Menu
Barn owls eat more than 1,000 rodents per year, and a nesting family will easily consume more than 130 rodents in a week. These owls live in large hollowed-out trees, in between haystacks, in palm trees, in barn ledges, in between industrial storage containers, and in any other cavity structure they can find. Unfortunately, a lot of these nesting structures get destroyed through everyday farm chores, landscaping mishaps, large development contracts, and bad nest locations due to lack of available good sites.
It’s common on agricultural hay farms for nesting to get destroyed when the farm sells its crop. Hay is harvested in the winter, the owls start nesting in hay cavities late February, and the farms sell their hay in spring when all the babies are born. This consistently destroys a large majority of nests. Rehab centers may receive over 10 owlets from one farm. One destroyed nest decreases the farm’s free rodent control by over 130 rodents a week. As you can imagine, losing owls increases rodent populations. The farmer then resorts to using poison, which causes alternative species to decline because the poison inadvertently kills other beneficial predators.. And the vicious cycle continues.
However, the solution is simple! We install nesting around farms and under the peak of hay sheds. It gives the owls a place to nest that’s safe from farm equipment. The property gets to keep its rodent control, the rehab doesn’t have to take in so many babies from destroyed nesting, and it creates poison free areas of conservation that in time increase biodiversity and beneficial species.
Adding habitat to a farm has been proven to be highly beneficial. Nesting barrels are made out of recycled material, are extremely durable and proven to work, and do not attract bees like wooden boxes. And we strap them up with steel banding so they literally last forever. For wooden boxes, we’ve made modifications to deter bees and add longevity and insulation. Lastly, we also work with a molded box that can be purchased online, and we’ve seen success with this method as well.
Barn owls look rather large but are actually on the smaller side. They live in family groups and are not territorial. They mainly consume rodents and will not hurt small pets or chickens. In urban environments, heavy pruning schedules and increased poison use cause a huge decline in their species.
Please feel free to contact us for nesting help. We provide consulting services for residential and agriculture applications. We sell nesting structures, offer installation, and help balance habitats to get them back to being biodiverse and poison free.
Burrowing owls are small owls that live in the ground. They do not actually dig their own burrow but take over rodent dens and expand on them.
Burrowing owls are a fun addition to the ecosystem and help control pests. They eat rodents, snakes, doves, and anything else they can catch. They mate for life, live in family groups, and are very entertaining.
Unfortunately, as we continue to develop the land, these owls continue to lose their homes.
Burrowing owl dens are federally protected. If you notice a family of owls on or near a construction site, please alert the construction site foreman, AZ Game Thief 1-800-352-0700, and Wild At Heart so they can make sure the owls get properly relocated. Adult owls may be able to fly away, however the nesting babies are too young to leave the nest and get buried alive.
Arizona Hummingbird Rehabilitation Facilities
WildWing Rehabilitation 480-893-6660
Arizona Hummingbird Resources
Hummingbirds are surely one of the most fragile birds on the planet. Their body structure allows them to stop on a dime, hover for considerably long periods at a time, and even fly horizontally in reverse. Their wings can beat at an incredible 52 times per second, and their heart rate ranges from 250 to 1,200 beats per minute depending on activity. On cold evenings they go into a hibernation mode called a torpor that puts them in such a trance they become unresponsive.
Many people associate hummingbirds with red sugar water and feeders, although that sugar water is one of the things that sickens them the most. Calls commonly made to the rehabilitation facilities are due to respiratory distress from dirty feeders, hummingbirds caught by cats, injuries from territorial battles, and nests inadvertently cut down during landscaping projects.
The females make the nests and raise the young on their own. Their nests are the size of a walnut and are made out of tiny silk spider webs and lichen. The eggs they lay are the size of tic-tacs, and the newly hatched babies are as small as raisins. The mom is on a constant lookout for insects and nectar to feed on, while still defending the nest on her own. Babies fledge within about three weeks of hatching, although many do not make it through the first year.
Kestrels are also known as sparrow hawks. They are the smallest falcon in North America and are great for day time rodent control. They have a larger family group and are at no risk to domestic pets. They are more territorial so their nesting is a bit more limited although their appetite makes up for it.
Kestrels are cavity nesters. In urban environments they tend to nest in in-pruned palm trees. We see a lot of destroyed nesting when people prune their trees during nesting season. Kestrels also nest in saguaros, hollowed out trees, and also take well to man made nesting structures if installed a over 20ft. They prey on small birds, mice, lizards, and insects.
Doves are horrible nest builders. They use a few small twigs on a ledge of any kind, and the nests commonly get blown over. Rehab centers can get inundated with doves, but many of them don’t need to go to a rehab. They just need a bit of help.
Nestlings are unfeathered, helpless bobble heads that can’t fend for themselves in any manner.They need constant care from their parents for food, warmth, and sun protection. They cannot walk yet, and they cannot eat or drink on their own. There are usually two babies per nest. If babies get blown out of the nest, they can be re-nested.
Fledglings are small, fully feathered birds that have recently left the nest but do not know how to fly yet. If it is their first day out, they can be easily picked up because they do not have any fear of humans yet. Many fledgling are brought to rehabs from caring individuals thinking that they are injured or abandoned or because they are afraid cats and dogs will kill them. However, it is important for fledglings to stay with their parents. Fledglings should be left alone. Domestic pets should be removed from the area for a few days to help the birds and the rehabs.