2023 Nesting Summary

Seemed a good year for screech owls nesting. 4 sites with 15 owlets fledging.

Total: Owlets 15

Total Owlets Since 2010: 149+

Barred Owls:

None this year.

Total: 2 Owlets,(2022)

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. Female red phased Male Gray, successful nesting.

Total: 4 owlets fledged around 5/29/2023 (Photo from 5/28/23)

Site 4

Screech Owls: Pair M,F Gray. Successful nesting.
Total: 5 eggs, 4 owlets successfully fledged 5/23-5/25/2023

After owls left, a pair of Flickers laid eggs in June, unfortunately they were unviable

Site 5
Relocated in 2022 to Massachusetts

Screech owls: Successful Nesting Female Gray, Male Gray

Total: 3 owlets fledged by 5/23/2023

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: M,F Gray

Total: 4 owlets, 4 eggs one egg unviable, but a recently hatched owlet was adopted into the nest so 4 owlets fledged by 5/31/2023. See https://owloasis.wordpress.com/2023/06/10/baby-owlet-rescue/ for full story.

9 eggs and a Presumed Nest

Site 9 (4 eggs), Site 4 (5 eggs), and Site 3.

Site 9, first egg was March 26th, and currently there are 4 eggs that should be hatching in about a week.

Site 4, first egg was March 22nd and currently there are 5 eggs that should be hatching any day now, also a nice night video of a raccoon investigating the nest, hopefully the squirrel resistance will be enough to thwart the other predators as well. Pay attention to the top right, see the owl fly to attack the raccoon, and turn volume up and listen to the defensive bill clacking.

Site 3, presumed nest, if so this is the male that spends most if not all day in entrance as not to crowd the female on eggs.

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!

2021 Nesting Summary:

Seemed a average year for owls breeding. Although my record keeping was below average. But had the exciting orphan owlet being fledged with the family at Site 9 !

Total: Owlets 9+

Total Owlets Since 2010: 122+

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

Total: 3+ owlets fledged around 5/25/2021

Most Likely Male Owl

Presumed Last Owlet fledged.

Site 4

Relocated for 2019 season:
Screech Owls: Female Gray. Successful nesting
Total: 2 owlets fledged by May 14th, 2021.

Site 5
Maryland no owls, box fell down.

Site 6
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: Female Red, Successful nesting

Total: Presumed nest, but did not get owlet sighting

Site 7
Massachusetts :Relocated for 2017 season
2020: Screech owls active in winter, seemed to nest elsewhere, activity stopped early march, no nesting this year.

Site 8
Massachusetts

Screech Owls: Female Gray.

Presumed nesting no owlet records.

Site 9
Screech owls: Female Gray, Successful nesting

Total: 3 owlets + 1 foster owlets fledged by 6/22/2020

2020 Summary

Overall a good year for owls breeding. The mild winter seemed to have fledgling 1-2 weeks ahead of normal which is usually (end of May into early June)

Total: Owlets 15+

Site 1
Massachusetts
No Nesting this year

Site 2
Massachusetts
No screech owls…but local barred owls are heard regularly. BUT did have a first successful Bluebird nesting. The pair attempted 3 nesting, the first 2 got raided by a house wren. The 3rd nesting they were able to fledge 1 bluebird.

• 

Site 3
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: M,F both red phased, successful nesting

Total: 4 owlets fledged around 5/22/2020

Site 4

Relocated for 2019 season:
Screech Owls: Female Gray. Successful nesting
Total: 3 owlets fledged by May 19th.

Site 5
Maryland no owls, box fell down.

Site 6
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: Female Red, Successful nesting

Total: 2+ Owlets Fledged

photo from 2/21/2020

Site 7
Massachusetts :Relocated for 2017 season
2020: Screech owls active in winter, seemed to nest elsewhere, activity stopped early march, no nesting this year.

Site 8
Massachusetts

Screech Owls: Female Gray. Successful nesting
Total: 2+ owlets, timing not recorded.

Site 9
Screech owls: Female Gray, Successful nesting

Total: 4 owlets fledged by 5/20/2020

Another Nest, New Way to Monitor

Site 3.

This site has a red-phased male and female, interestingly their offspring seems to be 2 red and 2 gray, for a total of 4 owlets. And this is the first time using a 10 foot, bluetooth, selfie stick with cellphone to get a quick and reasonably un-obtrusive in the box shot for a more accurate count of owlets. Both parents were roosting outside the box in a nearby norway maple tree.

the male was roosting near the trunk. It was being scolded by a robin who also had a nearby fledgling

The female was roosting closer to the box in the foliage

If you look at the next 2 images, you can see the facial disks of upper 2 owlets have a bit of red/pinkish/orange hue, while the lower 2 owlets seem to be just gray.

10 Years and 98 Fledglings

I should have realized this sooner, but the 2019 nesting season was my 10th season. So I went back through my data and the minimum owlets that have fledged from the sites that I have monitored in Northeast Massachusetts is 98+. I know of numerous other owlets that have fledged from Massachusetts boxes that are not technically part of this trail so I can ‘say’ over 100 fledglings. Not to mention these do not account for the box in Maryland that was part of this project. Figured I keep it to NE massachusetts boxes. Anyway here are some photos. And I know I need to get going on the 2020 season site updates as well!

SONY DSC

Children, all three are there

 

Tardy 2019 Totals

Late getting this up this year, hopefully get caught up on the activity from over the winter soon.

2019 Decent year but record keeping a bit difficult this year plus a little site relocations.

Site 1
Massachusetts
No Nesting this year, A red phased seen a couple times on a screen capture at night in box, and once in late fall foliage nearby.

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

Site 3
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: female red phased, successful nesting

Total: 2+ owlets fledged around 5/31/2019

Site 4

Relocated for 2019 season:
Successful nesting total: 3 owlets fledged by 6/7/2019

Site 5
Maryland no owls, box fell down.

Site 6
Massachusetts
at least 1 red phased screech owl at site all winter into spring.

Total: nesting was never confirmed, may have been a lost mate from last year.

photo from 3/2/2019

Site 7
Massachusetts :Relocated for 2017 season
2019: Red and Gray pair
Total: Fledged 3+ owlets late may.

Site 8
Massachusetts
Total 2019: Did nest 2+ owlets fledged by early June.

Site 9
No Nesting most likely nested in a near by natural hollow, as they were heard through out the spring
.

2019 Totals:
screech owl fledged….. 10+ (massachusetts).

2018 Summary

One of the better years for this trail 6 nesting attempts with at least 15 owlets fledged.  Though there was a bit of site re-arranging .

Site 1
Massachusetts
No Nesting this year, only owl seen this season was a one day snowy owl about 1/3 mile away.

Site 2
Massachusetts
No screech owls…but calling of barred owls through out year.

Site 3
Massachusetts
Screech Owls: 2 Red phase successful nesting

Total: 4 owlets fledged by 5/26/2018

Site 4

Discontinued

Site 5
Maryland successful nesting but details lacking
Screech Owls,
Yes, but no data

Site 6
Massachusetts
First pair of screech owls at site.

Total: At least 2 owlets but timing?

Site 7
Massachusetts
Relocated for 2017 season
2018: Total: Fledged 3 owlets first week of June.

Site 8
Massachusetts
Total: at least 3 owlets fledged End of May.

Site 9
No Nesting but temp. substituted a near by  (but different territory) box that did have a nest

Total:  at least 3 owlets at substitute site fledged early June.

2018 Totals:
screech owl fledged….. 15+ (massachusetts)+ Maryland.

First 2 Occupants of the Season

Site 1 and Site 3,

Just a bit early but had 2 boxes with screech owls spend the day on Sunday Sept 23rd, 2018.  This is the first Screech owl activity at Site 1 since April 2015. Hopefully the owl will stick around and set up a territory, and not just traveling through the area.  Based on the screen capture of the in box camera, it does look like a red phase.

Site 3. Had an owl take up residence in July last year, this could be one of the pair last year, as they were a red phased pair (pretty sure).