Hello Fellow Birders-

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had success with nest boxes for W. Screech Owls. I have had good success attracting Eastern Screech Owls (using nest boxes back East), but only for roosting during the day. According to Birdweb, W. Screech Owls are listed as a species of concern ( Red List) by Audubon and American Bird Conservancy and I'm also curious to what factors might be involved in their decline. I suspect loss of appropriate nest sites (especially in urban and suburban areas) i.e. lack of snags. Additionally, I have heard mention that Barred Owls are preying on them...

In my personal experience, nest boxes should be pole mounted with a squirrel guard, otherwise you will attract squirrels. Also, nest boxes should have about 4" of wood shavings in the bottom. In the meantime, my W. Seattle Screech Owl box is being used as a nighttime roost for a Flicker, so I put up another box.

Thanks for any information you have to share.

Cheers,
Eric Carlson