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23rd Raptor nest box   (meant for Screech Owls)

ABOVE: 23rd raptor nest box, meant for Owls & Woodpeckers. Bats can also use the box by clinging to the 1/2" hardware mesh that was attached to the inside walls as an internal ladder but the entrance approach is slightly obstructed by tree branches. It is a used hardwood storage box that was converted into mainly a Screech Owl / Pileated Woodpecker combo box. The entrance is 4"x3". This large, heavy box has a slippery-surfaced aluminum-covered roof with deep overhangs to deter Gray Squirrels from entering it. This box is over 3' tall by 2' wide and was placed on a tree in a thickly wooded area, because Screech Owls prefer this type of habitat. It forms a pair with box #22. Having Screech Owl boxes in pairs allows the adults to roost in a protected area near their nest of young.

The box was mounted on 12/18-19 of 2002 and its entrance is 11 1/2' high. It is on Mirant's Westland Ash site adjacent to the Dickerson Generating Station. This property has the highest Screech Owl density that I know of. I am very grateful to Mirant and its environmental staff for allowing me to use their land for this winged animal nest box project.