Screech Owl Season is Coming - Nest Box Time!

We've been fortunate to see some nice examples of daytime birds of prey this fall (eagles and hawks -see below),  but frankly they are not as exciting as owls of the night.  Winter is coming and that's the time when Screech Owl activity starts to increase around central Florida. We've also seen some frisky squirrels the last few days and this is the time they start their second breeding cycle. Last season the squirrels used the Screech Owl nest box to deliver a litter before the Screech Owls needed it, but they basically fill up the entire box with sticks and leaves and make it unusable. After we cleaned it out in preparation for the owls the squirrels still used is as a flop house (more on that in another post) and generally made it clear we had to move the owl box to, not the best location, but a safe location. The owls I think appreciated the safety. Around here there are simply too many dangerous predators for nests in trees that are marginal at best such as in the crevices of Palmetto Trees.

 If you are going to try and attract Screech Owls time is running out to put up a box so that they can find it and begin to make it part of the route and consider using it as a nest box in late winter. Our owls have laid eggs as early as late January and as late as mid March - the early nesting was a cold winter and the late a warm winter.  To build your own nest or buy - There are plenty of plans out there like this one from Cornell.  We bought and love the  Stovall 6H Screech Owl Box   it has a unique feature of a perch about six  inches or so below the hole that makes it easy for the owls to perch and generally interact with the owlets with less effort. And an extra layer of wood around the entrance that again makes it easier for owls to sit and harder for squirrels to chew it up.  If you do decide to build your own use real cedar wood and good hardware. I made one out of pine by exactly duplicating the Stovall box and it was taken over by Africanized Bees - cedar repels insects. By the time you consider  buying cedar and quality hardware you may come to the conclusion its hard to beat the Stovall. From an earlier bog I noted that a perch for the owls in the yard near the nest box is also a good idea. A nest box would make a great Christmas gift for the nature lover. Good luck this year!

Bald Eagle and Brazen Crow

Red-Shouldered Hawk Taking Flight

Ventriloquist Screech Owl Calls

Female Screech Owl Keeps in Touch With Male and Owlets in the Nest Box

In the last post about Screech Owl camouflage  I noted how the male and female stand guard over the nest box during the day by trying to blend in with their surroundings and taking extreme measures to hide when danger was near. Another interesting observation related to this behavior was the way they communicate during the day. In the clip above you will note the female making continuous low volume - high frequency -  calls to her mate and the owlets in the nearby nest box. You can see her inhaling and exhaling via the abdomen muscles to make these calls without any change in expression or movement of face and head. If you listen carefully you can hear the male Screech Owl occasionally reply to her calls as well as the Owlets making very faint calls. This was observed in the days after the mother owl moved out of the nest box during the day. Due to the unusual location of the nest box the parents could not be very close like they might be if it was in a tree. In this case, the stealthy communication is probably a way for all to keep in touch and is clearly led by the female owl. What is interesting is how far and well these calls travel. Just another new example of the talents of these amazing little owls. 

Transformer Screech Owls - Taking Camouflage to a Higher Level

Note: We were fortunate enough to make some fantastic observations and videos of unique Screech Owl behavior in our backyard during the nesting season this past May. These dynamic little owls are a lot more complex and intelligent than any literature I've read gives them credit for. This Blog will be edited with more details and analysis over time. 

                                 

     We hoped the Screech Owls were going to come back this spring after success in 2011. However, in late December 2011 the nest box was taken over by squirrels and stuffed with twigs. After cleaning it out, wood rats tried to move in, and then the squirrels started coming back - that's a story for another blog post. It was clear the location up on a 12 foot high 2x4 on our back fence in the woods wasn't going to work     - it was a jungle back there and there was no chance of a successful season with the box in that location. As a last resort, I put the nest box only about 8 feet off the ground at the gable end on an aluminum outbuilding in January, installed the nest cam and we waited. Not the best                    
location, but a safe location that no critters could get to.  
                                

     The grey male and red female could be heard, and occasionally seen, courting in early March. They were first seen inside the box on March 10th and the first egg was laid on March 13th - success! Everything went smoothly with lots of activity inside the box and frequent nighttime feeding by the male Screech Owl. The female only left the nest briefly at night - a routine had set in. 

Screech Owl Nest Box Location and usual location of the parents.

A video showing the parents on the job in the positions in the photo above

     April 18th - I walked around the back of the "shed" and came face-to-face with a big pair of yellow eyes about 6 feet off the ground right in front of me at eye level - stopped - what was that? - and then it was gone. I approached slowly and it was the male grey Screech Owl. He would not look at me, I backed off and he squinted, but didn't move. I left him alone, but came back each evening and walked slowly along the fence line looking in the dense oaks and pepper trees and found him there each day in various different positions and started to film him at a distance with a telephoto lens  He had probably been there since March waiting to start hunting and feeding as soon as it got dark, 

Male Screech Owl Hiding Near Nest box

                                    Transformer Owl Part One - The "Predator" Effect.

     Looking at the tapes from May first I saw the cloaking behavior from the male owl similar to when we first met, although not as extreme as I saw that first night. He was apparently reacting to me watering the plants and moving closer with the hose as the video ran on a tripod. This is shape-shifting at its best. He never really "warmed" up to us over two months  and never once faced us with both eyes fully open. 

Male Easter Grey Screech Owl - before and after 

                                                

Video of Transformation

Transformer Owl Part Two - Extreme Danger

     The red female Screech Owl moved out of the nest box for the most part on May 2nd as it was getting hot and crowded in there. She set up her post to guard the nest in a Palmetto Tree near and above the nest where she could come to the rescue during the day if needed. She did an amazing job of finding spots with red color that she could blend in with. But she was in the open in the daytime - a very dangerous position for her. Here she spots a large Red Shouldered Hawk on the house rooftop - she is at 12 feet and looking up - the reaction here is fierce and immediate. In the daytime the big hawk could have her for lunch in a heartbeat  The Hawks rule the daytime skies - the Owls the night!

Extreme Rapid Transformation - Danger!

Extreme Rapid Transformation - Danger!

Red Shouldered Hawks in the backyard use the same perches in the daytime that the owls use at night!

Transformer Owl Part Three - Mild Danger - Amazing Slow Transform

     The red female had found the perfect spot to sit in the daytime on the cut end of an old reddish brown Palmetto Branch next to another red/brown branch. Here a large Raccoon rummaging around in the daytime is scared and runs through a pile of old wood and brush and climbs the fence right below the owl. She is initially on high alert by the noise and then assess the situation and slowly transforms into a branch as the Raccoon walks by on the fence just below. Since the Raccoon was so close a slow but complete transform seemed to be her choice to avoid attracting attention.

On Center Stage - The Great Transformer Screech Owl

Transformer Screech Owl - Before and After

Screech Owls are not safe in trees with these guys around.

Transformer Owl Part Four - Minor Threat

Later the same Raccoon is walking along the fence below the red female and you can see by her reaction she is on guard and does a slight transformer move as she does not sense significant danger - but she  is  watchful and ready.

Not Too Worried

                                     
                                           Transformer Owl Part Five - Meh - You are not worthy!

     Here I'm coming to get the camera after running 14 minutes of video and as I come around the shed into view the female is initially mildly concerned, but when she sees it's me she give a rather indifferent expression and goes back to relaxing. Their situational awareness and ability to parse threats and respond to many different scenarios is amazing!

Screech Owl not particular interested in humans!

  

Night Noises - Screech Owl Calls Around the Campfire

The sounds of late summer night around the campfire. Screech Owls are typically scarcely seen and pretty much silent since leaving the nesting site in May. They tend to begin to make some noise again in late summer. Dark - the realm of the Screech Owl. It's starting to get a little nicer out at night now and fall is coming - get outside and enjoy a fire and the noises of the night!