Owl family hanging out
Any day now the owlet in our owl box will fly the nest, so I’ve been taking lots of photos while I can. Here’s one of the parents — the mother, I think — on her favorite perch in a juniper tree behind our back fence.
She tolerates my presence much better now that she’s not in the owl box. Then, she’d hide immediately if we stepped into the back yard. But now she’ll sit on the branch and even close her eyes for a catnap while I quietly sit and photograph.
Here she is again, later in the day.
She’s a beautiful bird. Tiny, of course — no more than 9 or 10 inches tall.
Yesterday I inched a little closer, standing next to the fence and pointing my long lens between the cedar posts, still about 10 feet away. She calmly watched. From this angle, I was concerned to see that her left eye looks irritated or inflamed.
Poor mama! I wonder what happened.
A black-crested titmouse made a bold show of fussing at the owl, as smaller birds often do throughout the day.
In the box, the fuzzy owlet popped up to see what I was up to.
He bobbed up and down in the doorway, impatient for dinner.
In past years we always saw two or even three chicks. I keep an eye on the box throughout the day, using binoculars through the window, curious to see if another little face will appear. But if he’s an only, well, that’s less work for mom and dad. And with that eye of hers, it kind of looks like Mom could use a break!
Update June 11: The owlet left the nest tonight! I was watching with binoculars as he bobbed up and down and flapped his wings in the box. He waited for the first feeding, gobbled that down, and then leapt out of the box into a Texas persimmon tree below. From there he struggled to get his balance, flopping around on the pliable branches. Eventually he ended up on the ground, but quickly flapped halfway up the back fence to find a perch there on the rough cedar posts. Then he clawed his way up to the top of the fence, where he got another feeding. From there I lost sight of him — it was fully dark — but feel sure he’s living his best life. Fly strong, little owl!
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Digging Deeper
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Do you do anything to discourage squirrels from hanging out in the owl house, or do the owls handle it?
For years we’d often see a squirrel in or around the box in the fall/winter, but an owl always seemed able to chase it out and start nesting in the box by late winter. But then one winter a squirrel simply wouldn’t vacate. So we sheathed the box in thin sheets of galvanized metal, and then we painted the whole thing brown. Squirrels are acrobats, of course, and one could get in if it really wanted. But we’ve made it a little harder since they can’t grip the metal. So far, no squirrel problems. If you do it too, just make sure not to leave any sharp edges that could injure an owl.
One more note on that: we didn’t cover the wood under the opening. That’s where mom and dad need to be able to grab hold when they fly in for feedings. You can see in the pictures above how it looks.
If it’s just one chick, all the more of a spring miracle! Great shots.
Thanks, Nell. Yes, a spring miracle that’s lovely to witness.
I always enjoy your owl stories. I look forward to every installment.
I’m glad – thanks, Lisa!
What a beautiful thing to see that. Best wishes to the owlet for a long and healthy life,
Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos.
Here a Pacific Slope Flycatcher has taken over our patio, she’s incubating her eggs right now. Such a tiny little creature, in such a big world.
What an adorable little bird she is — I just looked her up. Enjoy your magical birding-in-the-backyard experience too, HB!
Thank you for your photos and story about the owl family. This made a perfect story time for 5 year old Makayla and Grandma. Makayla’s quite the nature lover!
How nice to hear! Thanks for reading about our owl family, Makayla and Grandma!
Hi there! I have some questions about the screetch owls. We put up a box a few months ago hoping to get a pair, but so far no luck. Is it too late? Did it take you a while to get your first pair?
We were wondering if maybe our placement was wrong. Since I don’t have a lot of tall trees, only huisaches too short and angled for mounting, I put it on a pole 10 feet up near the back of our barn. It isn’t too far from the ticket of trees. I have a 2 year old peach in front of it, bc I heard they like to perch.
Also tried using an owl recording. It only succeeded in making our neighbors dogs bark 100 yards away. LOL!
I saw the pictures of your garden after the freeze. So sad, mine is equally devastated. Taking this as an opportunity to fix things I really did not fully like amor the previous garden.
If you put it up a few months ago, the timing was right. The males start scouting nesting spots around February, I think. If a pair selects your owl box, you might not always know it for a while, not until the chicks hatch and get big enough to sit in the doorway. When the female is incubating her eggs at the bottom of the box, if you don’t catch sight of the male owl delivering food to her, you might not know an owl was there. It can also take a year or two (or more) to attract a pair.
One thought though: screech owls like to nest and hunt in forested areas, so if you don’t have many trees, you might not have the right habitat for them. Do you ever hear them? They have a distinctive trill or whinny and can be talkative in midwinter.