Through the years I've learned a lot about Elf Owls and their behavior. Still lots to learn though. One thing I learned was that they'll nest in holes in power poles, wooden fence posts, or nest boxes if that's all that's available, but provide an agave stalk and they'll nest in nothing else. So I'm on it. Notice in this photo taken in 2012 there's a section of a power pole installed on the top of a pipe. That's where the Elf Owls nested every year prior to 2012. After that, they've used the agave stalks exclusively.
 |
| 2012 photo of newly installed agave stalks |
Now the agave stalks are getting old and rotten, so with the help of a neighbor several miles from the oasis, I'm going to upgrade them.
Bruce St.Romaine and Stephanie Neckar brought a trailer to town and I took them around to places I had located that were happy to have their dead stalks hauled off. One person's trash is another person's treasure! I totally forgot to take photos of Bruce cutting them down with my husband's chain saw.
Tomorrow I'm going to the oasis to hopefully put my share of the stalks where I want them. It's too late for them to be used this year. The owls only do one nesting per year, but they'll be ready with woodpecker holes in them by next March.
No comments:
Post a Comment