Backyard Conservation | Upper Peninsula Owls and How to Build an Owl Box

September 11, 2024

Backyard Conservation | Upper Peninsula Owls and How to Build an Owl Box

With September in the UP comes fall colors and cooler temperatures. Fall makes me think about all the creatures getting busy for the upcoming winter with denning up, putting on weight etc. to make sure they stay cozy and warm...and frankly survive the harsh winters of the UP. Besides the charismatic megafauna like bears, deer and wolves- I like to think about the owls. Owls are somewhat symbolic of fall, perhaps more so in October but this is when, if you want to, putting an owl box up would be beneficial. October is when owls begin to search for places to spend the winter and if you build and set up an owl box now, you may have a fun visitor around for the winter months!

There are a lot of owls in the Upper Peninsula, we have:

Those listed in gold are the owls that are cavity nesters who are likely to use an owl box.

The owls listed in green are generally too large to nest in a box and prefer open nests.

Barn Owls
Northern Saw-Whet Owls
Barred Owls
Eastern Screech Owls *On iNaturalist there are no reports although they have the potential to be here
Boreal Owls
Snowy Owls
Northern Hawk Owl
Short-eared owl
Long-Eared Owl
Great Gray Owl
Great Horned Owl

Owls aren't as easy to come across as other birds. They are nocturnal or crepuscular, have amazing camouflage, and fly silently through the air due to serrations on their wing feathers. Still, there are things you can do to try to find some in your area or check species off your birding list:

Learn the species in the UP that you may come across
Listen to calls and hoots because chances are that will be your best indicator in low light conditions
Look super closely at trees and roosting places because owls blend in so well you'd likely pass them by in the daytime
Owls leave pellets behind after they eat, if you find a lot in one area you may have found a nesting or roosting area!
Be quiet and careful not to startle them away and be respectful of any nesting area

There are so many different types of plans you can find for nest boxes. I will link some good ones below, but first there are some things to consider.

Location: You don't necessarily want to set the box up on the side of your house (although barn owls may not mind that). Instead research what owl you want to attract or what owl is in your area and find where they would like to be. Northern Saw-Whet Owls prefer conifers in the winter, if you want those owls then place it in an area with conifer trees.
Height: Owls want their houses at different heights in the trees. If you make a box for a screech owl but place it too low off the ground they may just pass it by whereas another owl may think its just right. Again just do your research on who you want in your box.
Consider what direction you place the opening: Once again owls can be picky, but its just like buying a house, of course they want a doorway facing East with a wrap around porch, attached garage and enough bedrooms for all the kiddos. Just kidding they don't need all that but they do like to be picky about things like that.
Try to chose an area that has a water and food source: This could be as simple as a bird bath or a stream. Make sure you don't use any poisons for rodents or insects because that can make the owls sick. Owls will eat the rodents and setting up nest boxes is commonly referred to as implementing "nature's pest control".
Remember, moving is a big deal and sometimes it'll take longer than you want: You can't force owls to move in right away but it is fun to monitor the box and see what is going on. If you don't get an owl you will surely get squirrels or other critters using the cozy box through winter. Sometimes it takes a cleaning out for owls to notice it's for them.