Barn Owl Nesting Studies at Monie Bay
The Barn Owl Study was initially started in 1988 when Maryland Department of Natural Resources became curious about the population dynamics and nesting productivity of this cavity nester. Almost 200 boxes were placed across Maryland, with experimental box placements in the water, in marshes, and in uplands. Through this study DNR found the optimal locations, design, and placement of these boxes. Although the study ended in 2000, the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR-MD) continued sporatic monitoring and maintenance of the boxes located in Monie Bay.
Today CBNERR-MD continues to maintain and monitor the boxes, and I am the project lead and bander for this project. We have 10 boxes strategically placed in spartina patens (short grass, good hunting grounds) and far from the nearest pine stands (due to predation from great horned owls). We check boxes at least 5 times during the breeding season, recording nestling survivorship and nesting fidelity from banded adults. We are putting together our first analysis of project results, and I will give a public talk this fall on our results.
