Was this an owl nest?

Question

I do vounteer work with a Border Collie Rescue group, based out of a working farm. Yesterday I went up into a dis-used loft of a barn to toss down some straw and look at the eletrical wiring, and I found a nest - A HUGE nest - on one of the rafters. Unfortunately, the lighting and angle were bad, so I couldn't get a good image of it.

The nest was a large untidy heap of straw and feathers, about a foot high, and about three feet around. The feathers were light grey, and appeared to be belly feathers - the fluffy, insulating kind, almost downy. The loft is large, open, and well protected from the elements and intruders - Not even the barn cats can get in unless someone deliberately lets them in. The only access is via a pair of ~ 1 foot-square openings at the gable peak, near the hay hoist. There are NO signs of any other kind of bird in the loft, not even barn swallows. I saw no castings.

Could this be a barn owl nest? I hope so, as does the farmer. Any help figuring this out?

The loft was last opened up about six months ago, to load straw, and there was no obvious nest at that time - I presume the nest to be recent. The nesting material was heaped up into a distinct heap, resembling an overturned (very large!) dutch oven.

The nest appeared to be in good condition, but there were no birds resident. This is a working sheep farm, in the midst of a region of mixed agriculture, interlaced with large woodlots. I presume that there'd be more than enough food to support any of a wide range of types of raptor.

The loft is only entered on rare occasions, though I will be doing some wiring repair up there soon - I'll be on the watch!

The farmer runs a bed & breakfast as a sideline, and often gets birders as guests. Even if she didn't want the nest protected for the value of having a resident raptor on a farm, she'd want it protected for the value it'd add to the guest experience for the B&B - We won't be touching it.

Answer 1

Probably not a barn owl.

"Barn Owls have no definite breeding season. Breeding takes place mostly in response to food availability and often twice per year. The nest is normally a hollow in a tree, but birds sometimes nest in caves or abandoned buildings. The entrance hole is usually 15 to 25 m above the ground, though the nest chamber may be up to 10 m down inside the tree. No nest material is used, except a few old pellets, which are the regurgitated indigestible leftovers of small mammals and other prey."
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=59

It actually sounds more like a Great Horned Owl nest (and if so, beware! They are known as the tigers of the avian world and can be very agressive - and very dangerous - at their nest site)
"Like most owls, great horned owls do not make their own nests. They generally use an abandoned red-tailed hawk's nest at a height of 40-70 feet. These owls have a wider range of nest sites than any other bird in the Americas and will sometimes nest in hollows in trees, on cliffs or artificial platforms, and will lay eggs on the ground. Most nests are used for only one season, and a lack of nest maintenance often causes the nests to deteriorate." http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/gh_owl.php

Great horned owls may start nesting as early as late November, so if the nest showed no signs of deterioration, it could be active, so be VERY CAREFUL!!

Answer 2

Yes, sounds like this could be an some sort of raptor nest. It is not breeding season now..however some owls do nest year round..so if the nest seems unoccupied now, this could change soon. If it is a hawk or eagle nest...they will re-use the same nest year after year....so the birds will most likely be back in the spring. I suggest you get your repairs done now..so you will not have to enter during the spring which may cause the adults to abandon the nest or for you to get attacked. Keep an eye on it to see if it is being used before attempting to access it again. I am assuming the farm wants this nest there as the owls or raptors that inhabit it are good pest control. Even if the nest is unwanted...it is actually illegal for you to remove the nest under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Law.

Answer 3

Screech owls are awesome, you are so lucky to have them nearby. You will need to put the nesting box between 10-15 ft up a tree, preferably an oak. Someone sent a great template for a nest box. You can use that! It is past their breeding season, so they will not lay eggs this year, but they will probably use it next March. You may find that the male (which is the smaller of the pair) will use it during the winter months. Screech owls are opportunisitic and will nest or roost in any manmade structure. You may find that squirrels, blue jays, or woodpeckers will use it as well. Good luck!

Answer 4

While it may be an owl's nest, it does not sound like a barn owls nest, unless they have been there a LONG time:
"Barn Owls do not "build" a nest but just before egg laying the female usually makes a shallow scrape in the previous years' nest debris and/or breaks up a few recent pellets creating a soft layer for egg laying. Where there is no nest "cavity" as such, (for example, on a wall top or loft floor) pellets may be widely scattered and the eggs laid directly onto any surface (stone, wood, loft insulation etc.). Compared to other owl species, Barn Owls lay small eggs (in relation to their body size) and they lay lots of them."

http://www.barnowltrust.org/infopage.html?Id=5

Answer 5

As someone else answered previously, owls do not make nests (with the exception of Short-eared and Snowy which create rudimentary scrapes on the ground.)

They will take over abandoned nests of other birds and Great Horned Owls have been known to kill nest occupants (such as Ravens or Red-tailed Hawks) and taking their nests over as well.

To determine if this nest had been USED by owls you should look for sings such as cough pellets (essentially hair balls with bones in them) and pieces of animals such as bones, birds wings, rats tails etc. The nest you describe could very well belong to a Crow or Raven (both have been known to nest in man made structures)less likely a hawk of some sort or possibly even a magpie.

Answer 6

That certainly sounds like it to me... I was thinking a squirrel was a possibility too, but it wouldn't make sense in a barn... Keep a lookout for owls... then you'll know for sure... hopefully it isn't abandoned... Wow... a Border Collie rescue group? That's great! I'm doing some volunteer work at the Humane Society... Really rewarding stuff isn't it? I love border collies...