Attracting Owls to Your Backyard

This article isn’t so much about the tips and tricks associated with home schooling as it is a fun activity that you and your kids can enjoy: Building a nest for owls.

Nocturnal animals, like owls and bats, have always held a mysterious place in the imaginations of people. As a kid, I always thought owls were awesome. When we went camping, I loved to hear the low hoots from the treetops or the eerie cries of the screech-owl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Screech-owl).

Who wouldn't want this guy guarding their vegetable patch?

Interestingly enough, most owls do not build their own nests; they mooch off farmers and other birds, nesting in barns, old sheds, tree cavities, and so on. A quick Google search of “attract owls to your backyard” yields some pretty good results on owls, their habits, and how to attract them.

eHow has a fun tutorial on building a nest for the common Barn Owl.  You can check it out here.  The tutorial explains how to build a nest that should be attractive to our nocturnal friends. It also points out the benefits of having a winged-predator near your garden. I believe this tutorial says you ought to put wood chips on the floor of your owl-nest, but other sites clearly instruct the user NOT to put anything in the nest.

Do a little research; get the kids involved; and have fun attracting some of our feathered friends this summer.

If you have a fun story about owls, please leave it in the comments section below. We’d really love to hear about it.