All For The Love Of Owls

I have a love for Owls, especially the Great Horned owl.  Back in 2009 a pair nested in one of our trees.  We didn't know it until the Branchlings were pretty big. That is what a baby owl is called. Here is one of them out of the nest. Owls don't make their own nests, but commandeer one.  The nest they had used was falling apart, so they never nested there again.

We wanted to invite them back, so my husband made a nesting box. We modeled it off the ones that are used for the Great Grey Owl's in Oregon.  The problem for us was a way to get in mounted in the tree.

Here is my husband up the ladder in the tree they nested in before.

Here he is higher up, as the ladder was not tall enough.  He carried the nesting box, power screwdriver, and hammer with him. At one point he came down for a saw and nippers. My job was to hold the ladder steady. Those branches he was standing on looked so precarious. I had my phone in my pocket hoping I wouldn't soon be calling 911. There was no need, he managed to screw the box in the tree without falling out, which I greatly appreciated.

The nesting box is halfway up the tree. Its that brown spot in the middle. As you can see its a pretty big tree.

Here is a close up.  I sure hope the owls like it and decide to use it. We will have to wait awhile to know anything. Great Horned owls mate in February. So we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that they like their new nest. We have another nesting box on the property. Its for a kestrel and they have used it several times.  I like the idea of creating habitat for wildlife.

Do you have any interesting animals where you live?