A Tail of Woe
Last year my wife and I had an owl house installed on our property. We did it because we wanted the rodent control that owls provide, and we wanted the experience of having these beautiful birds living on our property, and to be able to see and hear them. Within ten days of the owl house being installed, a pair of Barn Owls moved in. In a short time, two little owls appeared. The babies grew up and moved out over the summer, but another pair (or the same pair) have had more babies this year, and the parents are busy feeding the young owls. I read a statistic that said that a barn owl can account for one thousand rodents in a year. Even if that's a gross exaggeration, and the reall number is half of that, it's a lot of rodents. I was talking this week to my two adjoining neighbors, and all of us have noticed a reduction in the rodent population on our properties. We live in a rural area where the minimum lot size is one acre. I think the above picture documents why we are seeing fewer rodents.
I'm sorry if this grosses anyone out, that's not my intent. Owls gotta eat. If you start looking at birds of prey and are realistic, that's how it works. They're not vegetarians.
I've put together a small set of pictures relating to the owls. Here's a link to that set www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157630045851110/...
A Tail of Woe
Last year my wife and I had an owl house installed on our property. We did it because we wanted the rodent control that owls provide, and we wanted the experience of having these beautiful birds living on our property, and to be able to see and hear them. Within ten days of the owl house being installed, a pair of Barn Owls moved in. In a short time, two little owls appeared. The babies grew up and moved out over the summer, but another pair (or the same pair) have had more babies this year, and the parents are busy feeding the young owls. I read a statistic that said that a barn owl can account for one thousand rodents in a year. Even if that's a gross exaggeration, and the reall number is half of that, it's a lot of rodents. I was talking this week to my two adjoining neighbors, and all of us have noticed a reduction in the rodent population on our properties. We live in a rural area where the minimum lot size is one acre. I think the above picture documents why we are seeing fewer rodents.
I'm sorry if this grosses anyone out, that's not my intent. Owls gotta eat. If you start looking at birds of prey and are realistic, that's how it works. They're not vegetarians.
I've put together a small set of pictures relating to the owls. Here's a link to that set www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157630045851110/...