Alaska Bird ObservatoryAlaska Bird ObservatoryGreat Gray, Great Horned, and Boreal Owls are found around the Fairbanks area year-round. They will commonly use nest boxes and platforms. If you would like to attract a nesting owl to your backyard, here are some designs for nest boxes and platforms that will work for our northern owl species.
| Great Gray and Great Horned Owls are the largest owls commonly found in interior Alaska. Great Gray Owls usually nest in large, broken birch, spruce, or poplar tree trunks. Great Horned owls typically nest in the old nests of hawks, eagles, ravens, or even squirrels. When placing your artificial nesting platform, remember that Great Horned Owls prefer overhanging branches and Great Gray Owls prefer platforms without overhanging branchdes. These owls do not build nests, so don't forget to fill the platform with a lot of sticks to support the eggs and chicks. | .jpg)
Photo by David Shaw |
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Boreal Owls are the smallest owl in interior Alaska. Only the males sing, and typically only in the spring when advertising a nest site. If you are fortunate enough to entice a Boreal Owl to nest in your box, be sure to clean out your box after the young have fledged. Remove all of the old nesting material, spray the inside of the box with a 10% bleach solution, and then replace the used wood chips with fresh chips. |
Owl information from "The Alaska Owlmanac." 2004. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation.