2014 Barn Owl Nesting
Barn owls nested in box 2 on the barn again this summer. The first of 4 eggs was laid on 5/14 and the nesting was uneventful. Although a female had entered the new box "1" several times, there was no second pair nesting this year.  The visitor to box 1 was likely the same female nesting in box 2.  I had finally converted the silo to a chimney swift shaft, which precluded the second pair from nesting there again or the male from using the silo for his day roost.

2022 – The barn owls finally return!

When inspecting the chimney swift’s nest in their shaft in the silo, I was surprised to hear the long hoped for guttural hiss of a barn owl. This is the second year the swifts have used the shaft, but barn owls have not nested or been heard or seen on our property since 2014. My hope was that they would return to one of the three nest boxes provided for them on the barn. They had previously used these boxes many times until their disappearance after the 2014 nesting. I had since built six floors in the silo, each reached by a series of ladders. This allowed me access to build and monitor the swift tower. The owls have nested on the top floor, gaining access through an opening in the metal roof. There were only two nestlings when I discovered their presence on June 6, but, at least this small brood thrived and successfully fledged. After such a long absence, I’m just glad they are back, even though they have made quite a mess of the 6th floor. Maybe they will move back to one of the nest boxes next year.

The owl's entrance to the silo 6th floor. The trash can is the chimney swifts' entrance to their shaft.

So, at best, this barn owl nesting produced only one offspring, nowhere near enough to maintain the species since statistically, barn owls only successfully nest once in their short life. Anyway, THEY ARE BACK!