piefed.zeromedia.vipMolting Madness
submitted by
anon6789
From Jen Marie
Here is one of my favorite molting screech owls from years past. Did you know that Eastern Screech Owls typically experience a “catastrophic molt” on their heads, meaning they molt most or all of their head feathers at once? This can make them look a bit ragged or even bald until the new feathers grow in, but it’s a totally normal process and means the bird is healthy.
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Ay! I’m sleepin’ heah!
Woke up with some serious bed head!
What is that mesh for? So they can hold to it in the way in?
I didn’t think I’ve seen a house like this before, but based on other houses, I’d say that has to be what this is for. With the hard surface, there wouldn’t be anything they can grip onto.
The clinic is having me also run the table on houses for various other animals that I know next to nothing about, and the bat houses call for this mesh at the entrance as well. The bat houses resemble beehives much more than I would have thought, and all the internal walls need to be scored to let the bats hang on.
Note the screen on the bottom. Some people use the screen (our state’s game commission design uses it) but others don’t since they worry bats can get caught in it.
Here’s a shot showing the inner walls with all the slices for bats to grip and move around.
Again, this is where people differ. This and many commercial examples have these nice looking shallow saw cuts, but the game commission says do not use a saw, as those edges, when using plywood, are more prone to splintering. They say to use a utility knife to score all over the surface.
This is the kind of thing I would never have thought of and then wonder why only the spiders are using the house.
I used to think these animal houses were pretty simple and didn’t think they’d be so particular about homes when they’re living outdoors, but I’ve learned a lot over the last few years.
That little cute stick for a perch on a bird house is typically a really bad idea for a lot of reasons.
The size of the access hole is critical. Too small and your animal of choice can’t get in, too large and more aggressive birds or predators can get in.
A bat house needs the roof to be sealed tight to hold in heat while some birds need vents to keep the box from getting too hot. Especially as climate changes, houses that have worked in the past can now bring unpleasant surprises.
For Screech Owl boxes, they get a bit of wood shavings (not sawdust) added, since owls don’t really do much nest construction/upkeep themselves. It helps keeps the eggs from rolling so momma can rotate them properly and not have them smacking each other or the walls.