Attracting hawks and owls (raptors) requires focusing on habitat management and long-term environmental support rather than simple pest control. Raptors are drawn to areas that provide clear hunting advantages, safe places to rest, and reliable food sources. Encouraging their presence involves modifying the landscape to meet their specific needs, which requires patience and a commitment to maintaining a non-toxic environment. Long-term establishment depends on providing structures that support hunting, nesting, and raising young.
Creating Essential Hunting Infrastructure
Providing elevated structures that offer a clear, stable vantage point is the initial step in attracting raptors. Hawks, which are diurnal hunters, rely on high perches to spot prey, making artificial T-perches highly effective, especially in open fields or areas lacking tall trees. These perches typically consist of a vertical post between 12 and 20 feet high, secured firmly in the ground, topped with a crossbar to create the “T” shape.
The horizontal crossbar should be oriented east to west to maximize sunlight and minimize glare, improving the raptor’s visibility when hunting. T-perches must be installed in open areas, away from utility lines and dense tree cover, allowing for a clear flight path and unobstructed view of the ground below. Owls often hunt from lower, more concealed perches near the ground. Allowing for natural snags or leaving lower dead limbs on trees provides them with appropriate hunting posts.
Establishing Long-Term Shelter and Nesting Sites
To encourage long-term residency, permanent shelter and nesting sites must be provided. Hawks, such as Red-tailed Hawks, often prefer open nesting platforms rather than enclosed boxes. Artificial hawk platforms should measure approximately 30 inches by 30 inches up to three feet by three feet, and be placed on poles or in large trees at a height of 12 to 20 feet. These open platforms must be structurally sound enough to support a large stick nest that may be reused and rebuilt for several years.
Owls, particularly cavity-nesting species like Barn Owls, require enclosed nesting boxes that simulate a natural tree hollow. Barn Owl boxes need a minimum interior volume of around eight cubic feet (e.g., 30 x 19 x 24 inches) to ensure owlets have enough space to grow. The entrance hole should be placed at least 16 to 18 inches above the floor to prevent young birds from falling out prematurely. Boxes should be mounted 12 to 30 feet high in a secure location with a clear flight path, and cleaned annually to remove debris and pellets.
Managing Prey and Eliminating Environmental Hazards
A reliable and healthy prey base is the ultimate factor in attracting and retaining raptors, requiring conscious land management choices. Encouraging native small mammal populations, such as voles and gophers, can be achieved by allowing rough, unmanicured areas on the property. Letting grass edges grow tall and thick provides the dense vegetation and cover that prey species need to thrive, offering a consistent food source for the raptors.
The single most significant environmental hazard to eliminate is the use of rodenticides, commonly known as rat poison, which causes severe secondary poisoning in raptors. Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) work by blocking the Vitamin K cycle, leading to fatal internal bleeding in the animals that consume them. Raptors are highly vulnerable because they consume poisoned rodents, which often become slow and easy targets, accumulating the toxin in their livers. The complete elimination of all rodenticides is a prerequisite for raptor attraction.
Other physical hazards must also be addressed to ensure a safe environment for hunting and perching raptors. Fine-mesh netting, such as garden or sports netting, can easily entangle a hunting raptor, restricting blood flow and causing severe injury or death. Netting should be removed when not in use or replaced with rigid fencing that is visible to the birds. Open water containers, like livestock tanks or large buckets, also pose a drowning risk to young or inexperienced raptors. Placing a floating object, such as a large wooden block, in these containers can provide a necessary escape ramp.