I attended a training on how to construct artificial nestingboxes for Burrowing Owls. The training was led by David Johnson from the Global
Owl Project. The first artificial nesting boxes (1977) were just that, plywood
boxes with tunnels that had a 90 degree angle in them. They worked, but had
issues with water seepage, inability to maneuver easily and no way to see if
they worked. Mr. Johnson’s design uses flexible 6” drain line (10’ long), half
of a 55 gallon barrel, hardware mesh (3’x4’), a tube of liquid nails, and two
Letica 3 ½ gallon buckets. Since the liquid nails needs to be spread on so
thick, he recommends leaving it to dry for three to four days. These nests
should last 10 years and as long as you do not clean them out, the owls should
return again and again.
