A lot of people contact the Hungry Owl Project this time of year to get a Barn Owl Box as a gift. While we are always happy to have more interest in our owl boxes, Barn Owl boxes may not be the best option for gift giving because of the complexity of siting, installing, and maintaining them. If you’re giving a nesting box as a present, please consider a Bluebird Box, which are much easier to install and maintain.
PHOTO © AGAMI
Click the links above to learn more about the requirements for successful Barn Owl box placement. We won’t bore you with all of the details (there are many!), but you get the point. Buying someone a nesting box is a very nice gesture, but you may be signing the recipient of your gift up for more than they are ready to handle. We always want to make sure our owl box hosts are fully engaged participants, and advocates for their owls.
The best way for this to happen is for the potential owner to fill out the Owl Box Request Form on our website. When they submit the form, they get a free 15 minute consultation from Hungry Owl Project staff, and we will make a recommendation about what type of box is appropriate for their property. Because of the density of many neighborhoods, Barn Owl and Screech Owl boxes don’t work in many locations.
So get a Bluebird box today! They are great for bird watching, and will help balance the population of insects where they live. You can get free plans to build one yourself, or you can purchase one on Amazon—and a small percentage of the cost will go to support Hungry Owl Project. Here is the installation guide for Bluebird boxes (PDF).
You can also adopt an owl and send the certificate to your friends and loved ones as a gift, or order a few of our bumper stickers as stocking stuffers. For the month of December the first sticker is free, and additional stickers are yours at the $5 donation level. Get your stickers now!
Thanks as always for your support of our work, and for helping us to continue to make the world a better place for owls.