My husband's former student built an owl box for me, so I could try and attract an owl to my yard. I have been waiting and whining for nearly a year and had about given up. The tree trim guys came about 3 weeks ago and cut the front yard tree in my postage stamp-sized yard to smithereens... I mean there is hardly anything left except the top of the tree 50-60 feet up... They moved the box up higher, so it is about 25-30 feet up... Yesterday, I looked out the window, and "Voila," I have a little owl... I guess he likes butchered trees...

He is sooo cute... He is the red version of an Eastern Screech Owl... I wish I could post a picture, but have no clue... He sits in the opening of his box and watches us...

I need a name for him, because I am anthropomorphic...

Cathie

How about RESO??. Short for Red Eastern Screech Owl.

Next time you see him, call him RESO. See if he looks at you.

lol

Melody

We've got two owls. They sit on different sides of my house and call to each other. Really amazing. There are some things to be said about rural Texas. I've never seen them, I only hear them tho.

Billye

About owlbert,well you asked. heh heh Sue

Uh oh... One upped by my Texas buddy... Now I really need to get another box..

If I remember correctly, Billye lives out in the boonies, a good place for owls... If they are hooting back and forth, "Who, who, who cooks for you," they are probably big Great-horned owls and being that close to one another, I would suspect they are a pair...

We had a GH (owl talk, not medical) female on the nest here in our neighborhood and she became sick and had to go to the wildlife animal rescue for treatment. The neatest thing happened when she was released back into her area. Waiting across the street in the top of a very tall tree, was her mate, like he knew she was coming. She flew right straight to him and off they flew together into the sunset...

They eat meeces to pieces and sometimes rabbits or squirrels. I am always afraid the big owls will grab my Yorkies, so they are in the corral at night waiting to saddle up and see what kind of trouble they can get into in the am...

Just something fun to get my mind on besides PN... Still thinking about names...

Cathie

I can't imagine living around animals the way you do. I am just picturing myself surrounded by squirrels, and owls. NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! lol

And what on earth is meeces to pieces??
Melody

OHHHHHH I'm SOOO jealous that y'all are owls in your yard!! I'm going to look into an owl box and see if we can get one. We have lots of other types of birds in our yard but never have seen, or heard, an owl here, but I would think there would be some around.
It's SO great that y'all get excited over nature cause I'm a BIG nature fan. We go through LOTS of bird/squirrel food every week feeding our all critters.

Melody,
Meeces is plural for mice. "Sorta" ....I mean if they eat lots of mice then they eat meece. Right!!??

We have all kinds of wildlife. Some I like more than others. Cathie,
I didn't realize that the owls were a pair and I didn't realize they eat squirrel. We enjoy our squirrels so much. But they do torment the devil out of our little long haired Chihuahua. He stands on his hindlegs and just bugles he wants to get them so bad. They jump up and down and run over his head like they are saying "nnanna can't catch me".

Billye

Here you go Roxie... Try this box. I am not selling or making anything, but this guy is an Ornithologist and knows what kind of box really attracts owls... They are made from old fence wood (see pic) and seem more natural than the stuff you buy in the store, which is new wood. I have seen pics of your yard and you should have no trouble getting an owl or maybe more than one if you space your boxes far enough apart and put them up high enough... I think they say 10-12 feet up. I would go higher... He is behind on orders. I can't wait to get another one...

http://owlshack.com


Mel: Shame, shame...!! You don't know what you are missing... You are up there where you already have owls and hawks, you just don't see them. Haven't you heard of the fiasco with Paula Zahn and the Red-tailed hawk pair (Palemale and Lola) over in Central Park on Fifth Ave? They have produced a number of babies right on her building... There are a number of bird lovers up your way... Check out pics of Palemale below. These (and owls) are beautiful and fascinating carniverous birds who eat mice (meeces) rats, and other small creatures, unfortunately, squirrels (sob). They help keep critters out of your city... If you have a park, try some binoculars and see take a look at the different birds you are missing...

http://www.palemale.com

Today, my poor owl is trying his best to rest. Meanwhile, the bluejays are bombarding his box and trying to run him off. Don't ask me how they know he is in there, but they arrived screaming in full force with a Super Bowl backup group... (Loud)

Billye: I don't know if they are a pair for sure, just guessing. It is getting towards breeding season and I doubt they would tolerate the closeness if they were not a pair or at least a potential pair... Watch and see where their nest is-if they are Great-horned owls, their nest will be a big round nest, mid to high up and built out of a lot of sticks and stuff... You have to look carefully to see them. In the daytime, they sit very still on the nest, daddy is usually not far away and may bring dinner towards dusk or evening (not your typical Jack in the Box). Their babies are wonderful to watch...

Can you tell what kind of call are they making?

Cathie

P.S. Roxie:

If you have bird food on the ground in your yard, you probably have owls and just don't know it, because they are active at night. Why? Because there are usually some meeces (or even rats) that come after dark and have a heyday eating the food that has fallen during the day...

Also, those boxes are designed for Screech Owls, a small owl. If you want to put out boxes for larger owls, you can probably find other sites on the Internet that have larger boxes. You have a big yard though, I would imagine you will have no trouble drawing owls in to live...

Cathie