Helping Western Screech-owls and other Feathered Friends

Female Western Screech-owl and her babies in a nesting box

Western Screech-owl

When you first think of owls, it is normal to picture the big ones, like Great Horned owls or Snowy owls, but in reality most owls in the Okanagan are small to medium sized. One such owl is our local Western Screech-owls, which is one of the smaller owls in the region, only being about the size of a medium to-go coffee cup.

Their name is quite misleading since they don't actually screech. Instead they will make a series of hoots in the rhythm of dropping a ping-pong ball. If you hear an owl screeching at night, it is most likely their similar looking cousin, the Great Horned owl. They are easily confused with Great Horned owls because of their speckled bodies and ear tuffs, however the size difference will give them away.

Western Screech owls usually live in low elevation riparian forests. They tend to be near water since their nesting tree of choice are cottonwood trees, that thrive in wetter conditions.

Western Screech-owls are unfortunately listed as threatened in Canada and blue-listed in BC. One of the main problems they face is habitat loss, with very few cottonwood forests left in the valley. This is because new cottonwood forests are hard to establish because of changes in flood cycles. Also, people tend to avoid cottonwoods on their properties and in public parks because they are a fast growing but short lived trees that commonly drop branches. However, these are the factors that make this tree favourable to a lot of wildlife. It's easier to dig out cavities when the tree is dead or dying. These natural cavities are home to so many species including our Western Screech-owl.

Lia McKinnon, OSS staff, installing a Western-Screech owl nesting box

One way to help Western Screech-owls is by providing more habitat. Maintaining dead-standing trees, otherwise known as snags, if safe to do so is a great start. If snags are away from houses or building, consider leaving them up. You can also consider getting the top of the tree cut but leaving the bottom. This will make the tree safer, more manageable, and will still provide great habitat.

If you live near water, another option is to put up a Western Screech-owl nesting box. These boxes are the perfect size and shape for Western-screech owls and can help make up for the loss of natural habitat.

Secondary poisoning from rodenticides is another major problem for Western Screech-owls and many other raptors. When a mouse is poisoned by rodenticide, it does not always die right away and becomes easy prey to catch. When that mouse is then eaten by a raptor, the raptor gets poisoned as well. This secondary poisoning can also harm household pets, like dogs and cats.

Ways to avoid this problem are eliminating the use of rodenticides and using other methods to deal with your rodent problems. Using live traps, snap traps, or attracting raptors to your property are solutions that can replace chemical intervention.

These are just some of the many ways you can help out these little owls. Even people without property of their own can be part of the solution by spreading the word about the what needs to be done to help Western Screech-owls. The more people who know and care about these feathered friends, the more likely we can make a change.

If you do live near a creek or river, contact us to see if your property could benefit from a Screech-owl box and we could install one for free. Just email us at info@osstewardship.ca or phone us at 250-770-1467.