your yard might have a mate, but you haven't seen it yet. Or, it may pair up soon. They usually start nesting in February. They will use the Barn Owl house. If they do use the Barn Owl house, they will use it for life. If you have a lot of prey around your house they are more likely to use it. Barred Owls almost always nest within 200' of a water source. They usually don't nest next to a house, but sometimes they will. Depends how comfortable they feel being so close to the house. If you see squirrels hanging from branches, this usually means that the male is trying to suggest this nesting site to the female. Sometimes you hang an owl house, and sometimes they occupy it quickly. Other times, you can wait many years and still never get a nesting pair. I suspect that you have a good chance of getting a pair this year. Keep us updated.
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Always looking for Owls in Greene County NY

[beekeeper]

We have an field that I coppice. That and we feed other birds equal lots of field mice. A small fire pond is about 50 feet away in the same garden.
The rock walled grow beds provide gaps filled with strawberries, and spaces for chipmunks. A Devon hedge will direct the owls up and over the road.

[Vonial-32]

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