Great Horned Owl Nest
Great Horned Owl Nest One of my many pastime activities is improving habitat on my small parcel of land, such as removing the non-native trees and shrubs and then planting a wide variety of native trees and shrubs. In addition to these plant infrastructure additions, I spend a lot of time building and installing structures for nesting birds. For example, I have built and installed over a dozen Bluebird nest boxes. Over the past couple of years, I have also built and installed an American Kestrel nesting box. I have been successful in attracting a nesting pair of Kestrels for two years now. I have also installed nest boxes for Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Flickers and Great Crested Flycatchers. Five years ago, after seeing a pair of Great Horned Owls on my property, I decided to build and install a nesting platform in hopes that the owls would use it for nesting. I built the nesting platform out of 2 x 6 lumber. I turned the lumber on edge to make a sheltered area inside. The platform measured 3 feet by 3 feet square. After putting some wooden supports across the bottom, I lined the inside bottom with hardware cloth to allow water to drain. I used more 2 x 6 lumber to span across the tree limbs to provide a stable area to place the nesting platform. Because I wanted it to look natural and more inviting, I screwed many 2 and 3-inch branches to the outside of the nesting platform. When I was all done, I used a bunch of dried grass to make a comfortable place inside the structure for the owls to nest and lay their eggs. I installed the nest platform 30 feet up in a tree in the autumn, knowing that Great Horned Owls nest in mid to late winter. And sure enough, a pair of Great Horned Owls moved in the very first winter. They produced one egg, which later hatched into a beautiful baby owl. For the next four years, the pair of owls returned to use the same nesting platform. I was thrilled knowing that I was able to provide critical nesting habitat for such a large predator. But I was always a bit frustrated not knowing when they laid their eggs or how many eggs or just what was going on with the chicks because the nest was too high for me to see. So last October, I installed a camera just above the nest to observe and learn more about the nesting behaviors of the Great Horned Owls. Knowing that Great Horned Owls usually don’t use the same nest for many years in a row, I gambled that perhaps they might come back to nest one more time. While planning how to make this video camera work, I got the idea that perhaps I could live-stream the nesting activities on my YouTube Channel. I have already been live-streaming the Flying Squirrels in my yard when they come into the peanut feeder each evening, so why not stream the nesting Great Horned Owls? I know that everyone really enjoys watching nesting Bald Eagles. After installing a camera with infrared capabilities, so we can watch at night, the camera and nest platform were all set to go. Sure enough, last January, the pair started showing up at the nest and by early February, the female had laid her first egg, then a second and then a third egg. After 35 days of incubation, the first egg hatched on March 11th. We are now waiting for the other eggs to hatch. So, by the time you read this, the other owlets will have hatched and will be growing. You can tune in to watch the live feed for yourself by either going to my website at www.naturesmart.com, then scrolling to the bottom for a link, or by going to YouTube and searching @naturesmartmedia. Join the Nature Smart community there and have fun learning about these amazing owls. Until next time… About Stan Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
Coveted Tree Cavities
Coveted Tree Cavities A cavity in a tree, excavated by a woodpecker, seems normal enough, but when you stop to think about it, this simple cavity in a tree is absolutely remarkable. So, let’s take a closer look at the humble woodpecker cavity. According to the IOC (International Ornithological Committee), there are 241 species of woodpecker in the world. Here in America, we have 22 species of woodpecker, ranging from the small Downy Woodpecker to the giant Pileated Woodpecker. All these woodpeckers have one thing in common- they all excavate cavities to use for nesting. Because of this, woodpeckers are considered primary cavity-nesting birds. In other words, woodpeckers are the primary users of the cavities that they excavate; however, there are an estimated 75-80 species of non-woodpeckers that also rely on these cavities to nest. These birds are called secondary cavity nesters, and their very existence depends upon woodpeckers. A study published in 2017 found that nearly 20% of all bird species in the world rely on cavities in trees for either roosting or nesting. Most woodpeckers only use the cavities that they excavate for just one brood of young birds. Woodpeckers excavate in dead or dying trees with just a few exceptions. Live trees/wood are too dense and hard for the woodpeckers to excavate. Over the life span of the cavity, it may host dozens of families of baby birds from a wide variety of secondary cavity nesters. Depending upon the woodpecker species or how soft the wood, it takes anywhere from four to twenty days for a pair of woodpeckers to excavate a cavity. I say “a pair” because both the male and female do the work. It all depends upon the level of decay in the wood. Obviously, the softer the wood, the faster it goes. Only a small handful of woodpecker species excavate cavities in live trees. The overwhelming majority are excavated in dead trees or dead limbs of live trees. In the world of woodpeckers, parenting duties are shared by both adults. Cavities are excavated by both males and females, but the males do slightly more work. When it comes to incubation, the female does most incubating during the day, and the male does the night shift. After the young hatch, both parents bring food to the begging babies. So many of our most beloved birds, such as Eastern Bluebirds, Mountain Bluebirds, and raptors such as American Kestrels and Screech-owls, are dependent upon large woodpecker cavities. In one recent study, it showed that of all the cavities found in a forest, only 10 percent of the natural cavities were being used, but 80 percent of the old woodpecker’s cavities were utilized by secondary cavity nesting birds. I think many people do not realize that many waterfowl species, such as Hooded Merganser, Wood ducks, and Buffleheads, also depend upon cavities in trees to nest. So far, I have been concentrating on nesting and haven’t considered the value of woodpecker cavities for roosting at night. Many species of birds that don’t use cavities for nesting will use a nest cavity for a place to be safe and warm when roosting, especially on long, cold winter nights. Many studies show the benefits of roosting inside cavities compared to being out on a tree branch, which leaves them vulnerable to nocturnal predators such as owls. And speaking of owls, all the species of Screech-owls also use woodpecker cavities to nest and also roost, except they roost during the day. All of this was running through my head the other day while I was capturing some images and video of a wonderful Eastern Screech-owl who was enjoying a little sunshine on a cold winter day in the northland. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.