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.

Screech Owl Companion

For the last couple years, I have been busy working on a screech owl book, It is finally coming to fruition. Official Release will be October 2023!

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jim-wright/the-screech-owl-companion/9781643261898/

Jim Wright and I have been sharing screech owl observations since 2008 and he has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine for another book of his.

The Real James Bond: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/who-was-the-real-james-bond-180978746/

The fantastic Cover Photo is by: Kevin Watson: http://www.kevinwatsonphoto.com who has worked quite a bit with Jim Wright on other projects.

Here is our write up:

“In The Screech Owl Companion, Jim Wright and Scott Weston introduce screech owls, show how to distinguish them from other species, share fun lore and legend, and provide step-by-step instructions for making your yard screech ready. You’ll learn how to build a squirrel-resistant nest box and install a simple nest cam that you can monitor from your cell phone to watch when owls move in, lay eggs, and raise a family.”

“Hearing an owl call and seeing one in the wild is a nature-lover’s dream. In fact, of the top ten birds people hope to see, three are owls. What many people don’t know, however, is that the screech owl is North America’s most common and widespread backyard owl—and further, that by taking a few simple steps including building and siting a basic nest box, you can actually attract owls to nest in your yard each year. Screech owls are the owls most likely to make their homes near humans.”

More to Come!