Cute Little rat resting in the Screech Owl Box
This video is from the 2012 season in early January - about one year ago. The cute and extra-fastidious little rat has no idea he's resting in the wrong lair. It would make a tasty morsel for an owl. Screech owls will be checking out nest boxes soon. I moved the nest box after this and issues with squirrels and put it on the gable end of an outbuilding. See this post for the setup:
Transformer Screech Owls - Taking Camouflage to a Higher Level
If you don't have a real great spot to put one and you live in a suburban or somewhat urban area with heavy tree cover nearby you might try putting the box on the gable end of your house about 8 to 10 feet or so off the ground near the middle of the gable end - the owls will likely accept it if they are around as long as there is immediate heavy cover nearby for them to stage to. One advantage of putting it on a building wall is that it limits access by squirrels and rats etc. See:
It's a Jungle Out There! Nest Box Experiences and Advice Part #2
for background information.
The other consideration is sunshine - you don't want to put the box where it will get blasted by sunshine most of the day and overheat the owls. In our case, they get several hours of direct but low morning sun and then its OK Screech Owls will look for any cavity to make a nest as natural sites can be scarce and dangerous. The number one concern is nearby heavy cover such as an oak tree or other dense foliage so they don't have to travel to far in the open from the nest to the first staging/perching area. They have adapted to living in neighborhoods in this way.
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