How to Encourage Owls to Roost

Gophers got you down? Squirrels digging up your garden? Mice running rampant? The answer is simple: encourage an owl to nest in your garden. Hungry baby owls will eat up to six yummy rodents nightly; an average family of four will consume twenty four.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Plywood
• Hinges
• Keyhole Saw
• Safety Goggles
• Ladder
• Screws
• redwood chips
• 2 x 4 slats

1. Build an owl nesting box with plywood. The box should be 2 feet high by 3 feet across and at least 24 inches wide. Cut an 8 inch, elliptical-shaped hole in one side of the front of the box to allow entrance for the mother owl and ventilation for the babies. Place a hinge on the top of the box to allow for annual cleaning.

2. Select a tall tree in which to hang the nest box. The more dense the foliage, the better the owls will like it. Evergreen trees such as eucalyptus, oak and pine are preferred.

3. Choose a location in the tree so that the opening faces east, toward the rising moon. Owls hunt by night. The box should be placed at least 10 feet off the ground, higher if possible.

4. Use a ladder to carefully climb up to the chosen spot.

5. Attach two pieces of 2 inch by 4 inch wood horizontally and a few inches apart onto the trunk using stainless steel, copper or brass screws. This will be the attachment point for the box.

6. Screw the nest box to the 2 x 4 frame. The box should not be allowed to swing or hang free.

7. Lay down a 2 inch layer of fresh redwood chips on the bottom of the box once it has been secured to the tree.

8. Close the lid and carefully climb down the ladder.

9. Be patient, it may take up to one year for an owl to occupy the nesting box.

Tips & Warnings

• This box is designed to attract the common barn owl which lives through out the United States. A loss of habitat is causing a decline in barn owl populations so these nests also help the owls!

• Wild animals of any kind should not be handled or be made to feel threatened. Owls have very sharp beaks and will bite.

• You may wish to keep small pets indoors at night, just to be on the safe side.