Daily News-Record, November 8, 2022
Eastern Screech Owls become active at dusk and retire by dawn. You might be able to attract them by putting up a screech owl box. It may be difficult to find a pre-made owl-nesting box for sale, but you can make your own birdhouse (or get someone else to make one for you) by looking up the dimensions in a book or online (a good site is http://www.wildbirddepot.com/nest-box-dimensions-chart/).
Place your owl box as high on a tree as you can, and no less than ten feet off the ground. Screech owls prefer boxes that are higher rather than lower.
Some books mention placing sawdust or woodchips in the bottom of owl boxes since these birds do not build a nest. Sawdust tends to hold moisture and shouldn’t be employed. I collect dried pine needles and they’ve been quite acceptable to the owls. I only cover the floor of the box, as opposed to using the two to three inches of material recommended in books.
Books typically suggest an entrance-hole of 3 inches. Although a screech owl can fit through a three-inch hole, it will only be able to peek out during the day. My three boxes each have 4½-inch diameter holes, and owls using any of these boxes have perched on the rim of the opening early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and sometimes during the day. It’s a thrill to see them in broad daylight!
Place your box on the south side of a tree, if possible. Though I do I have two boxes facing north and they have been used for nesting as well as roosting, my experience has been that the owls use a south-facing box more often. This box is undoubtedly warmer throughout the winter because it receives direct sun from late morning through the afternoon, which is also helpful when the owls are nesting because it can still be quite chilly in early spring when the eggs are laid. If you can put the nest box where leaves will shade it after the eggs have hatched, this will minimize overheating during the warmer afternoons.
Locate your box among trees rather than in the open area of your yard. Screech owls prefer to roost and nest in woods not far from a clearing, which is referred to as edge habitat.
It may take more than a year for an owl to find and use your box, so be patient. If other animals, such as insects and mammals, have used the box for nesting, they will leave debris that should be removed. Replace the pine needles by the end of each September.
One day you may look at your box and see a screech owl perched on the rim of the opening, completely filling it, and serenely watching the activities going on in your yard. On those days, it’ll be very difficult for you to do anything but stare at your visitor, who is so much more often heard than seen. It’s an exhilarating experience!
Marlene A. Condon is the author/photographer of The Nature-friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole Books; information at www.marlenecondon.com). You can read her blog at https://InDefenseofNature.blogspot.com