Two owl nesting boxes are up in the neigbhorhood

Don Price installing the Screech Owl box.

I knew that this day was going to be special when I saw a hummingbird on the Bottlebrush Tree bloom. (No bird photo.)

Don Price installed the owl nesting boxes today (Barred and Eastern Screech). Beth looked on along with neighbors Walter, Deb, Lois, John, and me.

The boxes are made of pine and will eventually turn grey and match the tree trunks.

We hope that the Barred Owl we hear most evenings, like this one recently photographed by John Ganis using his iPhone, will find a sweetie and decide that our newly installed box is the perfect home for their family.

It was windy while Don worked. Turkey and Black Vultures played in big soars. 

This one landed to look up and watch Don. It's as if it said, "Who is the new neighbor?"

Don secured the Barred Owl box on each side and in the middle. He carried it up his nifty collapsible ladder as if the box weighed less than its 23 pounds.

Now, maybe I will get to write about owls that find these boxes. 

A friendly way to control vermin? Install owl nesting boxes.

This was such a treat to use my hand as a perch for a Barn Owl. -June 2018

I'm wondering if our neighborhood has interest and support for using an eco-friendly way of controlling the vole, mice, and rat population. 

That friendly way? Installing Owl Nesting Boxes. A LINK and VIDEO to learn more. (Barn Owl Box Company; PBS America's Heartland). In our neighborhood, Barred, Barn, and Screech Owls are good choices for the type nesting boxes to install.

Barn Owl, photograph by Susan Michael Barrett

Conservation Status - Barn Owl, University of FL

Barn owls will readily occupy [nesting boxes] if they are provided. The preservation of large trees and the maintenance of open, grassy areas also would be beneficial for these owls. Furthermore, reduced use of pesticides would minimize the risk of accidental poisoning of barn owls.