Our first nesting project began with barn owls in December 2014, when the Eagle Shouts group generously donated fifteen barn owl nesting habitats. We mounted eight of these structures on poles in a desert mesquite scrub habitat and were thrilled to have six successful nesting pairs during the first season. It was a great success and we were very surprised with the numbers.
The following year, we expanded the project by adding three more habitats. However, new management disregarded our poison-free agreement. During the second nesting season, we experienced a heartbreaking high failure rate, discovering seven dead owls within a short period. We suspected environmental toxins, such as secondary poisoning from rodenticides or lead ingestion from rodents shot with lead ammunition.As you can imagine this was heartbreaking to see and go through.
To limit risks to other species, we remove all the nesting structures from the property and took all the remaining nestings to the wildlife rescue center. Because of this situation we almost gave up entirely. However, through continued volunteering, we realized there were still owls in need of help and other groups willing to work with us to protect them so here we are.
We learned about owl barrels from a local farmer in Eloy named Dewitt, which led to a new approach. We now work with a lot of farms where we install owl barrels as a preventative. then the farm also agrees not to use rodenticides on their fields. This ensures the owls have a safe space to call home, this allows the farmer to benefit from the owls hunting abilities, and also reduces the need for rehabilitation from destroyed nesting.
Our owl barrels are crafted primarily from recycled and salvaged materials. They are easy to install, highly durable, and their slick plastic surface helps deter bees from nesting inside. This collaborative effort continues to protect owls and provide sustainable pest management solutions for local farms.
We are always looking to expand our efforts and share the benefits of owl barrels with more communities. If you’re interested in supporting conservation, we would love your help! We’re actively seeking builders, installation sites, and fresh ideas to grow our impact. Donations are also greatly appreciated and go directly toward materials and outreach efforts. Together, we can protect owls and promote poison-free pest management.
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.