Owl Nest Box

SCREECH-OWL/NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL NEST BOX

Materials • 7/8" x 9¾" x 8' (2.2 cm x 24.8 cm x 2.4 m) rough-cut cedar board* • 9¾" piece of ½" (1.3 cm) maple dowel • Twenty-six 1½" (4 cm) long drywall screws or 2" (5.1 cm) galvanized ring-shank wood siding nails (use the latter with thicker rough-cut lumber) • Two galvanized 6d, 2” (5.1 cm) finishing nails, for pivot • One brass or galvanized #6 x 1½" (3.8 cm) flat-head wood screw, to hold inside perch • One brass or galvanized #6 x 2" (5.1 cm) pan-head wood screw • One washer to fit pan-head screw

* Pine may also be used, but has a shorter life span. Rough-cut wood gives the fledglings a foothold to scramble out of the box.

Tools • Table saw (two angle cuts are required), or carpen- • Tape measure or yard (meter) stick ter’s handsaw and miter box • Pencil • 3" (7.6 cm) keyhole saw or expansion bit, for cutting • Rasp or awl (optional) entrance hole for Screech-Owl; 2¾" (7 cm) keyhole saw or expansion bit for Northern Saw-whet Owl • Sandpaper (optional) • Power or hand drill • Light-colored exterior latex house paint, for pine boxes (optional) • 3⁄16" (.469 cm), 1⁄8" (.313 cm), ¼" (.625 cm), and 3⁄8" (.938 cm) drill bits • Paintbrush (optional) • Claw hammer • Phillips-head screwdriver, or power drill fitted with screwdriver bits • Carpenter’s square

Text and illustrations excerpted and adapted from The Backyard Birdhouse Book© 1998 by René and Christyna Laubach and Owling © 2019 by Mark Wilson. All rights reserved. This worksheet is an online extra produced forOwling . Published by Storey Publishing. Visit us at www.storey.com. 1 Cutting and Preparation Notes Be sure to allow for the width of the saw blade when measuring. The grain of the wood should run longitudinally, to minimize warping and cracking. If you use pine lumber, consider using cedar for the roof. You may wish to sand the exterior surfaces, but be sure to leave the inside surfaces rough, to enable the young birds to get a grip when fledging. This wooden box has a 7¾" (19.7 cm) square floor. The bottom of the entrance hole should be located 9" to 10" (22.9–25.4 cm) above the floor. When you cut the entrance hole, be sure to take into account that the floor must be recessed ¼" (.6 cm) to create a drip edge. Cut ⅝" (1.6 cm) off each of the four corners of the floor to create drainage holes. Alternatively, drill four or five ¼" (.6 cm) drainage holes in the floor. Drill three ⅜" (1 cm) holes near the top of the nonpivoting side for ventilation. inside view of front Cutting Diagram

7¾" 15" 22½" 13" 15" 16" 7¾" FLOOR FRONT BACK 9¾" 9¾" ROOF SIDE 2 SIDE 1 7¾"

16" 15"

dowel 2½" Assembly 9¾"

1. Screw or nail side 1 to the back of the box. (Side 13" ROOF 22½" 2 will be hinged at the top with two finishing 9¾" nails later.) BACK 7¾" 2. Screw or nail the front to the side. 2" 3. Attach the floor, being careful to recess it ¼" (.6 3" cm) from the bottom. 16" 15" SIDE SIDE 4. Now attach side 2, using two pivot nails near 1 15" 2 the top. Note that the pivot nails must be lined 15" FRONT up exactly opposite each other, and that this 10" side is ¼" (.6 cm) shorter than the other, to allow it to swing open properly. Predrill a cen- 7¾" 9¾" tered ⅛" (.313 cm) guide hole, then use the 7¾" pan-head screw and a washer to fasten the bot- FLOOR tom of this side to the floor. 7¾" 7¾"

5. Screw or nail on the roof. 6. Nail or screw the ½" (1.3 cm) dowel where the top meets the back. dowel Painting/Staining pivot nail You do not need to paint cedar boxes. Pine boxes will last longer if painted, but untreated pine boxes may last approximately 10 years. Be sure to use light-colored exterior latex house paint, and treat only the outside. Do not use paint that contains lead or toxic wood preservatives. pan-head screw and washer Location and Mounting Screech-Owls generally prefer open woodland. Locate the nest box in a shaded area of an open city or rural park, a small woodlot, or an apple orchard. Place it from 15 to 50 feet (4.6–15.4 m) up on a straight trunk that is wider than the box. Make sure that there is an unobstructed flying area near the box. Northern Saw-whet Owls also tend to nest rather high, so mount the box 14 feet (4.3 m) off the ground, or higher in deciduous, evergreen, or mixed forests, woodlots, and swamps. Place the box in a mature, live tree, preferably near water. Place 2 to 3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of wood shavings (not cedar) in the bottom of the box as nesting material for Screech-Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Do not use sawdust, because it may irritate the nostrils and eyes of the nestlings. Clean out and replace the shavings every season.

Eastern Western Screech-Owl Screech-Owl

Northern Whiskered Saw-whet Owl Screech-Owl