Where Do Owls Nest?
Owls are cavity dwellers. They live in hollow logs or hollowed spots in old trees, on ledges of cliffs, in underground burrows, in old and abandoned houses and buildings or old barns. They often reuse old hawk or crow nests, or steal a martin gourd. They might nest in a stump, cave or on the ground in a fallen log, pile of rocks or under palmettos in the south. An owl might nest in an old mine shaft, church steeple, duck blind, the side of an old well or the crevice in a building. Owls nest in abandoned woodpecker cavities and some will nest in birdhouses. If you love owls, you may want to attempt to get some to nest and raise chicks in your yard. A farm is the most likely spot for nesting owls. Saw-whets and Screechers A house for a Northern Saw-whet or Western or Eastern Screech Owl should be a plain box (no perch needed), with inside floor dimensions of six inches to eight inches square. The box should be about 16 to 18 inches tall with an entrance hole 2 ½ to 4 inches in diameter.
