Box 24: South Wind Farm

South Wind Farm is home to the Body Therapy Institute, a massage and healing arts school nestled into the heart of the Silk Hope community in Chatham County. BTI, as it is called by students and faculty, is a very special place, considered by many to be one of the best massage schools in the country. The land itself is designed to soothe body and soul, as woodlands turn to open grasslands yielding eventually to a picturesque little pond. Breathing becomes noticeably easier the moment you enter the driveway.

South Wind Farm and BTI also happen to have good habitat for Barn Owls. Only a couple of miles from our existing Silk Hope nest boxes, South Wind Farm provides necessary open space, along with proximity to working farms in the near vicinity. Since Barn Owls are known to have very large home ranges, and may forage up to five miles from a nesting site, the surrounding landscape is as important as the potential nest site itself. 

When we originally scouted sites in Silk Hope, I couldn't imagine better guardians of a nest box than Rick Rosen and Carey Smith, the owners of South Wind Farm and BTI. Having gone to the school myself, back in the mid-90's, I knew them not only to be great people, but avid birdwatchers as well. The feeders at the school are typically covered in goldfinches, and bluebirds are a common site almost every day of the year.  

The nest box was installed within a hedgerow, at the edge of a draw, close to the pond. 

Mounted on a 12 foot 4x4, the Barn Owl box blends in nicely with the overall aesthetic of the property. Look closely at the right side of the photo below, and you may see the small white speck along the hedgerow.

As one of the few truly rural areas of the Triangle region, the Silk Hope community may offer some of our best hopes for attracting imperiled Barn Owls back to the area. We now have five installations in Chatham County, with hopes of more in the future. Will the healing vibe of BTI and South Wind Farm attract a nesting pair in the next season or two?? 

Boxes 22 and 23: Cane Creek Reservoir

Cane Creek Reservoir, in western Orange County, is one of the most picturesque locales in all of central North Carolina. Rolling hills and farmland meet clear water and open sky to create a scene more reminiscent of the mountains than the piedmont. Managed by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority as a drinking supply, the reservoir is one of the best places in the county for seeing ducks and other avian wildlife, including wintering kestrels.

When I approached OWASA about the prospect of locating two Barn Owl boxes at the reservoir, they directed me to Johnny Riley, the Lake Warden. As the manager of this spectacular piece of property, he would have the final say on the matter. Luckily for us, Mr. Riley had an educational background in wildlife biology, and he quickly agreed to host the boxes. He even agreed to help us to set them up.

On an unseasonably warm Saturday morning, the assembly team met at the reservoir. Typically OWASA opens the gates on Fridays and Saturdays in spring and summer, so we had the whole place to ourselves. We even got to drive over the dam!

An American Pipit flew overhead. Two dozen Ruddy Ducks fed near the shore of the lake. The day could not have been any more beautiful for a February. We soon had the first box up, facing an open farm field. Pictured below are Sasha and Johnny.

This box can actually be seen from Sanford road, even when the reservoir is closed. The second box was placed on the western side of the dam, closer to the lake. Prime habitat can be found in nearly every direction. 

These Cane Creek Reservoir nest boxes complete our western Orange County cluster strategy. We now have 9 boxes placed along a "Barn Owl highway" of sorts, running from Mapleview Farm to the Reservoir. Several of these boxes can be seen from the road. Keep your eyes peeled at dawn and dusk if you are out in this part of the county. 

Box 21: Lindale Farm

If you've ever bought a carton of Organic Valley milk in central NC, chances are that milk came from Lindale Farm in Chatham County. A 500 acre family dairy in the heart of the Silk Hope community, Lindale Farm retains the character of the 19th century rural South. A massive old oak stands sentinel over a historic farm house, and old rustic buildings and silos dot the landscape.

Organic farms of this size are hard to find in central North Carolina. Most organic farms are small operations of five to ten acres, typically interspersed with dense woodlands. Lindale Farms is massive enough to enable scheduled grazing rotations over several large pastures. The result is healthier, more productive dairy cows, and hundreds of acres of potential grassland habitat.

In California and other states, Barn Owls are being increasingly used on organic farms as natural pest management. The Barn Owls thrive, since organic methods prevent the use of potentially harmful pesticides and rodenticides. The result is a win/win both for farmers and the owls.

We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon in February to install a nest box at Lindale Farm. Cori and Neill, the owners, told us to place the box wherever we wanted. There were so many structures and fields to choose from, it actually took us a while to find the right spot.

Any farmer will tell you that structure has the potential to attract pests. They love to hide out in these places, as do their predators. Because the fields are so open and sprawling on this particular farm, we decided to place the box amongst some of the old barns and silos.

I half expected to find a roosting Barn Owl somewhere in these old barns. In every direction I found scenes like this one. This place is the real deal.

After deciding on a location next to a grain storage bin, we had the box up in minutes. Norm and I, both being perfectionists, had trouble getting the pole just right. 

Box #21 is now fully installed at Lindale Farm. We are thrilled to be working with organic farms to help promote natural, sustainable pest management, while simultaneously aiding a threatened bird species. With a little luck, this picturesque dairy may have some new avian tenants come breeding season.

Boxes 19 and 20: Jordan Lake dam

When Jordan Lake was created in the '70's and early '80's, it produced a tradeoff of sorts for the bird world. Gone were vast swaths of bottomland forest, open farm fields, and marsh. Prothonotary warblers, wood ducks, and other bottomland species declined precipitously. The sheer size of the newly flooded area, however, became a boon for Bald Eagles and wintering gulls. Jordan Lake, essentially an artificial body of water, has today become one of the top breeding areas for Bald Eagles in the eastern US.

Jordan Lake was created by the development of the B. Everett Jordan dam, a massive project by the Army Corps of Engineers designed to control flooding in the coastal plain. By limiting outflows from the Haw and New Hope river systems, the dam effectively tamed the Cape Fear river to the south and east. The water above the dam has since become a resource for recreation and drinking water, though rarely without controversy.

The habitat surrounding Jordan Lake is dominated by loblolly pine forest, which supports healthy numbers of Brown-headed Nuthatches, along with the nesting Bald Eagles. The lack of large open fields, however, along with encroaching development, make the area largely unsuitable for Barn Owls.  In fact, when I initially pored over maps of Jordan Lake, I determined that our nest boxes would be better off elsewhere. The only section with any viable habitat was at the dam itself, way in the southeast corner of Chatham County.

Then I got news that my friend Andrew, while birding at dawn near the dam, had seen two Barn Owls in flight!! That was all the incentive I needed. I contacted Francis Ferrell, who works for the Army Corps, and asked if we could put up some nest boxes at the dam. We then arranged to meet on a Sunday in February to install two boxes.

The weather was perfect for nest box installation, though the ground was still soggy from a recent snowstorm. Francis thought that one box could be situated near the pump station. After showing us the spot, we all agreed that the surrounding habitat was perfect.

Barn owls like two things in particular: open grassland, and proximity to running water. This spot has both. . .the discharge from the dam is only 100 yards away. We quickly had the first box assembled and installed. Pictured below: Francis, Sasha, and Norm.

This box can easily be viewed from atop the dam. On the horizon is steam from the Shearon Harris nuclear facility. The clearcut area in the far background is being converted to longleaf pine and native grasses.

We decided to put the second box on the lake side, just north of the dam. Wintering Barn Owls are known to be fond of open marsh habitat. We quickly found just the right location.

We soon had the second box installed and ready for roosting owls. The visitor's center can be seen across the lake. 

Personally, if I were a Barn Owl, I would find this deluxe, lakeside penthouse to be a sweet little pad. Plenty of habitat in all directions, and lots of tiny rodents just waiting to be eaten.

The view in the picture below is from the visitor's center. Squint your eyes, and you might see the second nest box to the left of the distant trees. Might there be a hunting Barn Owl or two out there in the near future?? Scan the grassy areas, and the dam itself, with a good pair of binoculars at dawn or dusk. 

The Barn Owls that were recently seen were likely migrating through our area. It's possible, though, that a juvenile pair will find this area enticing, and want to stay. Breeding should be starting very soon. Will a pair of young owls find our nest boxes, and make Jordan dam their home??

Boxes 15-18: Butner Gamelands and Flat River Impoundments

The Butner Gamelands and Flat River Waterfowl Impoundments offer some of the best potential Barn Owl habitat in central North Carolina. Near the Granville County line in northern Durham County, these lands were set aside by the Army Corps of Engineers for waterfowl hunting, after the creation of Falls Lake. Today, state officials manage the vast acreage for various species of duck, as well as popular game species like Mourning Dove, Woodcock, and Snipe. The combination of flooded impoundments, dry open fields, hedgerows, and fragmented forest also provides ideal conditions for small rodents. The abundance of small rodents in turn feeds the resident predators, which include coyote, fox, bobcat, and various birds of prey.

Barn Owls are highly adapted to flooded wetland and marsh environments. In the Eastern US, the Barn Owl is most associated with coastal marshes, low country grasslands, and inland wetland areas near agricultural fields. The contiguous nature of the Butner Gamelands, along with the quality wetland and grassland habitat, make it an ideal location for our nest box program.

In early December of 2013, I approached Chris Baranski of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission about placing some Barn Owl boxes on the gamelands and surrounding properties. Chris was very accomodating, and even offered to help with the siting process. He knows the gamelands as well as anyone, being the land manager, an avid hunter, and a current resident on the property. By early January, Chris had helped us select four or five optimal nest box locations, and had our project approved by all the necessary agencies.

On "Superb Owl" weekend in late January, we had four boxes and mounting systems ready to go. Because I had managed to injure my back (lifting 80lb bags of concrete can do that), I called upon Sasha and Tom to help out with installation. Norm and I wanted to get all four boxes installed in one day, so we needed two trucks. We loaded the equipment we needed during a heavy downpour.

We arranged to meet Chris, who offered to help with installation, on Monday morning. We had all arrived a little bit early, so some milling around and comparison of pickup trucks ensued. This is the trusted process men use to assess work situations and figure out logistics.

It wasn't long, however, before Sasha had us back on task. We had four boxes to install, and rain clouds continued to threaten. Luckily for me,  I wouldn't have to do any real work, as my back was experiencing agonizing bouts of spasm.

Within minutes, the team had assembled the first nest box. After putting up more than a dozen of these things, we had the system pretty much down pat.

Below, Sasha, Chris, and Tom model our first installation of the day. Sitting in a patch of blackberry and sumac, adjacent to several dove fields and equipment sheds, this box offers excellent accomodations to potential Barn Owl residents.

By 11am, we had hardly even gotten started. The team was soon on the task of putting up the second nest box. I have to say, it's really nice being the photographer during the installation process. These tires are heavy!!!

Norm is all business during these operations, but Tom and Sasha find ways to keep things light. Here's Sasha wielding a machete. I'm pretty sure Tom is only laughing out of nervousness.

Chris seemed right in his element during this process. I'm convinced he was having even more fun than we were. Here he is using a chainsaw to clear out space in the hedgerow.

I really enjoy installation pictures, because a lot of prep work goes into scouting the locations, ordering the parts, assembling the poles and boxes, and transport. When a box finally goes up, there's a palpable feeling of euphoria in the air. It feels great to be outside, doing something tangible for a threatened wildlife species. Here's the assembly gang next to the second nest box at Butner Gamelands.

Like the box we installed earlier in the day, this one overlooks dove fields, which are primarily planted in millet during the springtime. There are plenty of voles and cotton rats to be had in these parts.

After the second installation, Tom had to head back home, but we still had two more nest boxes to put up. The remaining two boxes were slated for the Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment, on adjacent gamelands in Durham County. Hunting lands, while seemingly dangerous to all flying critters, are actually beneficial for non-game species like the Barn Owl. State regulated hunting lands are subsidized by license fees, and are well managed by trained professionals. Where any sort of grassland or wetland management is in place, Barn Owl nest box programs should take full advantage. 

By noon, storms were threatening again, and the team went right to work. Chris leveled the ground, while Norm and Sasha navigated the pole mount system.

Within minutes, the third box of the day was put into place. It now takes us, on average, about twenty minutes to install a nest box, once the pole and box have been assembled and transported. These boxes can easily be placed by a team of only three people.

As you can see, this box is easily accessible by the public, being located next to the trail around the main impoundment. In the spring, the water will be drawn down, leaving most of the area as relatively dry, open fields. Below is a shot from across the impoundment, and illustrates what much of the area may look like in late March. If you squint, you may see the small white speck that is the nest box.

Box four was to be installed on the opposite side of the main impoundment, in much the same habitat. The division of labor had already taken on a predictable pattern by this point. I still enjoyed the role of staff photographer, though I admit to being a little jealous of Chris and his chainsaw.

With the hardwood mulch inside the box, and the mount fixed, Sasha and the gang did another Iwo Jima impression.

Due to the prevailing winds, and the movement of the sun, it's important to orient the opening of the nest box to the southeast. This prevents the dehydration and overheating of any future inhabitants, especially during spring and summer.

Four nest boxes are now installed at Butner Game Lands and the nearby Flat River Waterfowl Impoundments. We are especially excited to have Chris and the Wildlife Resources Commission as partners in sponsoring these four boxes. Having dedicated biology professionals on board is crucial to bringing Barn Owls back in any sustainable numbers.

Please be mindful that the Butner Gamelands and Flat River Impoundments are open for hunting during most of the year. Although birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts are welcome, it's best to explore the areas on Sundays, when hunting is off limits. Please check with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, or your local wildlife officer, before venturing onto state managed gameland properties.
The Piedmont Barn Owl Initiative now has 6 boxes up in Durham County, and a total of 18 in the four county Triangle region. We are hoping to put 8 more boxes up before springtime. With any luck, we may just get a roosting Barn Owl, or even a nesting pair, this April or May. Stay tuned!!!