Barred Owl Nest Box Location

Place a barn owl nest box at least 15 20 feet high but be sure the opening is shaded from the sun and wind.

Barred owl nest box location.

Males like to roost in a nearby tree. If the box is mounted on a pole use a baffle to prevent cats raccoons and other predators from reaching it. Locate box within 200 of water if possible. Although the bird is mostly active at night it will also call and even hunt in the daytime.

Have someone help you push the sides together so. 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. 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.

In november the bees are hibernating and barred owls will have 3 months to find the house. 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.

Any water source will do a lake creek pond stream or water hole. 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. Otherwise you will have problems later. Male barred owls are the ones who pick the nesting location.

Place 3 4 of wood chips in bottom of box. You should take care to hang the nest box within 300 feet of a water source pond stream lake or river. 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. The best place to locate a nest box is where barred owls are already present usually in wet woods with large trees especially hemlock trees which the owls like for roosting.

The hardwoods have fewer branches and are easier to access with a ladder or climbing steps such as archers use. Barred owls like to nest near water. 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. Squirrels nest in the fall when barred owls are not paying much attention to their nest cavities.

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. Barred owls prefer to nest in lowland mature forest areas. Squirrels may fill the box up with sticks and leaves making it impossible for owls to use it.