Box 26: Going Live at Jordan Dam

The last few weeks in central North Carolina have been nothing short of crazy. In mid-February, we had a small burst of tornadoes. The following day, it was 70 degrees. Next came a ten year snow event, with 8-10 inches of snow. Three days later, it was again 70 degrees. Soon after came a devastating ice storm, which brought down trees and electrical wires all over the area. After the ice melted, we had two or three more days of 70 degrees.

This past week was marked by 45mph gusts of wind, followed by a deep freeze. A few days later.  . .you guessed it, we were back up to 70 degrees. The mid-Atlantic has always been climactically bi-polar in late winter, but this year, 2014, is the worst I can remember.

A few of our nest boxes went down with the spate of high winds in February. So my friend Ken and I spent two weekends installing anchors and moving vulnerable nest boxes to better locations. You can read about our anchor system in a previous post. I am happy to report that our nest boxes survived the latest onslaught of heavy winds, and not one box went down. Given that nesting season is starting here in NC, that's some good peace of mind.

Earlier this month, just after the snowstorm, I talked with Francis at B. Everett Jordan Dam about putting our final phase one nest box, number 26, at the dam. We had already placed two boxes there, but the dam offered some of the best habitat available, and I wanted to fully utilize it. He agreed to meet with me on a Saturday afternoon in mid-March, to install the final box.

As the installation date approached, however, I was contacted by Perry Herpai from Spy on a Bird, the same company that had installed a Bald Eagle nest cam at Jordan Lake. Perry asked if we wanted to install a Barn Owl nest cam in one of our boxes, which would allow for live viewing over the internet. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I talked to the board at New Hope Audubon, to secure funding, and asked Perry to meet with Francis and me at the dam.

Francis and I, after some discussion, decided to put the final nest box, as well as the previous two, on 4x4 wooden posts for extra stability. Wooden posts mounted in the ground are very secure, and don't sway at all, an important factor when thinking about live video hook-ups. Unlike most of our previous nest box set-ups, which were designed to be somewhat mobile, these would be permanently fixed in place.

On the day of installation, I arrived to find Jordan Lake much higher than usual, as a result of all the weather events we'd been having. The dam was in the process of releasing more water than I thought physically possible, dropping the lake level one foot per day. Considering the size of Jordan Lake, the amount of water being released at the base of the dam, in terms of cubic meters per second, was simply mind boggling! 

Francis and I went right to work, removing one box from a tire-mounted metal pole and moving it to a 4x4 post before the others even arrived. This box is now a permanent installation right across from the visitor's center!

We then met with Perry, who deemed Box 19 to be the best candidate for a camera system. Box 19 is situated next to a pump station with electrical outlets, only a quarter mile from the Army Corps offices at the dam. We lowered the box off the existing pole, and Perry went right to work installing the camera.

With Perry busy with his electronics setup, Francis and I turned our attention to the new installation, Box 26. My friend Ken showed up to help with digging the hole and getting the box properly secured. Here's a pic of Ken and Francis busy with the prep work:

Digging a two foot hole in North Carolina soil is no easy chore. With large rocks imbedded in hard red clay, this ground is just brutal to human joints. The upside to this soil, though, is that any post imbedded in it is unlikely to go anywhere, with or without concrete. Here I am with Francis, lifting the post into place:

We decided to add a sack of concrete at the base, for extra stability in high winds. Box 26 is located on the far eastern side of the Corps of Engineers property, and can be seen from the hiking trail on the far side of the dam, going towards the spillway.

Below is a photo of the newly installed box 26, in habitat. This was the final nest box placement in phase one of our program!!

But it wasn't time to celebrate just yet. Upon arriving back at Box 19, we found Perry putting the finishing touches on the camera wiring. As with the other two Jordan dam boxes, this one was to be mounted directly into the ground.

Perry's company installs camera systems in nest boxes all over the country, including bluebird houses in back yards, and eagle nests in remote locations. We were very lucky to have him donate his time and expertise to our project. Here is the camera, fully mounted to the inside of the nest box:

Because the camera is mounted in the upper corner, it is out of the way of potential inhabitants, and offers nice images of the back of the nest box. An antenna will soon be installed at the Army Corps office, about a quarter mile away, to receive signal from the camera. Once the antenna is in place, hopefully within a few weeks, we will be able to stream live video online!!! I will post when the stream is ready to go live.

Here's a photo of the camera-installed nest box ready to go, on its new, permanent, wooden post. When the camera goes live, it will mark the end of phase one of our Piedmont Barn Owl Initiative, which set the intention to install 25 boxes in optimal habitat by 2015. We managed to install 26 boxes before the spring of 2014! Countless hours of talking on the phone, driving, and backbreaking work went into completing this part of the project.

We will now turn our attention to maintaining and monitoring the 26 boxes, inquiring about existing nest sites in the area, and educating the public. New Hope Audubon will continue to donate nest boxes where recent Barn Owl activity has been observed. Please contact us at newhopeaudubon.org to report sightings, or to ask questions about our program.

Box 25: Fearrington Village

Fearrington Village is a residential community south of Chapel Hill, best known for its Belted Galloway cows. The rare Scottish beef breed looks like an oreo cookie on four legs, and is especially popular with children. Families come from all over the region to take photos of the cows and take in the scenery.

Fearrington is also a popular retirement community, offering the allure of a rural English village with Carolina weather. The large barn, once part of the old Fearrington farm, has been converted into a space used for weddings, art shows, and concerts. Charming shops and eateries fill the village square, and a five star restaurant and inn are well known destinations.  Here's a view of the inn and gardens:

The open pasture and fields surrounding Fearrington offer good habitat for birds and wildlife, and potentially for Barn Owls. The community at Fearrington has also been a big supporter of New Hope Audubon over the years. So I approached Laura Morgan, the general manager at Fearrington, about putting up a Barn Owl nest box there. She enthusiastically supported the idea.

After reviewing the possible locations for installation, we decided on a spot at the edge of a field south of the inn. The location offered relative seclusion, direct access to habitat, and ease of observation. The only stipulation was that the proposed wooden post be painted white, to blend in with the surrounding architectural theme.

Laura graciously offered to help with installation, early on a Saturday in late winter. Within an hour, we had dug the two foot hole for the post, and mounted the box with the necessary brackets. We then hoisted the box into place. The entrance hole was faced southeast, towards open pasture, and the post was secured in concrete. Here I am with the finished product:

Here's a view from across the pasture. Fearrington residents can easily view the box from the bend in the road at West Madison.

Fearrington Village, famous for it's barn, restaurant, inn, and cows, may one day become famous for its Barn Owls.

Anchor systems

North Carolina, as a mid-Atlantic state, gets a fair amount of wacky weather in late winter. March is particularly schizophrenic, with 70 degree temps one day, and ice storms the next. High winds and even tornadoes are not that uncommon during this time, as warm air from the Gulf of Mexico moves north to clash with Arctic air moving south. In just the past two weeks, we've experienced a major rainstorm with sporadic tornadoes, a ten year snowfall event, three days of spring-like weather, followed by a devastating ice storm. The day after the ice storm, as trees lay broken over houses and roadways, the temperatures were back up in the 70's.

During the period of recent severe thunderstorms, three of our nest boxes went over. All three of these boxes were empty, but the mere thought of them falling over was keeping me up at night. Part of the problem was placement. All of the boxes placed in lowland areas and marsh did fine in the high winds, but some of the ones placed in open grassland were vulnerable, especially on hillsides.

Barn Owls don't particularly like hilltop placement of nest boxes anyway, favoring areas near running water and wetland. So each of the most vulnerable boxes needed to be moved to lower ground. We also decided to be safe and anchor 21 of the 24 boxes with a cable system, which would require a significant amount of time and work.

After some experimentation, my friend Ken and I devised some anchor systems that had a very small footprint. Where the ground was clay, we used auger anchors, essentially long metal corkscrews, and 1/8 inch cable to prevent any tipping of the tires. Here's what the system looks like:

In areas that had more rocky, unstable soil, we used three foot metal stakes and the 1/8 inch cable. That system, which we also used in the windiest locations, ended up looking like this (the sign is for education purposes only):

Where boxes were adjacent to silos, we anchored the poles directly to the structure.

With each of our three systems, the threat of leverage forces toppling the box was practically eliminated. In many cases, we couldn't even budge the pole when we tried to move it.

Now why wouldn't we save ourselves the hassle, and mount the nest boxes on wooden poles placed directly in the ground? Well, that's certainly an easier and less expensive option, and in dry areas would be the preferred route. I would recommend 12 foot 4x4 posts for most farms with open grassland. (In fact, we will be using a wooden post for our installation at Fearrington Village this weekend). A telescoping metal pole system, set into the ground, is also an option in areas with stable soil.

This tire system requires a lot more work, but allows us to place boxes in less hospitable places subject to flooding. In the Piedmont, Barn Owls are most associated with wetland areas close to open fields. Tires also allow land managers to move the boxes if necessary, as for a prescribed burn. Most importantly for us, moveability allows us to experiment a bit with placement. Wooden posts will likely be used in places where we get some activity.

Due to some very hard work by three of our volunteers, we were able to move the most vulnerable nest boxes to better onsite locations. We also managed to anchor every single nest box that had a remote chance of toppling, 21 boxes in all! The only thing to fear at this point is an inland hurricane.