The Owl Box Project

The Owl Box Project began in 2002, when the Space Coast Audubon Society was the recipient of a generous donation which was given in the hopes that we could build owl boxes in memory of a gentleman who loved an owl that visited him regularly. (Click here to read the whole story.)

The hard part of this project was finding the appropriate need. Finally, one day last fall, our vice president, while on a Space Coast Birding and Wildlife festival field trip, found the perfect need. At the Lake Apopka Restoration Area, there is a small group of Barn Owls that have taken up residence in some silos that are slated to be torn down. Seizing this opportunity, Space Coast Audubon decided that this is where our owl boxes should be placed.

After discussion with Gian Basili from the St. JohnÕs Water Management District, we decided on our design and built the boxes. On June 2, 2005, the boxes were installed! The Space Coast Audubon Society would sincerely like to thank Gail Jackson whose generous donation has made this possible.

Here is Dee, sanding the prototype.	Here is Dee, still sanding the prototype. It was rough.	Dee did a whole lot of sanding that day.
David, wondering where we went wrong.	David, doing a Sean Penn. He did not want to be photographed...	David, displaying our almost finished prototype.
David, displaying our almost finished prototype. Notice the C-clamp we used in a sad attempt to straighten the warped wood.	Realizing that the owls would die of old age by the time Dee and David finished, they enlisted the help of grown ups. Here are Ralph and Steve.	Ralph, installing the front door.
Steve and Ralph assembling.	Steve and Ralph assembling.	Dee, still sanding. It's not safe to give her pointy tools.
Steve and Ralph assembling.	Steve and Ralph assembling.	Steve and Ralph assembling.
Ta-dahhhh! Our first completed box!	Steve and Ralph, starting box #3.	Steve, putting the hinges on the roof.
The whole workshop, also known as Dee's garage.	Steve and Ralph, doing some touch up.	Dee, STILL sanding!!
Andy and Steve, starting box #4.	Steve, Ralph and Andy, assembling.	Time to call in the big guns -- Susan arrives to supervise!
Susan, putting the final touch on -- drainage holes in the bottom. Notice the stack of completed owl boxes behind her to the left.	Delivering the owl boxes to Maria Zondervan, Senior Land Resource Planner at the St. Johns River Water Management District	Sarah Linney and Dee made the last two boxes, proving that it is safe to give Dee pointy tools after all.
The big day is here: Installation! By the time Dee arrived* 4 boxes had already been installed, and the folks from the St. John's Water Management District were just finishing up this one. *Special thanks to Sam and Karl for letting Dee slip out of work for the afternoon.	The barn that will be torn down. Although we didn't see any owls in this barn, there was plenty of evidence that they have been hanging out there (droppings, pellets, little tiny Mouse-Head beer bottles smashed on the ground)	Part of the team who installed the boxes, from L-R: Teddy Spann and Gian Basili from the St. John's Water Management District, and Brice Merritt, an intern who did much of the prep work, including mounting and painting the boxes. Not shown is Maria Zondervan who was instrumental in organizing this.