Barred Owl Nest Box Location

Squirrels may fill the box up with sticks and leaves making it impossible for owls to use it.

Barred owl nest box location. The rich baritone hooting of the barred owl is a characteristic sound in southern swamps where members of a pair often will call back and forth to each other. Male barred owls are the ones who pick the nesting location. The further you place the box from human activity the better your chances of having an owl use it it should be no closer than 150 feet. Although the bird is mostly active at night it will also call and even hunt in the daytime.

Make sure the owl house is not close enough for owl droppings to fall into and contaminate the water source or for small owlets to fall into the water source and drown. If you have a conifer tree nearby this will help attract them to using the owl house. Nesting platforms can also be placed in barns steeples or silos if the owls will be able to access them easily. I always place the box in a hardwood tree near some hemlocks.

Locate box within 200 of water if possible. Males like to roost in a nearby tree. In november the bees are hibernating and barred owls will have 3 months to find the house. Place the owl house within 30 and 200 feet of the water.

Place 3 4 of wood chips in bottom of box. Turn the box 180 degrees and attach the back side the same way you attached the front side. Mount so that no branches or leaves obscure the entrance hole. If it is not right pull the sides apart and redo the step.

Have someone help you push the sides together so. If the box is mounted on a pole use a baffle to prevent cats raccoons and other predators from reaching it. If you have some over eager tree surgeon mount the box 40 up in a tree you won t be able to get up to it to evict squirrels. Barred owls like to nest near water.

Any water source will do a lake creek pond stream or water hole. Barred owls prefer to nest in lowland mature forest areas. Only a little smaller than the great horned owl the barred owl is markedly less aggressive and competition with its tough cousin may keep the. Place a barn owl nest box at least 15 20 feet high but be sure the opening is shaded from the sun and wind.

Squirrels nest in the fall when barred owls are not paying much attention to their nest cavities. You should take care to hang the nest box within 300 feet of a water source pond stream lake or river. The hardwoods have fewer branches and are easier to access with a ladder or climbing steps such as archers use.