Category Archives: Uncategorized
OwlOasis on Etsy
There has been some brooding (excuse the pun, I actually meant to type ‘broadening’ but brooding seems fitting as well) interest in these type of boxes, and thought it would be a good idea to formalize an ordering process. One of our friends had an Etsy shop so my wife thought I should try it out. So there is now an OwlOasis shop on Etsy selling the two types of screech owl boxes I make and use for this ‘trail’. We will see how it goes and Feedback is most welcome.
so with out further words.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/OwlOasis
Boxless Pair
I found a pair of screech owls about 500 yards away (down the street) from Site 2 I had the intention of seeing if any owls were around by imitation, but I heard one calling first (all the better), then saw it flying through a couple of trees, it looked like it was catching insects in and around the branches as it was flying from branch to branch more like a warbler than an owl. It was eventually joined by a second owl. So ‘she’ is not incubating yet. But they should be staying near by. From the experience watching owls with the boxes, they don’t travel very far right after fly out.
Only got this blurred pic, a 4 second exposure, manual focus (guess) as it was too dark for the camera to autofocus. Well at least I can tell its a gray phase, oh and if you look very closely above the head of the owl is a ghost outline of the second owl that took off right as the shutter was triggered. (2 sec time delay).
So Close but…
So far, I have heard screech owls about 1/2 dozen different time at site 2 since since October 2011. But not one has shown up in either of the 2 boxes… The last, was two nights ago 1-10-12, at 11:00 pm and through closed windows, so it was close. So ‘they’ should know about the boxes, but that doesn’t mean ‘they’ will use them.
Snowless Snowy Owl
Not really part of this trail,
Just took the family up to Salisbury Beach State Reservation on this unseasonably warm friday, its a fairly close place that has an RV/campgrounds, beach, a small playground, and is ‘known’ for the winter owls in Massachusetts, Snowy, Saw Whet, Short eared, and Long eared. A snowy owl on was perched on top of the Bath House this day. Seems like a preferred perch, as I have seen one in the exact same place a couple years ago. It seems to be a ‘good’ year for snowies as there seem to be quite a number of them reported for this time of year.
Not to be Forgotten
Its been since July since I last checked in here, thinking there might be a late season nesting, but alas no nesting. I hadn’t heard much recently, so I took a quick visit and lo and behold, a nice red phased sitting in the entrance. Nice to see this it is active this fall.
Circle Hole Nest Confirmed
Got this from the owner on Sunday complete with photos.
GREAT NEWS >>>> WE HAVE AN OWLET in the circle box! I don’t know if there
are any others in the box [can only see one at a time]. The ‘brown owl’ has
been visible almost daily since my last report. The ‘white face owl’ was
seen regularly until last weekend. I thought it had abandoned the box, but
the blue jays & robins alerted me to its current roost in a small maple tree
behind the chicken coop. I’ll let you know if I see any more than one owlet
at a time.
Male in Slot Box
Female in Tree
Owlet
Nice Little Vid on Screech Owls
A good quality (albeit a somewhat sad) vid. of some backyard screech owls in Florida, with some nice low light footage, it ends with a fact of screech owl ‘life’.
2010 Season
Site 1
Screech Owls,
Male=red phased
Female=gray phased
First Egg 2/19/2010
# of Eggs……………..6
First Hatch 3/23/2010
# Hatched…………….6
Fledged ……………….6
(4 fledged on 4/23/2010, 2 fledged 4/24/2010)
Site 2
No Owls in Box,
Starlings attempted
House sparrows attempted,
Bluebird, (bluebird box, w/ monofiliment house sparrow deterant)
5 eggs laid, all infertile, none hatched.
Site 3
Screech Owls,
Male=red phased
Female=red phased
First Egg 3/31/2010 (+/- a day)
# of Eggs ………….5
First Hatch 5/2/2010 (+/- a day)
# Hatched………… 5
Fledged……………. 5
(3 fledged 5/29/2010, 2 fledged 5/30/2010)
Site 4
No screech owls seen
Maryland
Screech Owls,
Male= ?
Female=red phased
First Egg 3/7/2010 (+/- 3 days)
# of Eggs…………. 2 +
First Hatch 4/7/2010 (+/- 3 days)
# Hatched …………2+
Fledged …………….2+
Site 6
No screech owls seen,
great horned owls heard frequently until Feb 26, 2010 storm,
then heard occasionally.
Site 7
no screech owls seen,
screech owl present occasionally 1/4 mile away in natural roost
Site 8
gray phased screech owl first seen 4/16/2010
last seen 4/29/2010
no nest
2010 Totals:
screech owl eggs …….13 + (11 Massachusetts)
screech owl fledged…..13+ (11 Massachusetts)3
Owl Movie? Owls of Ga Hoole
Normally I keep this ‘blog’ very focused and more logbookish…but thought this looked (animation) really well done.
Owl in the Family
A screech owl family made the news of the Marblehead Reporter
a red phased male, a gray phased female and a couple owlets that are close to fledging. it also has a couple nice photos.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/marblehead/news/x1070027058/Owl-in-the-family
From Around the Web
3 texas screech owl cams seem to look promising, with eggs in the last one, the other 2 expect eggs soon.
Chris Johnson’s
East Austin
owlcam.rosebudssupport
and in the awww so cute category, the very hi quality (HD in fact) from an owl enthusiast on youtube of a pair of screechers preening
Backyard Screech
Only related due to the subject matter, not a part my trail. 3-4 week ago
Mass Audubon did a blog post about a screech owl staying in a box in Falmouth MA. Looks like its a Box on a cedar poll with flashing to keep squirrels and predators at bay.
on an anecdotal side note, although red-phased owls have always been the minority in the NE, I know of 4-5 individual red-phased and only 1-2 gray-phased, in and around the sites. (these do not included this falmouth owl or a gray phased that has been well documented in Rye NH.)
