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Project 4 -
Multi-cam Eastern Screech Owl Research Project
The purpose of this site
is to study the Eastern Screech Owl behaviors during the winter roosting
and spring nesting periods. The winter roosting period is typically
between October to March, and the nesting period from March to June.
During the fall of 2011 we discovered an Eastern Screech owl roosting in
one of the nest boxes we had put up. We quickly installed a webcam into
the box to watch the owl. On advice from local screech owl expert, Dick
Byers, we installed several more owl boxes in the same area and started
a study to monitor their behaviors. Although screech owls are fairly
common little is known about their behaviors since they are nocturnal.
In our study we fitted nine artificial owl boxes with a small infrared
video camera and a small audio MIC. The video cameras used were 1.20” in
diameter and 4” long and include (8) infrared LED’s which produce an
infrared illumination source in the 940nm range, which do not emit any
visible red glow.
The screech owls will use the boxes during the day to roost and leave at
night to go hunting. We will try and use the external PTZ camera to
locate the owl at night hunting if in the range of the owl boxes. During
the day we will position the PTZ camera on the box the owl is roosting
in. When the owl roosts in the morning it will sit at the opening of the
owl box for 1/2 to 1 hour before going in to roost for the day. Before
the owl leaves the owl box at night it will sit at the opening for 1/2
to 1 hour before leaving. The PTZ camera will give you an outside view
of the owl during these times.
Winter Roosting Activity
Screech owls do not
migrate; they maintain home ranges throughout the
winter. During they day light hours the owls will
find a roosting location and will roost until dark.
The winter roosting time period is typically between
October to March. Screech owls are primarily solitary except during
the breeding season. Pairs occasionally roost
together during the winter in hollow trees, nest
boxes, and trees with dense foliage. The cameras
enable us to view the activity inside the owl box
and outside the owl box with the PTZ camera. During
the day the owl boxes are often mobbed by song birds
and occasionally bothered by gray squirrels.
Caching of Prey
It is a well known
fact that screech owls will cache uneaten prey items
in cavities. We were surprised at the number of
different species cached and how long the prey items
remained in the owl boxes before being consumed. The
most interesting item was a wood frog (see below)
which was cached on the evening of December 24th
when the air temperature was only 30 deg. F. The
frog was consumed over a 2-week period in stages
over multiple night feedings, and was totally
consumed on January 7th, 2012.
Frog
Mouse
Shrew
Box Visitors
The owl boxes do get
the occasional visitor such as gray squirrels and
Carolina wrens during the day and flying squirrels
at night. We have observed unusual behaviors such as
flying squirrels eating cached prey by the screech
owls.
Carolina Wren
Gray Squirrel
Flying Squirrel
Bluebirds Mobbing
Tufted Titmouse Mobbing
Courting and Nesting
Courtship Behavior
Roosting Together Laying & Incubating
Eggs
Male Feeding Female
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