Install a nesting box
For people who wish to attract owls in their backyard there are a few options. If you have a suitable tree in your garden, you can install a nesting box. This attracts a number of different kinds of owls in your neighborhood.
Before installing the nesting box, ensure that your local authority has no restrictions with regard to the kind of nesting box you install. Also, check with your neighbors whether or not they would mind having a nesting box in the neighborhood.
Installing a nesting box requires some carpentry skills. If you’re unable to install a nesting box on your own, you may need to hire an expert mariner to do the installation job.
The location of the owl house is the key
The location of the owls house is the key. There are a few things you should take into consideration before building an owl box of your own.
Owls love the edge of town and grassland. During the day, they often sit in trees and other perches where they can see a great distance, watching for mice, rats and even rabbits.
In fact, owls are opportunistic predators. They hunt and eat almost any species of small animal, regardless of its size.
There is a wide variety of local owls in this country. Choosing the right owl box for your location will ensure that your tenants have a good chance of letting you know exactly how many owls call your yard their home. Owls prefer a location that has a nearby food source, but thanks to city sprawl, you’re likely to find that feathered predators will figure out where the food is in your backyard.
The best place for an owl box is at the edge of a woodland clearing, as they are spotted most often in these areas. A backdrop of trees is especially pleasing to the beautiful owls.
What you put inside of the owl box truly doesn’t matter. As long as there is a space for a scared owl to hide, you will have success in attracting them.
Add a large bird bath
The appeal of a birdbath is pretty evident. Birds absolutely adore drinking water and splashing around in a shallow pool. And like most humans, birds enjoy killing time while out in the backyard.
Adding an outdoor fountain or bird bath is a simple project to finish in a couple hours, and will attract a grand variety of birds to your yard.
Snuff out a starling problem
Having a starling problem is no joke. Not only are they invasive pests, they’re also very loud. Because they are not very good flyers, starlings often damage light fixtures by colliding with them.
Having a certain amount of starlings flying around your garden is normal, but if they are 24/7, you should try to get rid of them.
First of all, make sure you have excluded them from your home and your attic. The only way they will then go seek shelter is through the bushes and trees.
Attract owls to your garden by putting up a platform that they can perch on.
You can use a telephone pole or piling as a base.
Build a circle-shaped seating around it.
The circular ring can consist of logs, mud, stones, logs, or a mixture of all.
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By putting up an owl feeder (besides the seating), you will attract them even more.
It should be filled with a mixture of dried mealworms and small pieces of white bread.
Create a perching spot
One of the easiest signs you can give to any owl to know you’re available for a friendship is to have a perching spot ready.
Any kind of old wooden shack on your property will do, you just have to make sure it’s not occupied by anything else. Owls will claim it as their own and keep a watchful eye from up there.
Kill the lights
After sundown, turning on outdoor lights can be detrimental to the owl population. Lights may disorient the owl and disrupt its natural behavior. Owl’s eyes are extremely sensitive to light, so they are highly dependent on the infrared light waves that reflect off their prey and surroundings.
Keep the grass growing
Your backyard should not be bare. Encourage the grass to grow. This would give you hiding places for the owls.
Keep the old trees
If you already have adult owls living in the woods behind your house, you should plan to keep those old trees for many years to come.
Rubble and dead trees provide the perfect nesting site for owls, not to mention they are likely to attract a lot of other wildlife too.
Just remember, when pruning trees outside your house, keep an eye out for the owls, and employ it to keep your trees healthy. Avoid cutting trees during nesting season.
Keep the pets inside
Tame domestic cats and dogs, while they may keep the rodent population under control, will also attract owls. And, like rodents, the easiest and most common way for a cat or dog to die is by owl attack!
Welcome rodents
Most owls belong to the hunt-and-scavenge class as opposed to those that engage in active hunting. For example, the great horned owl has only been observed hunting for a short period of time. That’s why it’s important to make sure that there are mice and other rodents available in your yard.
Building a homemade owl box is also a great idea as it attracts nesting birds like sparrows, field mice etc. That will indirectly attract owls as well. Make sure to check for nests twice weekly.
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You can also attract owls by planting trees, such as oak, because they provide a good tree nest for owls.
Avoid rat poisons and pesticides
Wherever possible, because the birds that eat them, can die. You can always outsmart the rats and mice, if you live in an area with them. Especially if you live in a rural area, put out a few owl decoys around your property,it will help to scare the rodents away.
Avoid recorded owl calls
In their habits, biology, and vocalizations, owls are very different from other birds. While owls can be very difficult to attract to a backyard, you can increase your chances of having them around by learning as much about them as you can, and by understanding their sensitive hearing.
In the wild, owls will only persist in an area that provides enough food and shelter for them. In addition, there has to be enough trees in the area so that there is plenty of roosting space for them, which is important for a female as she will roost on a big tree while she is nesting. Sound is another important factor that attracts owls to certain areas. For example, woodpeckers generate calls that attract owls, which then hunt them.
If you are looking to attract owls to your yard, avoid playing recorded owl calls; they will hear them as someone playing with their prey. The best way to attract owls is to learn as much as you can about them, and consider planting trees, putting up box perches, making woodcrafts, and maintaining brush piles.