Barred Site 2

2022 Nesting Summary

Seemed a average year for screech owls nesting. 3 sites with screech owl nesting, with 4 owlets each, 1 owlet predated soon after fledging by a presumed opossum.

Total: Owlets 12 (one predated soon after fledging)

Total Owlets Since 2010: 134+

Barred Owls:

Total 2 Owlets, first ever!

Site 1
Massachusetts
No Nesting this year, Need to find new Site 1.

Site 2
Massachusetts
No screech owls…but local barred owls are heard regularly.

Site 3
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: M,F both red phased, successful nesting in nest box 700 feet from original site

Total: 4 owlets fledged around 5/25/2021 (look closely 2 red phased owlets on bottom right and upper left(slightly warmer color beneath the gray downy feathers in appearance) owlets and 2 gray phased upper right and lower left (can only see the tails of the 2 owlets on the left)

Site 4

Relocated for 2019 season:
Screech Owls: Female Gray. no nesting
Total: one of pair pressumed predated on by Great Horned Owl

Site 5
Relocated in 2022 to Massachusetts

Screech owls: Successful Nesting Female Gray, Male Gray

Total: 4 owlets fledged

Site 6
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: Female Red, male Gray Did not nest in box this year, box used in fall and winter

Total: 0

Site 7
Massachusetts :Relocated for 2017 season
2022: Screech owls active in winter, seemed to nest elsewhere, activity stopped early march, no nesting this year.

Site 8
Massachusetts

Screech Owls: Female Red

Presummed nesting in box not part of my trail.

Site 9

Massachusetts

Screech Owls: Female Gray, Male Gray

Total: 4 owlets (2 fledged 5/20/2022, one was predated by morning, 2 fledged 5/24/2022) presumed opossum attack, tried to get into box, but failed but most likely able to get to the owlet after fledging, evidence found near box on ground)

Barred Site 2

Barred owls: after 10 years, first successful Barred Owl Nesting

2 Barred Owlets fledged!

Barred Owl Site 2

Barred Site 2

Was able to set up a second barred owl site over the weekend, it is in Eastern Connecticut. If there was a check list for barred owl box placement, this site seemed to have most if not all the checks in the right places…
1) clear flight path
2) right habitat
3) known barred owl near by.
4) space between box and nearest yard activity

So this should be a good test to barred owl acceptance with this style, let call it predator resistant, box. I am still figuring out the dimensions, this version is a bit larger area wise than the first site, giving it a 16″ x 16″ floor. This way I didn’t have to ‘rip’ any wood in half. I could use the 10″ wide couple with 8″ wide boards to make the sides, so the front and back could be two 8″ wide boards (although with this box I turned the boards 90 degrees on the front). It has ~7.5″ x 16″ slot but the entrance used some scrap wood that was quite uneven, I figured the owls wouldn’t mind if it was uneven. It is a large, heavy box, but I guess there is no way around that with barred owls. Again the pulley system, plus an extra set of hands made it a relatively easy installation.

Here is a shot of a barred owl with a phone cam, one of a few times they saw one in the yard this summer, nice that there is some scale with the person in the foreground.

a few shots of the installation and location

pulley close up

finished