Elizabeth Bennett, formerly of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, approached us last April with the idea of putting up a box at Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh. At first, we hesitated, given that the site is in Wake County. Then she offered to pay for the box herself. Mrs. Bennett, already host to a box on private land west of Chapel Hill, simply wouldn't take no for an answer.
Prairie Ridge is actually a very good site for our initiative. For one, the habitat is good, with managed native grasslands surrounded by large cattle pastures. Secondly, the education potential is high, as the site is managed by researchers, and is open to the public. Finally, there is a chance we might encourage our neighboring chapter, Wake Audubon, to take the baton and put up some owl boxes of their own. So we agreed to put box number 9 at Prairie Ridge.
Prairie Ridge is situated near the NC Museum of Art, NC State's football stadium, and the Carl Alwen Schenck Memorial Forest, not far from Wade Avenue. The Reedy Creek Greenway System runs right beside it. Aside from serving as a research center, the site is excellent for general birding and nature exploration.
Tom, Norm, and I arrived on a beautiful Saturday morning in late September. We quickly discovered that native grasses at Prairie Ridge are quite high in autumn, which could make it difficult for future Barn Owls to hunt for rodents. We needed to find a mounting spot with access to mowed trails, lower patches of grasses, and neighboring farm fields, offering alternative hunting opportunities for the owls.
After scouting the area, we decided on a location in the northern section of the ecostation, close to the equipment sheds. Sheds tend to harbor mice and cotton rats, prime food sources for Barn Owls. The location also met all our other needs. It took us only 20 minutes to find level ground and mount the nest box.
Box number 9 is now open for business in Wake County! We hope the investment will pay off in the years to come.
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