Two hooters

[woodworkingboy]

It's fun, sometimes comical, to watch the way a pair of birds will check out a potential place to build their nest. They have their standards. Not so different from the way humans make up their minds about purchasing a new home.

 

[Stumper]

Joshin' keeps it fun....no problemo. Hayden, my 3 yr old grandson, and I love to listen to them. They hang around this area. I am going to look into putting up some owl boxes to encourage nesting.

Don't forget to include "Do Not Disturb" signs.

 

[pantheraba]

I set an Owl nesting box up in a poplar next to my driveway last month.
This morning at work I got an sms from my wife, that the owl was checking it out.

That sounds like a great adventure...I hope to have that kind of luck. Get picts if you can.

10-4, Stumper, on "Do Not Disturb".

 

[woodworkingboy]

Birds are particular about the height of their nests. They may like the layout, but pass on it if the height isn't right for them. Swallows like it low and close to humans. I've heard that is due to less likelihood for interference from other bird predators.

 

[Tree Reb]

A lot of people here think these guys are owls, but they're not. They hang out with them but only eat insects.

Sorry about the red eye, by the time I figured out how to stop it he left. He comes here on and of, so do the owls, [Powerful Owl] he's a Mopoke. Makes a really strange call. Louder than this and just keeps going, that's about the only way you can find them. http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/images/audio/podargus-strigoides.mp3

http://www.raptor.org.au/pstrigoides.html

 

[pantheraba]

Frogmouths, Boobooks and Mopokes....interesting creatures, for sure. It looks like you have a lot of nightlife there.

Great picture.

 

[stig]

When I worked for the local branch of the Forest service, we had problems with areas of newly planted beech trees being devastated by mice.
Since the FS aren't allowed to use poison, I suggested setting up a lot of nestingboxes next to newly planted areas in order to support the natural enemies of the mice.
I talked to Denmarks number 1 owl expert and he had a lot of tips as to where and how, the different species of owls like to nest.
Those are very particular birds.
Our common owl ,the Tawny owl ( strix aluco) prefers to nest next to open areas, no less than 18 feet up in a tree a little back from the open ground, like 2-3rd row and does not like the opening of the box to point west.
He told me about a count, done with a pair of barn owls. The ornithologists had counted the number of dead mice the pair brought home for their youngs in a season. 2500 mice!!!!!!
A pair of owls like that could sure make the little beechtrees safer, so we set up close to 50 boxes in the forest. It was a really nice job, and seing the boxes occupied by owls later made it really rewarding.

 

[Che]

That was fun, the frogmouth call started playing and my German Shepherd's usually straight up ears started twisting. He stopped breathing and just listened.

 

[Tree Reb]

Poor dog, a German Shepherd in Kentucky listening to Aussie birds.

Don't let him hear this one,

Go down to calls, [call in MP3 format] http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=56

The second call they make is why there's no recording yet, it'll scare the hell out of you. That's why it's called The Screaming Woman Bird.

 

[stehansen]

I could hear a great horned owl at our neighbor's cedar tree last night.

 

[Che]

Poor dog, a German Shepherd in Kentucky listening to Aussie birds.

Don't let him hear this one,

HA!!!! That was funny!

He'd just settled down to snooze....head POPPED up, ears strictly upright.....starts looking around, then a very low growl. Good fun!

 

[stig]

The kestrels won.
We now have a pair of kestrels nesting in the box I put up for owls.
I would have preferred Tawny owl, but kestrels are fine, too.

 

[stehansen]

Pretty cool looking.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Cool Bird!