Attracting owls to a yard or property offers a unique opportunity to connect with these nocturnal hunters. Creating an environment that supports their natural behaviors and needs can encourage their presence. This guide outlines practical steps to make your outdoor space an inviting haven for owls, ensuring their well-being through responsible practices.
Providing Essential Resources
Encouraging owls to frequent your property begins with ensuring a consistent and accessible food supply. Owls primarily prey on small mammals such as mice, voles, and shrews, along with insects, small birds, amphibians, reptiles, and sometimes even fish or crustaceans, depending on the species. Maintaining a healthy population of these natural prey animals is more effective than direct feeding, which can be detrimental to owls. Providing a reliable water source is also beneficial for owls, offering opportunities for drinking and bathing.
Beyond food and water, owls require suitable places for shelter and nesting. Dense tree cover, particularly evergreens like pine, spruce, or juniper, offers ideal roosting spots where owls can rest undisturbed during daylight hours. Standing dead trees, known as snags, are especially valuable, providing natural cavities for nesting and secure perches for hunting. Many owl species, such as screech owls, barn owls, and barred owls, readily use artificial nest boxes. These boxes should be constructed from untreated wood, placed in a tranquil, secluded location about 10 to 15 feet above the ground, with the entrance hole oriented away from prevailing winds.
Creating a Welcoming Habitat
Expanding on basic resources, the overall landscape design significantly influences an owl’s decision to inhabit an area. Tall trees and snags provide elevated perching opportunities, allowing owls to survey their surroundings for prey and potential threats. Open areas like fields, meadows, or clearings adjacent to wooded sections are also beneficial, as they offer unobstructed hunting grounds for owls to capture their prey.
Dense shrubbery and thickets contribute to a welcoming habitat by offering additional cover for owls to roost, hide from predators, and seek refuge throughout the day. This layered vegetation creates a sense of security for these birds. Minimizing human disturbance is important for encouraging owls to settle in an area. A quiet environment, free from excessive human activity or loud noises, helps owls feel more secure and less likely to abandon a potential habitat, making secluded spots ideal for owl-attracting features.
What to Avoid
Certain human activities and environmental conditions can actively deter or harm owls, making it important to understand what practices to avoid. The use of pesticides and rodenticides is particularly dangerous, as these chemicals can indirectly poison owls. When owls consume rodents or insects that have ingested these poisons, the toxins accumulate in the owl’s system, leading to illness or death through a process known as secondary poisoning. Avoiding these substances helps maintain a healthy and safe food web for owls.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) can disrupt owls’ natural behaviors, as many species are nocturnal hunters. Excessive light pollution can disorient owls, interfere with their hunting efficiency, and may cause their prey to alter their usual patterns, making them harder to find. Similarly, persistent loud noises can scare owls away from an area, preventing them from establishing roosts or nests. Disturbing active owl nests or roosting sites is harmful and illegal, as it can cause stress, nest abandonment, or injury to the birds. Any attempt to trap, handle, or harass owls is prohibited and can result in harm to the birds.
Ethical Observation
Once owls are present in your yard, responsible observation is important to ensure their welfare. Maintaining a respectful distance is key; if an owl changes its behavior due to your presence, you are likely too close. For species like the Snowy Owl, a distance of at least 100 yards is recommended. Using binoculars or a telephoto lens allows for clear viewing without causing stress to the birds.
When observing owls, move slowly and quietly to avoid startling them. Most owls are active primarily at night, so patience is required for nocturnal observations. It is important to remember that approaching or disturbing nesting owls is particularly detrimental. If photographing owls, use minimal or no flash, as sudden bright light can disorient and stress them. To protect sensitive species, refrain from broadly sharing the exact locations of owl nests or roosts, as this can lead to overcrowding and increased disturbance.