Eastern Screech Owl Megascops asio
Case 6
Nest box helps reunite Screech Owls with parents
Some years ago, before we began using recorded calls, we were asked to relocate a brood of young Screech Owls that had been discovered in a hole in the eaves of a house in West Birmingham. The homeowner needed to have the roof repaired, but was willing to have the owls relocated to a nest box in his yard. It was Easter Sunday when Eddie Putman, one of The Wildlife Center’s most dedicated rescue volunteers, drove to the address to move the owls. As it turned out, the rotten wood had given way around the hole in the eaves where the nest had been located, and the cavity was empty. Eddie searched the bushes in hopes of finding the nestling owls, likening it to an Easter egg hunt, as one after another he found three little nestling Screech Owls scattered around the yard. All of them were soaking wet and chilled from spending a rainy night on the ground. Eddie drove the birds out to the Wildlife Center, where they were warmed and dried, and given supportive care. Later that day, he took them back to their home territory and installed a nest box on the side of the house, not far from the original nest site. After placing the three nestlings in the box, Eddie moved about 20 feet away and watched from the shadow of a pine tree as dusk fell, to see if the parents would locate their offspring in the nest box. Eddie reported that about 30 minutes later he saw the shadow of a small owl sail across the yard. A few minutes later, he saw the shadowy form fly up to the nest box, and he was able to hear the sounds of the owlets as the adult bird approached the box. The juveniles were old enough to call their parents in to the new nest site without further assistance.
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