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Nature Done Wright
Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs
May 7, 2007
Nesting box mystery
Can anyone solve a mystery?
After the floods of mid-April, a pair of wood ducks discovered the wood duck nesting box, which is about 10 yards away from the screech owl box.
I have seen the male atop the box several times since then in the morning.
Thanks to the screech-cam, we all can know what is going on with Mrs. Ace and the eggs in the screech owl box.
But our wood duck box is camera-less, and I am scratching my head as to what is going on inside.
Namely: Twice in the last week, I have seen the male screech owl sit in the opening of the wood duck box in the late afternoon.
At one point, I watched him stick his head out of the opening from below, so he has definitely been inside the box itself.
But I have seen female wood duck fly inside the box twice in the past few days as well.
The question is: What is going on inside the wood duck box?
Did the male screech owl share the box — at least for a little while — with a female wood duck sitting on eggs?
I think I see another miniature video-cam in my future.
Postscript: To top things off, when Mrs. Ace was involved with hatching her eggs on Sunday, a female wood duck flew in, landed on the owl-box roof and seemed to want to get in.
She got an aggressive bill clatter from Mrs. Ace, and the three-inch opening was too small for her to get in anyway. 
Strangely, turf wars between screech owls and wood ducks are not that uncommon.
In fact, a friend send me a research paper about a screech owl who incubated a couple of wood duck eggs after the Mom had dumped them in the owl box.
The ducks flew soon after they hatched,
leaving Mrs. Owl with the strangest case of empty nest syndrome ever.
No lie.
8 comments
-
New Jersey Audubon did a very nice article a few years back. I’ll see if I can scan it and e-mail it to anyone who’e interested.
Just e-mail me at wright@northjersey.com
I’ll try to do that this weekend, but I have been swamped of late.
Best,
jim -
I am starting to revise my earlier thinking. There are definately two owls (red and grey) in the yard, but I have only seen the grey one coming from the box. Now admittedly, I have only been observing these two for as long as I’ve been writing to you, so just the past several weeks, but based on your recent entries, I am thinking that Mr Red Owl is nearby, but Mrs Grey Owl is the one in the box. And maybe it’s my wishful thinking, but I’m hoping that there are babies. Do you recommend a really informative book about these little owls? I’m thirsting for more information.
Thanks, Jim!
-D -
That’s exciting news. If you have two owls in the box, then something is definitely going on.
After two years of screech owls in the box with no cam, and one year with a cam, I have to say that these cams are the only way to go.
I like your idea about doing a post this summer showing how to install a miniature cam. I plan to install a supposedly easy-to-install cam in my wood duck box this summer, and will post the entire process, with photos. I am told you can do the whole set-up for under $100. We shall see. -
One of our owls was sticking her head out at 3 pm yesterday and I finally got a picture. There is one red and one grey owl and I assume they are sharing the box. Based on Jim’s latest owl cam, I think the owls could very well be sleeping on the babies. I’ll keep you posted. We’ll wait until Jim’s owl babies have left the nest to ask him for a posting on how to install our own cam.
-D -
Hi Diana and Jeff, Here is my journal.
http://sparroweye.livejournal.com/
You might have to go back a few entrys to see my owl photos. Everyday about noon to one pm the female just sticks her head out of the house and looks around. Not sure why. I do not have a cam in the house either. But my son while he was repairing the squirrel damage got a good look in the house and he thought both the male and female were sleeping in the house, on top of the babies. Can that be? I don’t know. I just know this is a learning experience.
Keep me post on your pair.
Candace -
Thanks for your comments. Humnas shouldn’t fear bats, but bats might want to fear owls. I had a screech owl last spring that killed a bat as the bat returned to its roost. Not pretty.
I will be posting about bats soon! -
Good golly. I was amazed by Jim’s story and in awe of Candace’s posting about seeing the owls at the bird bath. I’m still keeping an eye on my owls and wonder if any babies hatched since we don’t have a cam.
Candace:
I have seen one of our screech owls flying around the bats, although, surprisingly, the bats didn’t seem to be fleeing the area. No worries though, it isn’t as though the bats can harm you.
-D -
I have a pair of red screech owls nesting
since around March 12th. Not sure when she laid the eggs but now there are two babies in the house. My Aunt used to have screech owls and she had two houses, and the male would sit in the one house, while the female was sitting on eggs in the other. So, maybe he was sharing the house with the duck. We have had a terrible squirrel or raccoon problem. My son had re-enforced the owls house (actually it is a woodpecker box but the owls wanted it) with flanges and guttering. something keeps eating holes in thier house. I hope the babies fledge soon.I went over tonight but and saw him or her still feeding babies but two bats scared me off. I hate bats. Do owls eat bats. I hope so. Check out my journal. Go back a few days and you will see my owls. One night I saw both the male and female in the birdbath together, warbling to each other. It was awesome. Candace
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8 comments
Jim Wright
New Jersey Audubon did a very nice article a few years back. I’ll see if I can scan it and e-mail it to anyone who’e interested.
Just e-mail me at wright@northjersey.com
I’ll try to do that this weekend, but I have been swamped of late.
Best,
jim
diana & Jeff
I am starting to revise my earlier thinking. There are definately two owls (red and grey) in the yard, but I have only seen the grey one coming from the box. Now admittedly, I have only been observing these two for as long as I’ve been writing to you, so just the past several weeks, but based on your recent entries, I am thinking that Mr Red Owl is nearby, but Mrs Grey Owl is the one in the box. And maybe it’s my wishful thinking, but I’m hoping that there are babies. Do you recommend a really informative book about these little owls? I’m thirsting for more information.
Thanks, Jim!
-D
Jim Wright
That’s exciting news. If you have two owls in the box, then something is definitely going on.
After two years of screech owls in the box with no cam, and one year with a cam, I have to say that these cams are the only way to go.
I like your idea about doing a post this summer showing how to install a miniature cam. I plan to install a supposedly easy-to-install cam in my wood duck box this summer, and will post the entire process, with photos. I am told you can do the whole set-up for under $100. We shall see.
Diana and Jeff
One of our owls was sticking her head out at 3 pm yesterday and I finally got a picture. There is one red and one grey owl and I assume they are sharing the box. Based on Jim’s latest owl cam, I think the owls could very well be sleeping on the babies. I’ll keep you posted. We’ll wait until Jim’s owl babies have left the nest to ask him for a posting on how to install our own cam.
-D
Candace Pfau
Hi Diana and Jeff, Here is my journal.
http://sparroweye.livejournal.com/
You might have to go back a few entrys to see my owl photos. Everyday about noon to one pm the female just sticks her head out of the house and looks around. Not sure why. I do not have a cam in the house either. But my son while he was repairing the squirrel damage got a good look in the house and he thought both the male and female were sleeping in the house, on top of the babies. Can that be? I don’t know. I just know this is a learning experience.
Keep me post on your pair.
Candace
Jim Wright
Thanks for your comments. Humnas shouldn’t fear bats, but bats might want to fear owls. I had a screech owl last spring that killed a bat as the bat returned to its roost. Not pretty.
I will be posting about bats soon!
Diana and Jeff
Good golly. I was amazed by Jim’s story and in awe of Candace’s posting about seeing the owls at the bird bath. I’m still keeping an eye on my owls and wonder if any babies hatched since we don’t have a cam.
Candace:
I have seen one of our screech owls flying around the bats, although, surprisingly, the bats didn’t seem to be fleeing the area. No worries though, it isn’t as though the bats can harm you.
-D
Candace Pfau
I have a pair of red screech owls nesting
since around March 12th. Not sure when she laid the eggs but now there are two babies in the house. My Aunt used to have screech owls and she had two houses, and the male would sit in the one house, while the female was sitting on eggs in the other. So, maybe he was sharing the house with the duck. We have had a terrible squirrel or raccoon problem. My son had re-enforced the owls house (actually it is a woodpecker box but the owls wanted it) with flanges and guttering. something keeps eating holes in thier house. I hope the babies fledge soon.I went over tonight but and saw him or her still feeding babies but two bats scared me off. I hate bats. Do owls eat bats. I hope so. Check out my journal. Go back a few days and you will see my owls. One night I saw both the male and female in the birdbath together, warbling to each other. It was awesome. Candace