The Celery Farm & Beyond

Screech Owl Season

    We are officially almost ready for Screech Owl Season 2009-2010. The nesting box is empty, save for some fresh wood shavings (fresh from a pet-supply store), the infra-red video minicam and the tiny microphone.

   We have been airing out the box  all summer, with the lid propped open to keep squirrels from moving in. When we went to add the wood shavings this week, we were mildly surprised to see that someone had placed a black walnut in the box (left).

    We do not expect an owl to move in for at least two weeks, and we wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get an owl until December -- if we get one at all. We do not take our Screech owl neighbors for granted.

   The image below was taken through the minicam as well.  If and when a male Screecher moves in, those wood shavings will be mixed with prey items  and get pretty rude by early March.

   We have other site preparation in the works, which we will detail in an upcoming post or two.

 
 

Ace Family Screech Owl Update

As you know, I did not post much about my screech owls this year. We had five owlets, and all left the box successfully.
    Over the past three springs, we have had 14 of 14 nestlings leave the box -- not a bad batting average.
   I am working on a screech owl book, part journal and part how-to. It includes some of my old-style nature writing that reflects my love of nature
   Not sure when it will be done, or how it will be published, but I am plugging away. On the plus side, it will include some of Jerry Barrack's great photography.

Local Screech Owl Web Site

   

For those in need of a "screech owl fix," I thought I would pass along a link to this Screech Owl Web site from Hawthorne.

    Has several videos, with some creative video techniques. Link is here.

    Tomorrow: Ace Family Screech owls Update.

Screech Owl Basics: Rules 9 and 10

This post is part of a continuing series of posts about Eastern Screech Owls -- and attracting one to your back yard. 

   Other owlers may suggest different advice. Theirs may be just as useful. One thing I have learned: No two screech owls are alike.   

   Here are Rules 9 and 10 of my Top 10 Rules for  attracting Screech Owls -- with big-time advice from David Johnson of the Global Owl Project. (Thanks, David!)   

    Click "Continue reading..." for the rules.

Screech Owl Basics: Rules 5, 6, 7 and 8

    This post is part of a continuing series of posts about Eastern Screech Owls -- and attracting one to live in your back yard. 

   Other owlers may suggest different advice. Theirs may be just as useful. One thing I have learned: No two screech owls are alike.   

   Here are Rules 5, 6, 7 and 8  of my Top 10 Rules for attracting Screech Owls -- with big-time advice from David Johnson of the Global Owl Project. (Thanks, David!)   

    Click "Continue reading..." for the rules.

Screech Owl Basics: Rules 2, 3 and 4

    This post is part of a continuing series of posts about Eastern Screech Owls -- and attracting one to your back yard. 

   Other owlers may suggest different advice. Theirs may be just as useful. One thing I have learned: No two screech owls are alike.   

   Here are Rules 2, 3 and 4 of my Top 10 Rules for attracting Screech Owls -- with big-time advice from David Johnson of the Global Owl Project. (Thanks, David!)   

    Click "Continue reading..." for the rules.

Screech Owl Nesting Box Basics: Rule 1

                                                                                                   Archival photo of our neighbor, Ace

    This post is part of a continuing series of posts about Eastern Screech Owls -- and attracting one to your back yard. 

   I have had an owl box just beyond my backyard for more years than I can count at this point, and I have learned a lot -- from asking experts, observing, or learning the hard way. 

  I thought I should share what I have learned. 

   Other owlers may suggest different advice. Theirs may be just as useful. One thing I have learned: No two screech owls are alike.   

   Here are is the first of my Top 10 Rules for attracting Screech Owls -- with big-time advice from David Johnson of the Global Owl Project. (Thanks, David!)   

    Click "Continue reading..." for the first rule.

More about Screech Owls

    On my last post on Screech Owls, I wrote that "Screech Owls come in two basic colors, red and gray. Although the term “phase” is used to describe these two colors, the owls do not change from one phase to the other.

    A reddish-brown screech owl is always reddish brown, and a grayish-brown Screech Owl always remains grayish brown."

   That drew the following question from a friend of this blog: "Do Screech Owls always pick mates of their own color phase? And if two different color-phased owls mate, what color are the offspring? This is not a riddle—it’s a real question."

    The answers are: Red-phased and gray-phased Screech Owls can and do mate. My first pair of Screech Owl neighbors, in 2005, were a red-phased male and a gray-phased female.

   Because I had not installed a camera in the nesting box, I do not know if any of the owlets survived, let alone their coloration. But from what I understand, the two gray-phased owls of two years ago had both red-phased and gray-phased offspring. The coloration seems random.

   Females are typically larger than males, and two-thirds of all Eastern Screech Owls are typically gray. More on Eastern Screech Owls here.

    Western Screech Owls are only gray-phase, and have black bills.  More on Western Screech Owls here.

    Note: Unless otherwise noted, all solid Screech Owl photos were taken by Jerry Barrack. Mediocre or lousy shots are likely mine.

    Questions of comments on Screech Owls. E-mail me here.

 

All about Screech Owls

     Screech owls are the most populous owl in America, but few people notice them because they are mostly creatures of the night.
    People see them more often this time of year because the males are choosing nesting sites and protecting turf. Once they have found a site or two that they have decided to defend, they typically sleep during the day and sun themselves in late afternoon.
    Screech Owls stand roughly nine inches tall, with a wing span of 20 inches. They weigh roughly six or seven ounces, with females slightly larger than males.
    Screech Owls have all sorts of neat features, including a head that turns 270 degrees, extra eyelids, and an amazing sense of hearing.

     Click "continue reading ..." for more about Screech Owls.

     If you have a question about these owls, e-mail me here.

Screech Owl Basics: The Intro

   Because of this blog, I get quite a few e-mails about Screech Owls and Screech Owl nesting boxes from as far away as Florida around this time of year. 

   'Tis the season when people see a Screech Owl poking its head out of a nesting box or tree cavity and have their curiosity piqued.

    People want to know all about putting up the nesting boxes, installing cameras, and finding out more about these mysterious creatures that just might be setting up house beyond their backyards.

   Click "Continue reading..."  to read more.