Every now and again I get asked this question. Well, apart from my existing photos showing the birds interested in the boxes I decided to photograph some more elusive critters. The Barn Owl.
I set up a camera close to one of my multiple-use large boxes and the proof is in the pudding as we say. The following images show that a pair of Barn Owls love this box. From studying the images the owls leave and enter the box at about the same time each night. How did I know I had Owls in there. The design is such I can see through the front louvre with binoculars and spotted the owl roosting during the day. That’s when I crept back in the middle of the night when they had gone and rigged up the camera.
The owls are so desperate for a home they moved into boxes built for possums.
"I'm having a closer look"
Guess who's found a new home???
Deep in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, lies a bush reserve called Bibra Lake. This falls under the local council umbrella named City of Cockburn. Thanks to these wonderful bunch of caring people, Bob the Barn Owl, has found a new home. As you may know Bob needs a very large and old tree to live in. Unfortunately, due to land clearing, there are very few around. He loves this countryside, with large areas of small grass near the lake to hunt. He has no shortage of food because there are mice running all over the place.
But, just like all the other critters of this beautiful land, he’s always looking for a place to call home and raise his children.
Well, one night, while gliding and floating around through the trees he saw an odd shaped tree with a large hole poking out. Getting excited he swooped in, landed on the large knotty branch and peered in. Now his heart was pounding…’this is beautiful’ he thought. The entrance was large enough for him to fit through and the “hollow” was deep. Well, not as deep as he would really like …but it’s good enough.
After climbing down he reached the bottom. Hmm, looking around inside he decided this was going to be his new home. Throughly excited by now, he couldn’t wait to tell Mrs Owl. Up he climbed(didn’t quite feel like wood) till he reached the top, and with one last look, turned and leapt off flapping his wings, eager to share his wonderful find.
Bob's camera shy
It’s nesting time for the Pardalotes.
Mom and Dad are flat out feeding the little chicks just behind the entrance of the nest box. I can hear them squawking loudly, more food, more food..
Dad's about to fly off for more food.
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It takes hundreds of years for a tree to provide a hollow large enough to support an owl, but you don’t need to wait that long. By installing an owl box there is a good chance you could be blessed with this king of the night. It’s something primeval and haunting at the same time to have one living in your garden.
We have designed the owl box after studying in depth their preferred type of hollow to nest in. They throughly enjoy this type of home because they like to roost near the top of the box(on the inside) just back in from the hollow entrance. During the day it’s possible to actually see the owl sleeping with tiny slits as eyes. Of course all the birds go berserk and scream alarm calls to warn their feathered friends of the danger in the neighbourhood. They know that they can be the next “take away” on the menu.
Just on dusk, as regular as clockwork it shuffles out to a perch which is on the front of the hollow entrance. Then off it goes gliding as smooth as silk, totally silent, off hunting for an evening meal. Sitting out the back near the box we watch it float past totally in awe with the hairs on our arms tingling with the experience.
This is nature at its best….
Listen to the sound of a Southern Boobook owl calling
The possum box is specifically designed to accommodate a full family of Brush Tailed Possums, that is Mum, Dad and two little ones. Within days of having one installed the possums will know that it’s there. To entice it to live in its new home it’s advisable to leave a Granny Smith green apple cut in half, one half in the box the other at the bottom of the tree.
The possums have an extreme sense of smell and will detect the apple very quickly.
If you have possums living in your roof space, and you want them removed, observe where they come out at dusk then block the hole so they cannot re-enter. If you have inadvertently left a possum in the roof set up a cat trap in the roof space with a green apple as bait. After catching the animal lower it through the ceiling then release it outside. Sprinkling baby talcum powder around areas where you think they are going will give you an idea of their movements.
Sometimes a sensor light attached to the roof rafters can work chasing them away.
Having one of these in your garden will keep you throughly entertained by their antics and parenting behaviour. Watch the mum near the entrance cooing and making strange noises trying to entice the fledglings out from the nest. They all bunch up with their heads poking out trying to sum up the courage to jump and fly.
As the new tenants enjoy their home they are always on guard. Just wait till other parrots come by. Then it’s a big fight to see who wins ownership. When they start fighting the males lock claws, start falling out of the sky to land with a big bang on my shed. The parrots display quite visual behaviour while exploring the nest box. They tend to spread and “wag” their tails to indicate to one another that a nesting site has been found and it should be checked out. At the same time they have a “chatttering” call which appears to be an excited one.
After a couple have found the box it seems to the observer that they never seem to go into it. They just land on the perch and poke their heads in. Then after a while they fly off and you think well,that’s that and the’re not going to breed, but as soon as you stop looking (they seem to sense that), they jump in. Of course during spring you will catch them going in and out while they go about their business raising the little ones.
Highly entertaining it all is….who needs to watch television.
Is this what you really want???
Yes, this what happens when you choose a box that has not been feral honey bee resistant. Ours have….
We don’t believe in building boxes that the feral honey bees like. They have their own white boxes out in the fields. The reality is they enter a common nest box, sting the baby animals then take over. Of course this happens in spring, right when the native animals need their homes the most.
When you buy a cheap box ask what the manufacturers have done to stop the bees from taking over…
So you’re keen to build your own bat box….
It’s not that difficult but you will need some woodworking skills such as using a power saw. The idea is to go to your local Bunnings store and purchase some 16mm plywood. The length of the rear panel is 525mm. The front panel is 255mm. Width is 195mm. I have a roof slope of 15deg to channel the water away. The side walls are 100mm wide. The entrance gap at the 45 degree sloping bottom must be between 15mm to 20mm. This is absolutely critical.
The roof is hinged to allow inspection of the box. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want. Sometimes it may be advisible to apply talcum powder to dissuade the ants sometimes. On the inside walls you have to staple some galvanised steel mesh. This is for the bats to hang onto. It’s available from Bunnings again sold as fireproof gutter mesh 190mm x 10m. Don’t use plastic gutter mesh as it warps and twists in the heat.
The beauty about the bat box is it doesn’t attract rats, feral bees or other large animals that don’t belong there. Sometimes you might see a Huntsman spider co-habituating with the bats. But that’s okay. He’s there to help keep the box clean. Just don’t fall off the ladder with shock when you see them….
Paint the box with a couple of coats of good quality exterior paint. I use gun-metal grey because it blends in with the trees and buildings.
Site orientation is critical. Facing the wrong way will reduce you chances of success. Face them between NW to East in Western Australia.
It will bring joy to your heart knowing that you provided a home for our unseen heros of the night.
While we sleep they work…….
Guess who we have here???
At Natsync.com.au we are excited about introducing a new product in our range of animal habitats. This is not a nest box but a nest tube for the Pygmy Possums. Typical of our high standards it has a life expectancy of 45 years. It consists of two PVC tubes, one sliding into the other. The outer tube is coated with a special render that makes the it blend in beautifully with the bushes. Stainless steel components are used throughout ensuring many years of life. It also has special anti-cat barrier built into its design. This means the naughty feral pussy cats cannot put their paws through and grab the possums.
These possums is so small they weigh about 8-19 grams. It’s smaller than a house mouse. A appealingly attractive marsupial, you would never know it’s there until a possum tube is opened and there they are cuddled up on a bed of Eucalyptus leaves. Unlike other animals if they are in the neighbourhood they will find their new home quite quickly and take up residence.
They can be installed at chest height. No need to put them really high up into the trees.
We can ship them anywhere in Australia.
Special Introductory Price $85.00 only (GST inclusive)
Postage extra.
Please don't hurt me..
What's inside...they're sleeping.
