A pair of Red Bellied Woodpeckers inspect a new Flycatcher Nest Box. Its now late July and 7 baby Red Bellied Woodpeckers have hatched and fledged in two broods so far this summer so I'm not sure what these two are up to - it could be they just can't resist checking out any potential nest site and give their opinion. Mother woodpecker in particular seems to spend a long time checking from every angle. Some nights the woodpeckers roost in the various nest boxes even though its not breeding season.
Blue Jays harass the female Eastern Screech Owl nesting in the nest box every morning - this attempted intimidation may make the Blue Jays - the Backyard micro managers - feel better, but I'm not sure what purpose it serves as the owls rule the night and the male owl is quietly watching all this activity from his hidden perch in the deep cover of Palmetto trees nearby. Screech Owls readily hunt and eat songbirds sleeping in trees at night. Birds that are late to turn in like Cardinals and Dove can sometimes be taken by the male owl right at dusk. If the Blue Jays were to discover the male owls daytime roost in the heavy brush they would attack him mercilessly and he would retreat. It is unlikely such pressure would stop the owls from using the nest box, but if one were to put a perch on the front of the nest box it could very well lead to failure of nesting as such a perch could be used to more seriously harass and fight with the female owl and get at the eggs. Such are the ways of Nature.
Male Eastern Screech Owl whole body shakes as he makes the classic "trilling" sounds at dusk upon arriving at the nest box to hunt and bring food to the female. Their courtship period is the longest I've seen in five years and eggs should start showing up any day now. Screech Owls make a wide variety of interesting calls - many of them can be heard on this playlist:
Red Bellied Woodpeckers inspecting and pecking inside the Woodpecker Nest Box. They inspect a potential house to raise their young very seriously and loudly! Obviously sound wood is very important to them as well as a good fit and comfort. Hopefully this is the year they will pick the house!
Extreme close-ups of the cute wild Eastern Screech Owlets in the nest box. Only one has opened its eyes and is getting much bigger than the other two. Fledging is expected around April 10th. Plenty of food for all. Have a few more bugs to get out of this camera/microphone setup - stay tuned.
Eastern Screech Owls continue their courtship activity in and around the nest box. A lot of comings and goings, but no eggs yet. Nightly activity is increasing and Mr. Owl seems like a reliable provider so all systems appear "Go"!
Female Eastern Screech Owl is getting the nest box reading for egg laying - hopefully in a week or so! A little early this year, but it has been a very mild winter so far in Florida. Have not spotted the male yet, but they are no doubt in the courtship process.
Eastern Screech Owl Nest Box and Perch Placement.
The eastern Screech Owls continue their courtship around the nest box on January 22nd, this is about a month earlier than the last few years when eggs were lain around March 1st, but it has been a very mild winter and food is plentiful.
The male Screech Owl has claimed the box and now spends his nights guarding the box and hunting for food – in part to convince the female that he is a good provider. Once eggs are lain she will have to incubate them all day and most of the night and once they hatch she will be in the box 24 hours a day except for short forays out after dusk and before dawn and must depend on the male to bring food while she protects the owlets. Last year the nesting failed and three eggs were abandoned after the male stopped bringing food for some reason.
Due to habitat loss there is a serious shortage of natural tree cavities and a lot of competition and danger associated with the available natural cavities. I can not put owl nest boxes on any trees as the squirrels and snakes will take them over. With regard to owl nest box placement, I have found that the Eastern Screech Owls are not too picky as long as they feel the box is safe from other creatures and they don't have to travel too far in the open to reach it. I put the nest box under the gable end of an aluminum sided outbuilding and the entrance is about 9 feet off the ground – this should make the box safe from anything but another bird such as a Kestrel. Snakes and squirrels need not apply! You have to make sure there are no close branches that the squirrels and such can reach the building from. The owls can drop down to the camera's left to a nearby six foot wood fence behind the building and head out into the brush or go first to the Perch.
Placing a perch in front of the nest box makes a big difference in attracting the Screech Owls to nest boxes in the backyard. This perch is about 12 feet in front of the nest box and six feet off the ground. It is used as a staging area by the owls and a hunting perch. It makes the nest box much more secure and attractive to them. It is also important not to use pesticides in the backyard as that is their hunting ground and lizards, small snakes, frogs and large bugs are a big part of their diet. Links to more information is in the info section of this video.
Mini- Documentary about a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers inspecting two owl nest boxes and a woodpecker nest box before deciding where to build their nest and raise their family. Watch as this fascinating Great Crested Flycatcher couple go house hunting in a buyers market - its all about location, location, location! Also note the importance of placing a post for perching in the open near the nest box - birds really like this feature for ease of access, hunting and security.
Note: The nest box camera failed due to a lightning strike, but four of the five eggs hatched and four baby flycatchers successfully fledged during the fourth week of May!
Nature Meditation - Experience 25 minutes of a raging thunderstorm from inside a Great Crested Flycatcher nest box. Sit alongside mother flycatcher as she guards five eggs while a storm rages outside.
Classic low-frequency haunting trilling calls from mother Screech Owl Live From the Nest Box - March 24th. Her whole body will shake as she make this rhythmic call about every 45 to 60 seconds. Sitting on three eggs all day - Mother owl will be ready to leave the nest box briefly around dusk and meet the male who will be waiting for her with food. Before she leaves you will hear them call each other and make contact. She will go back and forth to the nest a few time during the evening and the male will likely bring her food several times. Some nights they can be a bit chatty, but mostly for now her focus is on incubating the egss. Hatching of the three eggs is expected to begin around March 29th.
A male Red-Bellied Woodpecker performs a very thorough inspection of the Woodpecker Nest Box I installed last year and seems to give it his seal of approval. He knocks on the walls and roof and it sounds nice and solid - a good place to raise a family. I have a camera inside the nest box this year and hopefully they will make a nest there this season and raise their young. The squirrels have shown no interest in it this year so maybe they will leave the woodpeckers alone - I think that is why the woodpeckers failed to use it last year.
Transformer Owl 2013 was patiently guarding over her nest box with three owlets when a pesky and curious squirrel decides to check her out. She puffs herself up and extends her wings to look big and scary as the squirrel is already right on top of her. She holds her patience for awhile and then sends the squirrel on his way - scared but unharmed. This is the same mother Transformer Screech Owl that has displayed her prodigious talent in the past by shrinking to look like a tree branch from a Red-Shouldered Hawk on the exact same tree in 2012. This amazing wild creature is the real wild transformer owl! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NPXU5AZSAc
The Genuine Wild Transformer Owl Makes Herself Look Thin - May 2012.
Great Picture of an Eastern Screech Owl Entered into National Geographic Photo Contest
Had to Tweet this - classic example of Eastern Screech Owl camouflage.
The youngest owlet was 5 days behind the eldest and 3 days behind the second and was clearly not expecting to jump but was relaxing in the bottom of the nest box waiting for Mom to put food in her mouth. She had not yet been perching for food - losing out to the two eldest. When she realizes her brother has left her expression is priceless. Mother continues to call in a nearby tree and withhold food. The little one has guts - it only took 10 minutes from realizing she was alone to making a jump even though she couldn't fly. She managed to fly to the tree with Mom and climb up high where she is doing fine. A classic end to the 2013 season! More HD videos every week on our YouTube channel. Please Subscribe at: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding
Video of Owlet Hiding in Deep Cover - A good thing!
Mother Screech Owl Guarding the Owlets in the Trees
After the 2nd eldest left last night the youngest quickly decided to make the plunge even though it had never perched at the entrance before. It fell to the ground but managed to fly into a Palmetto tree and then tried to fly back to the nest box. Mother Owl came to the rescue and calmed it down and it followed her back to the tree. This morning the little owlet was making noise and exposed but It hid and I managed to catch of glimpse of it this morning. We will only hear them now - they have moved into very dense brush.
The female Screech Owl was taking up her usual position to start hunting for the owlets at dusk, but a Mockingbird with a nest in a nearby tree took exception. Mockingbirds are fast and fearless, and while they make some of the most beautiful calls in the bird world, when they are on the attack they have an extremely aggravating call. More HD videos every week. Please Subscribe at: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=MyBackyardBirding
Tonight will likely be the last live feed as the two remaining owlets will likely leave the nest box.
Starting early today! This will likely be the last night - the eldest left overnight and two very over-active owlets are in the nest box. The parents want them out of the nest box. They are guarding and feeding the eldest in a nearby tree. This is the time to say goodbye. They are very over active today and will likely leave between 8 and 9 PM. The parents will likely call them from nearby trees or perch and then withhold food to coax them out if they are not ready already! Will broadcast from outside till its too dark.
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