The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has acquired nearly 10,000 acres of forests, wetlands and culturally significant land through the recent purchase of property previously held by The Nature Conservancy in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
But Katie’s explanation is unexpected: “You might hear the slap of a beaver’s tail on the water,” she says as we take in the scenic, seemingly untouched view before us, the just-starting-to-turn maple trees casting crimson reflections across the water’s still surface. “It can be pretty loud.”
An example of a nest box positioned upside down so the entrance hole is at the bottom of the box. The extended roof was trimmed so rain or snow won’t accumulate.It’s all relatively simple, but if you are successful in attracting a small owl, you will never forget the experience, whether it lasts a couple days during a migration stopover, or throughout the cold season. What a memorable experience that can be! There is one catch though; it takes a little modification to improve on any of the “roost boxes” available on the market today. That said, you can use a “traditional” owl roost box, which is actually a nest box, renamed. So what’s the difference?
Recently, the idea of a creating a better roost box has been turned upside down – literally. Today, some birders are appreciating the merit of placing the entrance at the bottom of a roost box, and it makes perfect sense to us. During cold-weather months, it would be more beneficial to try to keep as much warm air created by the body heat of the owl inside the box. But because hot air rises, outdated “roost boxes” with the entrance hole at the top of the box permit the warm air to escape easier, instead of keeping it inside the box. By having the entrance hole near the bottom of the box, the bird’s body heat will rise and fill the roost box with warmer air, even if the small owl or another bird stands at the base of the box to look outside. Then, by adding a wooden rod for a perch inside the roost box, the bird can perch higher in the roost box, where the air is warmer.
This idea has transferred to nest box manufacturers on the songbird level, with a couple companies providing “convertible” nest–and–roost boxes. These boxes have a reversable front panel that can be used with the entrance hole at the top position during the nesting season, and in the down position during the cold-weather periods of fall and winter.
Who wouldn’t enjoy seeing a small owl using a roost box in their yard (Eastern Screech Owl photo by Kurt Hasselman).U Read more
