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Spring is just around the corner – of the nest box
DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife's annual screech owl banding
project and cleanup of owls' nesting habitat becomes a harbinger
 More than 350 nesting boxes at state wildlife areas throughout Delaware are amidst their annual spring cleaning by DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife staff. Perched high on predator-proof poles at heights from six to 30 feet above the ground or water in forested wetlands, the boxes are designed primarily for wood ducks, but also can provide perfect nesting and roosting places for screech owls. These secretive nocturnal creatures help keep nature in balance by feeding on small mammals such as mice, insects, birds, amphibians such as salamanders and frogs, and sometimes fish.
Screech owls are tiny red or gray raptors, about the size of the adult human hand. The owls seldom build their own nests, preferring instead to adopt woodpecker holes or natural cavities in large trees. Screech owls also use manufactured nesting boxes, including wood duck boxes and boxes designed especially for them. “For many years, we have been helping to provide screech owls with safe nesting and roosting areas,” said Kent County Regional Wildlife Manager Wayne Lehman, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. “The annual winter cleaning provides us with the opportunity to band roosting owls and record important data that’s used to help assess the overall health of the species. Throughout the year, we encourage the public not to open the boxes because owls will abandon their nests if disturbed by humans.”
DNREC’s screech owl banding program was initiated in 1993 to provide Delaware scientists with information on the owls’ lifespan, home range, habitat preferences, nest box loyalty and migration patterns. The banding serves as a key research tool to assess impacts to the species caused by the loss of their natural habitat through increases in land development. |
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Bridge-nesting peregrine falcon fledglings take a tumble but get helping hands toward survivalST. GEORGES (June 18, 2013) – A winning combination of citizen awareness, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service collaborated recently to rescue and subsequently return a pair of juvenile peregrine falcons to their nesting location on the St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal after they had “crash-landed” on the bridge’s roadway while attempting their first flight. Piping plover chicks hatch at Gordons PondLEWES (June 18, 2013) – On June 12, four piping plover chicks hatched from the sole nest this year at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park. Both adults were seen with the chicks that afternoon. Construction to limit access to Milton Boat Ramp June 18-19MILTON (June 14, 2013) – Access to the Milton Boat Ramp and its parking area will be limited on June 18 and 19 to allow contractors to complete a small construction project, DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife announced today. The project is expected to be complete, with full access restored, on June 20. DNREC Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Blotter: June 4-11DOVER (June 14, 2013) – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement agents between June 4 and 11 made 1,649 contacts with anglers, hunters, boaters and the general public, and responded to 38 complaints and issued 39 citations. Endangered oystercatcher chick and parents successfully relocated at Indian River InletDOVER (June 14, 2012) – On Wednesday, June 12, with the help of DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Delaware State Parks staff, supported by DelDOT’s Traffic Safety office and the Delaware State Police, a four-day old American oystercatcher chick that had hatched on June 8 on the “wrong side” of Route 1 near the Indian River Inlet Bridge was safely relocated along with its parents to the bayside of Delaware Seashore State Park. DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife announces changes in summer flounder regulationsDOVER (June 7, 2013) – Anglers catching summer flounder in Delaware waters will be able to keep smaller fish this season when regulation changes take effect on Tuesday, June 11. The changes allow anglers to keep four fish per day with a minimum size of 17 inches, with no closed season. Under the previous regulations, the minimum size for keepers was 18 inches.
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