Mehreen Alberts
Over the years, I’m had having put put up nearly 200 nest boxes for owls and kestrels and I’m had having found some designs to be more successful than others 🙈 Attracting a tawny owl into a nest box depends on a few factors: the availability of natural nest sites in your area and the available habitat and prey 👍Tawny owls live in wooded or partially wooded areas; you even get them in large gardens and parks in towns and cities 👍 The nest box should be placed in a coppice area or in a tree with deciduous trees. Many people make the error of sitting. Owl boxes They can look at the nest boxes and the owls from a high vantage point, rather than worrying about the needs of the bird. An owl doesn’t want to be looked at. For breeding success, tawny and squawny birds need to be safe. Barn owls are more likely to disturb their nest sites than tawny owls. You should face the nest to the south, as they are more susceptible to wind gusts. The nest should not be more than three metres above the ground, with nearby branches for fledgling chicks. They should also be ideally need to out of full sun, although most of the year this isn’t too much of a worry since tawny chicks have often fledged before the weather gets too warm. The box should be covered to prevent it from being inundated by heavy rain. [1]
An access panel should be installed on the front of an owl box to allow nest debris to be removed periodically. It is vital that nestling Barn Owls are not killed by nest debris. Jackdaws will use the nest box, so it should be cleaned every year. Only breeding Barn Owls need to be able to access the boxes every two or three years. Remember that under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offense to disturb breeding Barn Owls so nestboxes should only be cleaned out between November and January – and preferably in dry, calm weather, so that any roosting owl doesn’t get flushed out into the rain or wind. Daymon Hawk (Hargeysa Somalia), last edited 6 weeks back [2]
A new paper has been published by the remarkable and remarkable barnowltrust.org.uk This shows there are 2 types of Tawny Owl nest boxes. The upright configuration as illustrated in Fig. 1 should be nailed or strapped onto a main branch or trunk. As shown in Fig. 2 is designed to be strapped or tied to the underside of a sloping side branch at an angle of approximately 45°. It is not important to measure precisely, as long as the entrance hole of the box does not exceed 200mm. A thick roofing felt roof top should be used for the upright box. Each type must be fitted with a minimum of 12mm-diameter drainage holes. [3]
An indoor box should be securely nailed to beams, ensuring that no nails, screws or other sharp edges or points are left to protrude into the box or any part on which the birds You might find yourself perching. You should position it as high above the ground as possible, minimum 10 feet (3m), but for modern unventilated farms buildings, lower than the roof’s top, as the heat can make the area very hot during summer. It is best to have the front opening of the box directly facing the owl’s point of access to the building. Barn Owl boxes may also be attached under remote buildings’ eaves. They are more likely to succeed if they are private, provide shelter from rain and allow direct access, and are large enough. This information was provided by Jiselle Barbtholomew. [4]
According to Jeremy Stroud amadorbarnowlbox.comBarn Owls don’t hunt within close proximity of their nest. Nest boxes should be strategically placed so that they are not in close proximity to heavily rodent-infested areas. However, owls will hunt near areas with high rodent populations if they are placed on perches. The boxes should be placed at least one hundred yards apart. It should give enough coverage to allow the male some territorial behaviourr. The barn owls can also use water sources to their advantage. They will find ponds and streams that have pools useful. Boxes may be located near tree lines – 100 yards – to provide a nearby perch for young as they venture out of the nest. However, the box should not be too close to dense woods which, in Northern California, are the habitat of the Great Horned Owl and the Red-Tailed Hawk, the Barn Owl’s primary predators. Install post boxes around the edges of any trees in your vineyards. [5]
Refer to the Article
- https://www.robertefuller.com/diary/how-to-get-a-tawny-owl-to-nest-in-your-garden/
- https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-nestbox/owl-boxes-for-trees/
- https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-nestbox/tawny-owl-nestbox/
- https://www.owl-help.org.uk/wild-owl-nestbox-project
- http://www.amadorbarnowlbox.com/where-to-install-barn-owl-box.html
