Photo: Eastern Screech Owl, Jen St. Louis/Audubon Photography Awards
Evelyn Novins
Owls have fascinated people in many cultures and over time. They appear in folklore representing wisdom to witchcraft. Variously despised and admired, people write about them often. The owl recently has even become a messenger to wizards! They fascinate because they are elusive, and their appearance is eye-catching and a bit eerie. The rounded body, enlarged eyes, and the 270-degree rotating head, coupled with nocturnal behavior and silent flight, make them mysterious creatures.
Eastern Screech Owl, Randy Streufert
I am captivated by Eastern Screech Owls. They have the qualities noted above, and they come in two colors – gray and red. They are robin-sized with cute ear tufts. But most important for me, they love nest boxes, suburban areas, and mixed woods, so that creating an environment for them is doable. If you build it, they will come!
The first step is the nest box. I purchased one from Owl Reach out of Texas – a place with many screech owls and screech owl studies. I followed the directions, but squatters entered the nest before the end of the season. In addition, I found a few things that may have deterred screech owls from moving in. More research gave me the parameters that I needed to try again.
In researching box design, I found several resources: Margaret Barker’s Audubon Birdhouse Book and Carol Henderson’s Woodworking for Wildlife: Homes for Birds and Animals. I decided to modify the Texas design and move toward a more universal one, following guidelines from National Audubon Society. That done, I made and followed this checklist of essentials:
Location - The box should be solidly anchored to a tree 10 to 30 feet above the ground, facing away from the prevailing winds and preferably toward the south, to keep them warm. The box should have an open flight path to its entrance. Although the box can be set up at any time, screech owls begin looking for a home early in the season, so up by January gives you an edge.
Perching Spot - A perching spot is necessary near the box and in near-by trees. Owls like to perch to rest, preen, save energy and watch for prey.
Large Bird Bath - Owls do not need much water, getting much of what they need from their prey; however, they do enjoy a bath. It’s suggested to have one made with a sloping edge so they can ease in.
Brush Pile - A brush pile nearby to help supply food is a must. The pile can include sticks, grass trimmings, root balls, and fallen branches. Small rodents and insects inhabit these piles providing abundant food for the owls. The screech owl eats many large insects such beetles and crickets and a variety of small mammals such as shrews, voles, moles and sometimes bats. In addition, lizards, frogs, earthworms, and crayfish are part of their natural diet.
Things To Avoid – Remove netting of any sort (such as a soccer goal or basketball hoop) from the nest-box area to prevent entanglement. Turn off or dim heavy outdoor lighting, particularly seasonal lighting. Do not use recorded screech owl calls to attract the birds. It creates stress on the listening owls and may attract predators, thus discouraging the owl you want to invite and alarming other birds unnecessarily.
Once you have attracted owls, there are some additional rules to follow:
Avoid helping them eat by putting out food or releasing caged mice – they will not survive. The owl must hunt live prey - so do not offer dead rodents.
Longer lawns provide an environment for small rodents, an essential food source - so mow less. Moles, mice, shrews, and voles thrive in longer grass providing a smorgasbord for the owl.
It’s critical to avoid rat poisons and pesticides. If owls eat poisoned prey they can suffer neurological damage leading to debilitation. This secondary poisoning or secondary toxicity is a problem for all wildlife.
I have satisfied all the items on my checklist, but no luck this year so far. Plus, it’s late to hope to attract a screech owl this year. I have not heard the signature whinny or other distinctive calls of the screech owl, but I am not giving up hope.
If you are interested in your own backyard project, here are a few links for materials that may help: