Screech owl nesting in new owl box

LOOK! An owl! I believe we have a nesting female in our front-yard owl box. There’s another screech owl hanging out in the trees – her mate.… Read More

The post Screech owl nesting in new owl box appeared first on Digging.

We’ve been sadly without a screech owl family for several years after losing our owl-box tree and having to move the box. We actually have two owl boxes now — one in the front yard and one in the back. Since January (when nesting season begins) I’ve been glancing up every time I pass by, hoping to see an owl, and feeling a little crestfallen by the seemingly empty boxes.

But now LOOK! An owl!!

I believe we have a nesting female in our front-yard box. There’s another screech owl hanging out in the trees — her mate. Once or twice I’ve spotted him, and other times I just hear him calling to her. They are remarkably camouflaged against live oak trunks and active after dark, when it’s even harder to see. As the sun goes down, the female scrabbles up the inside of the box and appears at the opening.

She flies out for a short time — stretching her wings? Going to the bathroom? Getting a drink of water?

And then she comes back. I’m guessing she’s sitting on eggs.

What a thrill to have these beautiful little owls nesting in one of our owl boxes again!

I’ll be looking up, hoping for a sighting, each