I have specs for a nest box suitable for screech owl and kestrel (3
inch hole, etc). I am considering building one to hang facing west on
a ponderosa pine growing on the edge of my yard. There is a
short-leafed pine of some type about 10 meters south of this tree, and
3 other large conifers (one redwood, two unknown type) to the north and
east with branches more or less touching one another. To the west the
area is more open, with a view over and around neighbors' houses of
Shilshole Bay, the Sound and Bainbridge Island, with one large
deciduous tree about 40 meters to the west that often serves as a
starling roost. One of the houses to the west has a hole in the eaves
that is a veritable factory of house sparrows. Daily human activity in
these yards is fairly low (residents are elderly or childless).

Anyone care to guess if this is likely to be successful, say within 5
years?

Should the box be fronted with bark-on slabs? Stokes' Guide to Bird
Behavior says Eastern Screech Owls may climb from the nest before they
can fly, which would require a rough surface, but I don't want to host
a brood of Eastern Grey Squirrels instead.

=====
Mike Wagenbach wagen13 at yahoo.com
wagenATuDOTwashingtonDOTedu Seattle WA

"I like to get to work early, so I can discard a pet hypothesis before breakfast." Konrad Lorenz

I'd settle for Happy Hour.

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