56 birdsandblooms.com OCTOBER (^) I NOVEMBER 2017
Be an Owl Landlord
FIELD GUIDE
wls are both popular
and mysterious.
They’re so obscure,
in fact, that most
people report
they’ve never seen one in real life.
But some kinds of owls come into
suburban neighborhoods and city
parks, and they might even call
your backyard home when you
follow these four tips.
1 Provide shelter. Most kinds of
owls like to hide inside dense cover
during the day and venture out only
at night. Evergreen trees provide
this kind of shelter year-round.
Depending on where you live,
ideal choices include pine, spruce
or juniper; check with a local
native plant nursery to find out
which grows best in your region.
Eventually you may find long-eared
owls, northern saw-whet owls,
great horned owls or other species
nestled away among the branches,
sleeping the day away.
2 Offer nest sites. Eastern
screech-owls are common and
widespread east of the Rockies, with
western screech-owls replacing
them farther west, and both often
lurk in towns and cities. However,
to nest and raise young, they need
cavities such as woodpecker holes
or natural hollows in trees. If
you can safely leave dead trees or
large dead limbs standing, these
often have holes that owls use.
Otherwise, screech-owls use nest
boxes designed for wood ducks
or American kestrels, with an
entrance hole at least 3 inches in
diameter. In cooler climates, the
O
Roll out the welcome mat for these shadowy nighttime fliers.
To lure eastern
screech-owls,
hang a nest box
in February.BY KENN AND KIMBERLY KAUFMAN GAIL BUQUOI