Did you know that owls are cannibalistic? Baby owls will feast on their owlet-siblings to reduce competition. Did you know that owls strike so fast they kill on contact? It’s the equivalent of getting hit with a truck…a truck with talons.

I love talking to bird people. They’re such sadists. Or rather, they look at the grim brutality of the natural world and dive right in. They’re the ones who root for the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. In Don’t Look Up, they’re most likely rooting for the asteroid.

So, when it comes to rodent control, a topic most people find icky, who better to consult than someone passionate about birds? Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with John Schuster of Wild Wing Company in Sonoma County, Calif.

Schuster has had a fascinating career in forestry, firefighting and conservation. He also makes most of the owl boxes I see in the North Coast. It turns out if you ply him with a cappuccino, he’ll tell you all sorts of things about owls and how they benefit farmers.

Barn owls are not territorial so having multiple owl boxes per acre isn't overkill. I doubt they appreciate being woken up though... 

What Is an Owl Box and What Is it Used for?

Owls are a cavity dwelling bird species. They eat a lot of nocturnal rodents, such as voles and pocket gophers. An adult owl requires on average 156 grams of food each night: that’s about the size of one gopher or two voles—double that if he’s got a mate back home. Baby owls require three to five times this per night, and a typical brood is between three to five owlets. If you have an owl box with a little owl family in it, you’re looking at 3 kilograms (about 6.5 pounds) of rodents per night.

The goal of your natural predation program should be this: establish a healthy population of breeders. Predators follow prey; so, if you have a high population of rodents, that should be enough to sustain many families of breeding owls. Owl families will consume many more gophers and voles than your bachelor birds. Owls won’t even mate unless there’s enough food on the table to support offspring. I know many farmers who have more than enough gopher meat to go around.

It’s always important to remember that the vineyard is far from a natural place. Under untouched conditions, owls would be able to find homes in tree hollows and the like. That kind of real estate isn’t as available among acres and acres of vines and trellis hardware. If your rodent population has blown up, it’s probably linked to habitat loss of native predators. Owl boxes allow for the reestablishment of what’s been lost. For some of you, that is reason enough to put some of these in. However, not all owl boxes are created equal.

A Wild Wing technician surprised this ghosty girl while cleaning out the owl box. Having a trap door makes this activity much easier. 

Owl City: Location and Density

Owls will hunt within about a mile and a half radius from their home. Barn owls and Screech owls are not territorial, so there’s no problem having considerable overlap in hunting grounds. John says it’s best to have an owl box every 100 to 200 yards if the rodent population is moderate, with owl boxes every 60 yards if you want to take a more aggressive approach. That seems like a lot to me; but if you are planning on relying exclusively on owl boxes for gopher and vole control, you will want to build a healthy population.

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On the road again...to Unified 2024

Are you going to the Unified Symposium? Come check us out at Booth 2038! We've got a lot of cool stuff we'll be rolling out this year and we can't wait to tell you all about it! 

Contact loni@advancedvit.com if you need a ticket to the trade show. 

Owl Box