Before you order - If you feel that you are unable to commit to the annual service, it may be worthwhile to consider not installing an owl house.
Our occupied owl boxes bring so much joy and amazement to our participating members and their families, while our unoccupied owl boxes often bring disappointment and despondency. We understand that. We collect data from all of our owl boxes. We look at height, orientation, design, placement and maintenance. We then use this information to work towards a blueprint designed to maximise the potential occupancy of your owl box.
With over 150 occupied EcoSolutions owl boxes on our database, we feel that we have found the recipe to make sure that your owl box is always a potentially viable owl nest.
The occupancy recipe?
Annual service and the replacement of the substrate.
Owl boxes are designed to replicate a cavity in a tree. As a result, your owl box will attract the attention and fill the requirements for many cavity breeding residents. It is fine for squirrels, Egyptian geese, Genets and other birds to use it out of season. However, these usurpers bring sticks, paper, litter and all sorts of things into the box. Unless these are removed, owls will not utilise your owl box to breed in. Once a year, prior to the owl breeding season, the owl box requires a complete service where the substrate can be replaced.
The owl boxes are constructed from recycled plywood which is then weatherproofed with an industrial wood sealant. The thickness of the wood as well as the wood sealant used is designed to give the box an outdoor lifespan of approximately five years or more. Although the box is of a hardy construction an annual maintenance visit is required to re-varnish, replace the substrate, check for signs of wear and monitor occupancy. In occupied boxes, the measuring and ringing of young owls is also undertaken during the service.
