One owl in particular likes to make regular appearances: a friendly Barred Owl (Strix varia), also known as the Hoot Owl or Wood Owl. He even patiently waits for us to run back to grab our cameras! Want to hear what he sounds like? The following is a YouTube video with the Barred Owl’s “Who cooks for you?” call. (I’ll try to record our own video next time!)
The Barred Owl was first noticed in British Columbia in 1943 and has since spread its wings all over BC. And beyond. The Barred Owl is the most widespread owl in North America.
This owl species is typically between 43 cm and 61 cm in length and 470 g to 1050 g in weight with a wingspan of 1 m to 1.3 m from tip to tip. They have a signature large, round owl head, but do not have noticeable ears like some other owl species. Their eyes are brown or even black.
Fun fact: Did you know the female Barred Owl is often larger in size than the male?
Owls are birds of prey, which means they eat meat. Known as a generalist, they will take whatever they can catch. As a result, their diet consists mostly of mice, rats, squirrels and voles…but they will also eat other smaller birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Yum yum!
The Barred Owl loves mixed conifer forests, especially older, established ones like at our property. They also love the water…luckily we are conveniently nestled between streams and rivers that run into Cultus Lake.
Interestingly, the Barred Owl cannot make its own nest. Instead, it depends largely on “Fairy Doors” in old trees. Don’t tell our kids, but contrary to their beliefs, Fairy Doors are just hollows in trees. These hollows just happen to end up being a perfect cavity for owl houses. In addition to the Fairy Doors, Barred Owls will also use animal holes or even steal larger birds’ nests (you won’t see a Barred Owl in a wee little hummingbird’s nest).
Side note: Never remove hummingbird nests. Hummingbirds come back to reuse them year after year! Plus tiny nests are adorable!
To help prevent the owls from stealing nests from other birds and setting up shop in our Fairy Doors, Jay and the kids spent the Christmas holidays making Owl Nest Boxes for the property. We hope the owls reuse these new homes year after year! Jay and the kids also had a fun time creating Bird Houses and Bat Houses to give to family and friends as Christmas gifts.
The new nesting boxes will also be excellent for viewing, monitoring and banding babies. Males and females will court in March and start laying their eggs March through mid-May. Female Barred Owls typically have a clutch of 2-4 eggs which incubate for 21-28 days during which time the male owl will feed the female. How romantic! The young owls will live with their parents for roughly 6 weeks, gaining the ability to fly on their own around day 50.
Unfortunately, the Barred Owl is not originally from BC and has contributed to pushing out the native Northern Spotted Owl which has been endangered since 1990. The good news is there is an active breeding program and my fingers are crossed that the Spotted Owl will one day repopulate the forest. By having nest boxes, we will be able to tag and band owls to help get more accurate numbers. If you’d like your own Nest Box, we can make one for you, just check out our store!
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
Design by NXNW.
