Owl Nest Box Cleaning 2022

On the last Saturday of January, Ronna, Danielle, 6 volunteers, biologists, and landowners headed out into the woods of the highlands to clean out owl nest boxes. They visited 4 different properties on that day, and had a lot of fun.  

Some of the boxes on these properties have had Western Screech Owl’s nesting in them in the past! Those boxes were interesting to clean, because they showed evidence of owls nesting in them. Owls often leave behind small bones and their nest structure is distinct.  

Although the nest boxes were installed for owls, they are not the only ones who use them. We have installed over 90 boxes throughout the CRD in an effort to increase nesting habitat for the Western Screech Owl. The boxes are coveted by grey squirrels, who fill them to the brim with nesting material. As cute as this is, it renders the boxes useless for the owls, who require a nearly empty box to nest in. Hence the need to clean the boxes every few years.  

This strong crew of volunteers was not afraid to get cold or dirty. They climbed high up on ladders and braved the elements for the owls. Nest box material would come raining down on the heads of some volunteers, and one volunteer even had a squirrel jump out of a box and over his head! There were lots of laughs shared, and lots of ladders carried through the forest. 

We here at HAT would like to take this time to thank ALL of our owl volunteers from all of the years and all of the facets of this program. Without you all we would not be able to keep programs like this going! If you would like to get involved in our owl program, please send an email to volunteers@hat.bc.ca. 

A special thank you to HCTF who make work like this possible.