Expanding the Initiative: Phase Two

Recently I've received inquiries from landowners about putting up Barn Owl boxes on private property. It's an exciting development, as the success of the Piedmont Barn Owl Initiative will ultimately depend on individuals looking to make a difference. Most landowners will not have the right habitat for Barn Owls, and for those people I'm suggesting the installation of Screech-Owl boxes, such as the ones offered by New Hope Audubon Society. Screech-Owls are adorable little cavity nesters, and may be found in more forested areas of the Piedmont.

The best habitat for Barn Owls is vast, open pasture, marsh, or grassland, with intermittent trees and structure, low lying topography, and proximity to a moving water source. Twenty five acres of open space is the bare minimum. Fifty to one hundred to several hundred acres of contiguous acrerage is optimal.

The only areas that tend to meet these specifications, in our immediate area, are northern Durham county, western Orange county, the Silk Hope area of Chatham County, and the Snow Camp region in Alamance. The adjacent counties of Granville, Person, Randolph, Guilford, and Lee should have plenty of prime habitat as well. If you have access to lots of farmland, most of which is left in grasses, feel free to contact me at beltedcowbird@gmail.com. I am willing to help you set up a nest box on your own. New Hope Audubon Society will pay for future nest boxes on properties with established Barn Owls, but only in Chatham, Durham, and Orange counties.

One inquiry that I received last month, from Geoff Morrison of Snow Camp, was compelling enough to fully investigate. Geoff is a former engineer and businessman from Raleigh, who gave up the rat race a few years back to live on a farm in Alamance county. He's now a skilled ferrier, with a solid reputation tending to horses in the surrounding region.

Geoff heard of our program through New Hope Audubon secretary Pat Reid, who takes her horses to him. Geoff began reading up on the owls and our program, and soon contacted me. He believed his land could be ideal for Barn Owls. I agreed to meet with him on a Saturday afternoon in mid-January, to walk his property.

Like much of the landscape in Snow Camp, Geoff's property is mostly open, rolling pasture and fields, with early successional forest popping up here and there. Occasionally, there's a hedgerow, or a stand of red cedar, or an old farm house being consumed by the earth. These types of buildings often house small rodents, which are the favored food of many birds of prey.

The habitat looked fairly good for Barn Owls, with dozens of acres of farmland in every direction, but we couldn't find any evidence of activity in this particular building. Geoff and I talked about putting free standing nest boxes in the surrounding open fields, something I've done at many similar properties. Then we headed over to a neighbor's farm, where my jaw promptly hit the ground.

There's a reason these birds are called Barn Owls, and this barn just screamed for some investigation. Geoff and I rumaged through the rafters, and within two minutes we found evidence of activity. Barn Owl pellets!!!! 

Barn Owls can't digest bones or fur, so they hack up a pellet several hours after feeding. You can tell how fresh the pellets are by the color. Darker pellets are relatively fresh, while lighter ones may have been around for months or even years. We estimated this pellet to be between one to three months old. Here's a look at another pellet we found, with a partially intact rodent skull embedded within it. "Look at the bones!!!!"

This building has been used by a Barn Owl fairly recently. Has it moved on? Is it roosting nearby, returning under cover of darkness, for the occasional meal? Is there more than one owl? With the combination of pellets and optimal habitat, Geoff and I discussed our options on the spot. Here's a look at the barn from the inside:

We decided on a couple of locations within the barn that would be suitable for nest boxes. Because there was evidence of opossums in the building, we needed to be sure that any future owlets would be safe from predation. Geoff agreed to go with a design from the Barn Owl Trust, which makes boxes for owls in the UK, and to build them himself. Here's Geoff with his first self-made Barn Owl nest box.

We decided that one or two boxes could be installed directly on the inner wall of the barn, high enough for roosting or nesting birds to feel safe. Here's Geoff installing the first box:

The finished product blends in nicely with the inside of the barn. 

Geoff has agreed to put up several more boxes on the land surrounding this barn, as well as his own property. He's also begun talking with some of his clients about installing boxes on their land.

We are really lucky to have Geoff as part of our extended effort. It turns out, he's quite the renaissance man, modifying nest boxes, tending to horses, even quoting Wendell Berry. Geoff may be a skilled engineer and tradesman, but it's his passion for the environment that matters most to us.

Barn Owls should begin dispersing towards summer grounds soon, and may already be looking for territories and mates. Geoff's first nest box, along with our 26 other installations, are primed and ready to go. Stay tuned for any updates regarding possible activity!