Entries by MARK BROWNING

Maine Barn Owls

Barn Owls in Maine As the northernmost state in the U.S., Maine experiences winters that limit the barn owl’s ability to maintain any but the rarest numbers. Mild winters may allow barn owls to survive for a few years, but severe winters marked by deep snow and sub-zero temperatures may wipe out most if not […]

Georgia Barn Owls

Barn Owls in Georgia Barn owls live in good numbers in the agricultural regions of the northwestern northeastern, and southwestern agricultural regions, as well as along the marshes and riverine systems of the coast. They number fewer in the mainly forested regions of the coastal plain and the belt of forest that runs diagonally through […]

North Dakota Barn Owls

Barn Owls in North Dakota Barn Owls are cited as uncommon in North Dakota. States to the south, such as Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota, are frequently referred to as the “northern limit of the barn owl’s range” in the central United States, however barn owls don’t read the literature and are surprising in their […]

South Dakota Barn Owls

Barn Owls in South Dakota Known barn owl nest sites are scattered and are mostly found in the southern half.  Although documented in far western counties adjacent to Wyoming, most nests have been found in natural cavities in banks of the Missouri River’s reservoirs and tributaries that run through the center of the state. In […]

Blackfly Resistant Bluebird House

New Bluebird House Resists Blackflies One of the most insidious invaders of bluebird nests is the blackfly, also known as the buffalo gnat. These bloodsucking insects prey upon any warm blooded host they can find, including birds and mammals (and humans). Almost 1800 species exist in the family Simuliidae; some are actually black, others can […]

Sparrow Resistant Bluebird House

White Plastic Bluebird House Proving Very Attractive to Bluebirds But Not to House Sparrows “I purchased four bluebird houses from you in early spring. After an easy setup on my property, I had renters within two weeks–three out of four nest boxes were occupied with bluebirds throughout the summer, producing multiple clutches. I highly recommend this […]

Barn Owls in Kentucky

Kentucky Barn Owls The Barn Owl is on Kentucky’s list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need under their State Wildlife Action Plan and on their Heritage program’s list of species of special concern.  In recent years, the state has been busy installing barn owl boxes on buildings, trees and poles in areas with suitable habitat.  […]

Barn Owls in Ohio

Ohio Barn Owls Once very common in Ohio, barn owl populations dwindled since the 1950’s. Now the barn owl is making a dramatic comeback in the state, due to nest box programs being conducted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Since 1988 agency biologists have installed nest boxes on more than […]

Illinois Barn Owls

Barn Owls in Illinois Illinois has been one of those northern states that saw dramatic declines in barn owls, and grassland species in general. Once covered with forest, then with prairie and small farms, much of Illinois’ prairie has been developed, its small farms have dwindled, and hay, wheat, and cattle enterprises have been replaced with […]

Vermont Barn Owls

Barn Owls in Vermont Vermont’s barn owls have always been very rare, with perhaps a few breeding sites each season. As with many northern latitude states, the severe winters limit barn owl numbers, however, even after the state’s barn owls have been decimated by deep winter snows, young birds from more southern states will disperse […]

North Carolina Barn Owls

Barn Owls in North Carolina In addition to having its own populations of barn owls, North Carolina is an extremely important state for barn owls dispersing from the north. It is the first state after the high mountains that northern birds reach after traversing the mountain forests with dramatic flights and large expenditures of energy. Our satellite tracking […]

Rhode Island Barn Owls

Barn Owls in Rhode Island The first barn owl was recorded in Rhode Island in 1938. From then into the 1950’s it became fairly common throughout the coastal lowlands. Since then, in the face of intense development in those same areas, the barn owl has been nearly extirpated on the mainland where only widely scattered […]