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2 great-horned owlets peer over their nest made of sticks and leaves.
While his box is being cleaned and repaired, this sleepy adult barn owl waits patiently to be returned to his home.
An adult western screech owl.
Baby barn owls have heart-shaped faces and downy feathers.
Juvenile great-horned owls that have left the nest but not yet fledged are called branchers. These two young owls are learning to balance and stay up high in the tree.
A female adult great-horned owl sits waiting for nightfall so she can begin her search for food.
A adult great-horned owl roosting high up in a eucalyptus tree in Napa.
Great-horned owl babies stay with their parents for nine months. This juvenile still has a lot of fluffy downy feathers but some of her adult flight feathers have come in on her wings.
This adult burrowing owl nests and roost in burrows underground. They do most of their hunting at dusk and dawn.
Perfectly spaced grape vines stretch for miles as you head north through the Napa Valley. Weaving up and over hills of blooming bright yellow mustard, the vineyards are vast and sprawling.
On close inspection, you will see large boxes perched on top of 12-foot posts peppered among the rows. The boxes are rectangular in shape and have a small oval opening near the top. These specialized homes have been designed and built to house and protect nesting and roosting barn owls.
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Strikingly marked, barn owls have a heart-shaped face made up of tiny feathers and black front-facing eyes. Hunting at night and by ear, these magnificent raptors are equipped with a stealth-like ability to pinpoint the exact location of their prey in complete darkness.
During the day, the owls hide away in their cozy boxes slumbering and digesting the previous night’s catch.
During the breeding season, barn owls usually have between three to nine chicks in one brood. The boxed cavity is a perfect place to raise those hungry owlets. The box keeps them safe while they grow and prepare to fly and fledge.
A single owl can eat 50 pounds of rodents in just one year, making this an effective and environmentally friendly source of rodent control in and around the grapevines. Providing boxes for barn owls is also a sustainable and green alternative to using rodenticides to manage unwanted rodents.
In addition to the barn owls, there is another silent nocturnal hunter residing here in Napa, the great-horned owl. But great horned owls are not cavity nesters and prefer to raise their young in old hawk and crow nests made of leaves and sticks.
Great horned owls are extremely powerful and fierce and have large sharp talons for catching unexpecting prey. They have a wingspan of four to five feet, weigh roughly three pounds, and stand 17 to 25 inches tall.
Most people are familiar with the low soft “hoot-hoot” vocalization of a great horned owl. But many may be surprised to learn that they also make barking, hissing, and beak snapping sounds as well. Camouflage-colored feathers help to keep these large raptors hidden among the tree branches during daylight hours. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a sleepy great horned owl perched high up on a branch in a eucalyptus tree.
Napa County and the surrounding area is home to 10 different species of owls according to Murray Berner, a North Bay Area field ornithologist, an instructor at the Napa Valley College, and co-author of “Breeding Birds of Napa County.” The list of 10 includes not only barn and great horned owls but also, western screech, northern pygmy, saw-whet, burrowing, and short-eared owls. There have even been a few sightings of the barred, spotted, and flammulated owls.
“Most of our Napa owl populations are thriving and doing well,” Berner said. “But there has been a small decline due to the recent fires, habitat loss, and fragmentation.”
There are 234 species of owls found all over the world, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These mysterious birds live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in almost every habitat, including coniferous forests, grasslands, the tundra, deserts, the tropics, and the arctic. All owls have a rounded head, forward-facing eyes, and a sharp, short, and hooked beak for ripping prey. Their vision in low light is exceptional and they can turn their heads 270 degrees around. A soft coating of velvet covers the top of their feathers. These specialized feathers allow for near-silent flight while hunting and enables the owls to catch prey undetected.
Owls have always been considered enigmatic creatures, featured prominently in the myths, legends, and folklore of many different cultures around the world. It is widely known that these secretive birds are symbols of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and truth and have long been revered as the bringers of good fortune and protection. The mysterious and covert behavior of these magical creatures has kept people fascinated, curious, and intrigued for centuries.
Despite their important role in agriculture, the environment, and culture, owl populations in general, have declined. One in three owl species around the world is endangered or threatened due to habitat loss, logging, climate change, insecticides, rodenticides, fragmentation, and human encroachment.
Burrowing owls, another local species here in Napa County, are considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be a "bird of conservation concern." These small underground dwellers benefit us by eating snakes, rodents, and insects. The greatest threat to the burrowing owls is habitat destruction and degradation caused by land development and pesticide use.
It is important to understand how valuable owls are at maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Owls are considered to be a natural and effective pest control manager, and they help prevent the spread of disease that rodents carry in urban areas. We can help protect owls by providing them with nesting boxes, finding alternatives to rodenticides and pesticides, supporting land use standards, natural open space planning and habitat stewardship.
Whether you are the birdiest of birders or just beginning your bird-seeking adventures, spotting an owl is always a rare and special treat. The Napa Valley is bursting with opportunities to see not just owls but so many other raptors, songbirds, and shorebirds. We are fortunate to live in such an amazingly beautiful place and to share our home with spectacular wildlife.
If you are interested in attending a bird walk or birding field trip visit napasolanoaudubon.com for more information.
If you are interested in information about barn owl box placement or installation, please call Wildlife Out at 707-253-1844 or visit wildlifeout.net.
To learn more about owls, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers an online course called "The Wonderful World of Owls." Register at academy.allaboutbirds.org.
A video about a Napa Wildlife Rescue's work raising and releasing two barn owls is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=68IqVvMJ6Uc&t=6s.
Baby barn owls have heart-shaped faces and downy feathers.
Great-horned owl babies stay with their parents for nine months. This juvenile still has a lot of fluffy downy feathers but some of her adult flight feathers have come in on her wings.
A female adult great-horned owl sits waiting for nightfall so she can begin her search for food.
A adult great-horned owl roosting high up in a eucalyptus tree in Napa.
An adult western screech owl.
2 great-horned owlets peer over their nest made of sticks and leaves.
While his box is being cleaned and repaired, this sleepy adult barn owl waits patiently to be returned to his home.
Juvenile great-horned owls that have left the nest but not yet fledged are called branchers. These two young owls are learning to balance and stay up high in the tree.
This adult burrowing owl nests and roost in burrows underground. They do most of their hunting at dusk and dawn.
Baby barn owls have heart-shaped faces and downy feathers.
Great-horned owl babies stay with their parents for nine months. This juvenile still has a lot of fluffy downy feathers but some of her adult flight feathers have come in on her wings.
A female adult great-horned owl sits waiting for nightfall so she can begin her search for food.
A adult great-horned owl roosting high up in a eucalyptus tree in Napa.
An adult western screech owl.
2 great-horned owlets peer over their nest made of sticks and leaves.
While his box is being cleaned and repaired, this sleepy adult barn owl waits patiently to be returned to his home.
Juvenile great-horned owls that have left the nest but not yet fledged are called branchers. These two young owls are learning to balance and stay up high in the tree.
This adult burrowing owl nests and roost in burrows underground. They do most of their hunting at dusk and dawn.
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The River Otter Ecology Project will celebrate 10 years of conservation and restoration with a gala at the Hans Fahden Winery in Calistoga May 1.
2 great-horned owlets peer over their nest made of sticks and leaves.
While his box is being cleaned and repaired, this sleepy adult barn owl waits patiently to be returned to his home.
An adult western screech owl.
Baby barn owls have heart-shaped faces and downy feathers.
Juvenile great-horned owls that have left the nest but not yet fledged are called branchers. These two young owls are learning to balance and stay up high in the tree.
A female adult great-horned owl sits waiting for nightfall so she can begin her search for food.
A adult great-horned owl roosting high up in a eucalyptus tree in Napa.
Great-horned owl babies stay with their parents for nine months. This juvenile still has a lot of fluffy downy feathers but some of her adult flight feathers have come in on her wings.
This adult burrowing owl nests and roost in burrows underground. They do most of their hunting at dusk and dawn.
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