Windsor Square Resident Installing Barn Owl Nesting Box

A while back, Windsor Square resident Mark Campbell was looking for a birthday present for his wife.  He remembered that she had recently heard about nesting boxes for Barn Owls through Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, a group that works to “protect wildlife habitats and corridors throughout Los Angeles and California, restore habitats destroyed by development and educate citizens about how to co-exist with their animal neighbors.”

And it turns out that CLAW has a whole Barn Owl Project, providing Barn Owl nesting boxes to LA-area residents.  It’s part of the group’s larger “commitment to ending the use of rodent poison (rodenticide) in Los Angeles and beyond.”

According to CLAW, “rodenticide is extremely dangerous to the wildlife populations that live where urban and natural worlds interact,” and “just one barn owl can consume over 3,000 rodents a year and are already being used to control rodent populations in vineyards, farms and ranches around the world.”

Also, says the CLAW website, “Luckily, barn owls have a high tolerance for humans and often choose to nest in proximity to us, making perfect neighbors even in an urban setting. ”

According to Wikipedia:

“The barn owl is a medium-sized, pale-coloured owl with long wings and a short, squarish tail. There is considerable size variation across the subspecies with a typical specimen measuring about 33 to 39 cm (13 to 15 in) in overall length, with a full range of 29 to 44 cm (11 to 17 in) across the species. Barn owls have a typical wingspan of some 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in), with a full range of 68 to 105 cm (27 to 41 in).”

CLAW adds:

• Barn owls are one of three species of owls native to Los Angeles.
• Barn owls are a permanent source of rodent control without pesticides or chemicals.
• Since the largest prey a barn owl can capture is a rodent, they are not a threat to pets.
• The more barn owl boxes we place in a community, the greater the odds are that the owls will find and nest in them. Second and third generation owls will then return to the nests.
• Barn owls lay two clutches of owlets a year.

So Campbell’s wife got a Barn Owl nesting box for her birthday, and Campbell is now working on getting it set up. He told the Buzz that the birds like to nest about 3 meters above ground, with some kind of shelter around the nest (which is how Barn Owls got their name – they like to nest in barns in areas that have them). Campbell said he and his wife have a large tree in their yard, which they will likely locate box under, on a pole to prevent squirrels from moving in before the owls can find it, and they will install it before the next nesting season (March-August).

Anyone else who is interested in joining the CLAW Barn Owl Project can do so by visiting the project website, at the link above, to learn more.  And after signing up, there are a few additional steps:

1.  Download and distribute fliers about the program to 10 neighbors, to spread the word about the program, the negative effectsof rodenticide, and how Barn Owls can help reduce the local rodent population. (CLAW recommends that the neighborhood be rodenticide free for three months before installing the nesting box, to prevent the owls from being poisoned by consuming rodents that have eaten rodenticides.)
2. Make a $200 tax deductible donation to CLAW.
3. Receive and install the box (CLAW provides instructions on how and where to mount it).

After the box is set up, you’ll also be asked to monitor it once an owl family moves in, and to clean the box annually.  (The owls use it only once or twice a year, during nesting season, so there is plenty of time between residents for simple maintenance.)

In addition to supporting the local owl population, Campbell says he hopes that attracting an owl family to his yard will prevent the occasional rat from getting into his basement.  He said he’s comfortable trapping the unwanted visitors, but would much prefer that an owl pick them off before they get a chance to come inside.  And, since the owls are native to this area, “why not?”

“I think it’s a really good idea, if anyone can actually attract an owl family,” Campbell told the Buzz.  And, as he posted to neighbors on a local social media site recently, “Hope you will consider joining the program and help make Windsor Square and LA poison and rodent-free someday.”

And here’s an additional hint:  our guess is that Barn Owl boxes would also make a good holiday gift for those on your list who are interested in local wildlife and conservation.