Things are not looking Good:(((( GHO!!!!!

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Well y'all,

First I hope everyone had a Blessed Easter yesterday!!

Things are not looking good for us....we are at a lost, seriously. We have a nesting box between the houses that we put up, well last night at 10:30 Ken open the doors to let our 'little' Yorkies outside and there was the owl sitting in the nesting Box...Scared him and the Owl flew away...this morning @ 6:30 am..Ken went outside and the GHO was next door on the chimney, I think HE is seriously wanted some food from those houses...we have turn on our fountain to muffle the noise but we have so many birds, 40 easily....it's scary for me.....My heart is sinking cuz I think something very, very bad is going to happen......I am at a lost, I can't put guards up, we live to close to other neighbors....Light doesn't seem to bother the Owl....does any know that LIGHT bothers the OWL....???? I am so sad and feel helpless.

Down in Texas..

[Matt F.]

Hi Ken & Sheryle.
I know that has to be stressful for you.
If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure you're using crescent equipped, Lonestar housing.
The shorter crescent opening, combined with the nice, 12" deep compartments, put you waaaaay ahead of many others, in terms of protection from owls/hawks.

That said, I hope Mr./Ms./Mrs. GHO decides to move on to another location!

[Matt F.]

Hi again.
I'm just kind of thinking out loud here.
I know you had mentioned you could not have any guards on your housing, I'm guessing do to some type of HOA regs.
I wonder if something could be used as a guard, that didn't look like a guard? Something that has aesthetic value also.
One thing that came to mind, is the various, metal wall decor, seen at some craft type stores.
Something like this:

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Hi Matt,

Yes, you're right we do have the Lonestar houses with the crescent holes.....Where would I put that kinda decoration?? I am so stress; I know I am not going to sleep tonight or if I do every time I wake-up will be looking outside....I love these birds as if they were my pets..silly me but I do. I don't want no harm to come to them, I will try with all I can to protect them....if I have to spend a night tonight outside, maybe I will.

Thank you for replying back...God Bless,
Sheryle

[NancyinEnidOK]

Ken & Sheryle, you mentioned lights, how a GHO might be affected by lights, etc. -- have you looked into the solar powered infrarad lights? They come on at dark and flash red in all directions. I don't know how that might affect your neighbors, but during the daytime hours the only difference would be that the frame would need to be attached to your housing (it's a straight piece of metal, about the side of a ruler but several inches taller, with a small box at the top which holds the lights). Diane at Creative Universe could give you good information about these, and I'm hoping some of the landlords with experience will post. (I have this system on my housing, but since I don't yet have a colony, mine is untested at this point.) Good luck!

[johnnycoon]

here is an idea im just throwing out.....maybe make some sort of frame not attached to the house with bird netting you can put up at night and take down early in the morning before the birds start flyin. maybe four poles of conduit with zip ties you can raise and lower....it might be a crazy or stupid idea but o well...!!!

[johnnycoon]

this is what i want to do eventually is make a huge cage around the whole colony like they do at the zoo for birds.ive got hawks and owls everywhere.BUT probably another crazy idea....!!

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Okay, you want the good news or the bad news first..here goes....Last night, as much as I could stay up, I couldn't stay up all night, I knew in my heart the OWL was coming back and indeed the GHO showed up at 3:30...I barely heard his OWL call, woke up my husband and he was on my neighbors roof....then my husband woke up @ 6:30 to let the dogs out, he checked out neighbors roof, looked all around, not in the next box, thought all was good, he always and will always walk out the door and guess what, there goes the OWL, he was sitting on our ROOF. We have decided to get motion sensor lights.....hopefully the OWL will get afraid; thinking someone is out there when the LIGHT goes on. I told my husband I will spend the night outside and he said NO, but I really want to...I KNOW the OWL is going to show up, maybe I will get a CD and play the music louder....I am at a lost....It's getting harder and harder for me to sleep at night....the perils of having Purple Martins in your backyard...I love them but I get so stress sometimes.

[Craig Dyer]

Hi Ken&Sheryle,

I sure understand your angst. I see and hear great horned owls year round. In the treetops on moonlit nights you can see their silhouettes. They are BIG raptors! Sometimes late at night I can hear their distinctive call. They sound very close by. I hope I am not jinxing myself, but to date I have not experienced an attack on my martin colony by GHOs, or any other owl species. It may be that the owls in my area are well fed. I live adjacent to the river bottoms (lots of rabbits, skunks, snakes, etc.). Maybe the GHOs in your area are well fed too. I hope they leave your martins alone. Best of luck to you this season.

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Hi Craig,

I hope so too, but I don't like the fact that they have showed up twice already, two days straight in a row, what the heck. So I am concern as heck...They are getting very close to the houses and I am sure they hear the noises of the birds....I fear for them....I pray that they don't get attack either...

God Bless,
Sheryle

[Carlton]

I would be careful letting little dogs out at night. They are not any larger than some of the typical prey items.

I know you do not need any more stress but I felt I should remind you of this.

[johnnycoon]

i used to have a GHO on top of my purple martin house overnight! i think he likes my company security light. Lights in some cases enhances the owls vision or may even attract him!! He can see whats on the ground a lot better.i play rock everynite and havnt seen him.BUT if i turn off the music he is right back.My back yard is one of his favorite places!! One thing about my owl is that he scares really easily.l.It all depends on that owl.They all have their own personality.But anything is worth a try..For me any loud sound seems to be effective.

[johnnycoon]

Just another thought...Lights attract bugs.. frogs and other animals like frogs toads and other animals eat bugs.The owl knows that lights attract his prey...So he just sits and waits...MY owl loves my light!

[trisha]

I want to second the suggestion of your dogs protection. In the fall a couple of years ago, we had a GHO dive down and try to get our 2 poms....please be careful!

[chickadee]

light does not bother them.i got a light in my back yard this year and for first time watched a owl try to fly into it.the only thing i trust is owl guards on houses look on line of pictures and ways to make your own with wire on your martin house.do it soon cause iv heard if they eat their they will come back until all martins are dinner or have left.

[DAVE]

I put up Motion sensors that rings a door bell. I hear it sometimes at night. Not sure what sets it off, but no harm to my martins so far.
Good Luck Dave

[Matt F.]

Thinking out loud again.......
Are GHOs pretty territorial?
If so, I wonder if putting up one of those plastic GHOs, would help to keep the real GHO away?

[Louise Chambers]

They are, but I don't think a plastic owl would run them off - crows and hawks mob owls, but once they are nesting, they are not leaving their young.

Before they nest, I wonder if a tape of crows mobbing an owl would make them nervous enough to move on? At least out of your yard.

[Mike1624]

If you are using Lonestar Goliad housing, I can tell you how to quickly build a cage that will raise and lower with the house and will keep Mr Owl out. I just built 2 for my Lonestars to thwart a pair of Coopers hawks and they're working well.

[Guest]

I want to second the suggestion of your dogs protection. In the fall a couple of years ago, we had a GHO dive down and try to get our 2 poms....please be careful!

I would say you were lucky... one of my friends sister was not as lucky, she lost one of her dogs to an owl. I will be the third to say to be careful, because an owl won't think twice about grabbing a little dog.