Template:Protecting the Owl Box from Predators

Protecting the Owl Box from Predators

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  Why our owl box needed protection 🙁

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  The shuttering protects the owl box from cats and is also used as a landing stage by the barn owl

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  A close-up of the barn owl box predator protection

The day after we fitted the new box to the tree, we discover one of our cats sitting right on top of the owl box. This was something we needed to address urgently. The tree the box is in is at the edge of the copse and no other trees are near enough to allow predators to jump from tree to tree so we mounted shuttering halfway between the ground and the owl box so although predator could climb the tree they could not get past the shuttering. While owls may be prey to buzzards and hawks and maybe foxes, I think in the United Kingdom cats are the only threat to owls once they are safely in the box. Just be aware of this threat when choosing a spot for your barn owl box.