Supporting raptors with nest boxes and platforms

Just this week, the dailyish posted this thread: https://permies.com/t/207474/wildlife/attract-birds-prey-backyards

Most people think about providing food, but a quick search supported my big concern, which is that many birds of prey lack suitable nesting spots to be successful in city, urban, and manicured rural areas.

This is totally an area where humans can help out with a little research and effort to identify potential tenants and provide attractive housing for cheep rent. In fact, I prefer the "free housing in return for help rendered" approach. I've talked to several owls about managing the bunny and squirrel populations on my land. They tend to be more into rats and mice, but I can't really complain about that!

So here is a site with some basic nest box info: https://theraptortrust.org/bird-resources/bird-facts/nest-boxes/

This site gives a list of breeds of owls that will nest in a box: https://70birds.com/bird-species/raptors/

For our science geeks, this site has links to studies done around the world that show that properly designed housing can support local raptor populations:
https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/488

So does anyone have specific plans/instructions for building boxes or platforms for identified species of raptors?  Have any of you done this, and was it successful?
Pictures would be wonderful!

Luckily, my area has a fair bit of standing dead wood, and a few years ago, we had a pair of Great Horned Owls fledge a pair of youngsters and watching them grow up was a pleasure and a privilege.  

I may be wrong though I feel that nest boxes would be best built for the raptors that frequent a person's area.

Here are some I found on Pinterest:

I am not sure what kinds of birds would like this nest though it looks easy:


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Barn Owl


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Barred Owl


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Anne Miller wrote:

I may be wrong though I feel that nest boxes would be best built for the raptors that frequent a person's area.

Absolutely! More than that, you want to consider which raptors you want to encourage. We have Barred Owls in our area, but they tend to harass other raptors, so I wouldn't build nest boxes for them. We also have Great Horned Owls, and I would try to support their re-population efforts, as well as Screech Owls, as they're struggling.

It's hard to tell how large the platform nest is in the photo you posted, but I read this, "The Bald Eagle's nest is the largest of any bird in North America — on average 1.5 to 2 m across and about 1 m tall. Long-established nests can be much larger (observers recorded one that was 3 m across and 6 m tall), because the occupants add new materials to the basic structure of branches and twigs each season."
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From the ground, it can be deceptive just how huge our local eagles build. Even the wildlife cams organizations have set up in spots, doesn't really give one a feeling for the size of the birds or the nests. If one were to decide to build a nest platform hoping to attract a nesting pair, I'd try hard not to under engineer it!

Anne Miller wrote:

I am not sure what kinds of birds would like this nest though it looks easy:


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Those are ospreys.  Artificial platforms work well for them because they like to build right in the tops of trees so they don't mind the exposed aspect, whereas a lot of other raptors like to build a bit further down into the crown.  However, ospreys are entirely fish-eating so not likely to be very helpful for vermin control!

One species that has done very well in recent years in urban parts of the UK is the peregrine falcon, which has made a great recovery from a few decades ago when they were suffering from the effects of now-banned pesticides.  Their natural nest site is cliffs, so they are very happy on ledges of churches and tower blocks.  Like ospreys, they are also popular subjects for live-stream nest cameras!

The only raptors we have where we live now are buzzards (or vultures).  I am not sure which though I call them buzzards.

Since we have so many the other raptors might be less likely to frequent my area.

We need the buzzards because this is a hunter's paradise country and there are many hunter's dump sites.

For those that might be interested in raptors, especially buzzards, they are a hawk:

There are 26 bird species in the world named buzzard, including the European honey-buzzard, lizard buzzard, forest buzzard, and long-legged buzzard. At least one buzzard species can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Buzzards are a type of hawk, specifically, buteos, and they are in the family Accipitridae. These are medium- to large-sized hawks with broad wings ideal for soaring on thermal currents.

https://www.thespruce.com/buzzards-vs-vultures-4171318

There are plenty of trees for the buzzards to roost in though I have no idea where their nests are.

For those who want to build a nest box, there is a PEP Badge Bit for that:

https://permies.com/wiki/107920/pep-animal-care/Build-nice-birdhouse-specific-species#1186053

Anne Miller wrote:The only raptors we have where we live now are buzzards (or vultures).  I am not sure which though I call them buzzards.

Since we have so many the other raptors might be less likely to frequent my area.

We need the buzzards because this is a hunter's paradise country and there are many hunter's dump sites.

For those that might be interested in raptors, especially buzzards, they are a hawk:

There are 26 bird species in the world named buzzard, including the European honey-buzzard, lizard buzzard, forest buzzard, and long-legged buzzard. At least one buzzard species can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Buzzards are a type of hawk, specifically, buteos, and they are in the family Accipitridae. These are medium- to large-sized hawks with broad wings ideal for soaring on thermal currents.

https://www.thespruce.com/buzzards-vs-vultures-4171318

There are plenty of trees for the buzzards to roost in though I have no idea where their nests are.

For those who want to build a nest box, there is a PEP Badge Bit for that:

https://permies.com/wiki/107920/pep-animal-care/Build-nice-birdhouse-specific-species#1186053

Although they may be considered raptors,  vultures are not technically birds of prey, they are scavengers, and so will not help you with predation on rodents or other critters.  You need not worry about nesting sites for them either.  I would suggest researching your local Audobon chapter where you will find plenty of knowledgeable folks who can tell you what raptors or owls are doing okay in your area and which are struggling.  The best help is for those who are struggling to keep their numbers stable.

Jay Angler wrote:Just this week, the dailyish posted this thread: https://permies.com/t/207474/wildlife/attract-birds-prey-backyards

Most people think about providing food, but a quick search supported my big concern, which is that many birds of prey lack suitable nesting spots to be successful in city, urban, and manicured rural areas.

Luckily, my area has a fair bit of standing dead wood, and a few years ago, we had a pair of Great Horned Owls fledge a pair of youngsters and watching them grow up was a pleasure and a privilege.  

As Jay points out, nesting sites are a problem in "manicured rural areas". In addition, even if you live in a very rural area, if most forest land is managed for timber or even harvested for firewood, the natural nesting sites for raptors (and other forest nesting species) are in "snags" (ie. standing dead trees).  Of course, you don't want to leave one of these where it may fall on your house or barn but, if you own land with  trees, the best course is to just leave enough dead trees standing for raptors and other cavity nesting birds to use.  In addition, these trees provide lots of necessary food in the way of insects and fungi for birds and other critters to eat! And leave them on the ground when they fall.  It isn't "messy", it is how Nature provides nutrients and hiding places for other animals like salamanders, reptiles, amphibians, and more insects.

While I am not interested in nest building for buzzards as they have plenty of dead trees to live in and I am not particularly interested in getting rid of mice, etc.  I took in a kitten for that job.

I am interested in learning more about them since I read an article several years ago.

The article that I posted the link for does say that buzzards prefer live species.

Before we moved to where we live now I witnessed a buzzard grabbing a live kitten and flying off with it.

This article is another good article about Birds of Prey and Buzzards:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_of_prey

Interesting thread on raptors, thanks all.

I have a few comments regarding nest boxes for at least the ones in my local area (Gulf Islands of BC).
In my immediate vicinity, I see or hear routinely Bald Eagles, Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks, occasionally Red-tailed hawks too.  Turkey vultures live here too in large numbers for much of the year, sometimes returning from the south as early as January or February these days. They're very secretive with nest sites, but they seem to use secluded ledges on the steep rock cliff that runs through my forested ridgetop land, well away from danger of dogs or humans.  And as was said previously, turkey vultures are not raptors.

The eagles need really big trees (Douglas-fir locally) since their nests can exceed a ton or more in weight.  The Sharp-shinned hawk that's been here a long while is presumably nesting at ground level on a rocky bald, since I see it take off when disturbed by human presence.

With the arrival here some years back of capable, aggressive and prolific Barred owls, the populations of the smaller owls have taken quite a hit. Western Screech owls were widespread but have become a rarity, as too for Saw-whet owls.  The latest increase in owl numbers has been in Great Horned owls, now with so many to be heard after dusk on winter nights that I recently recorded five individuals calling to advertise their occupancy all at the same time - two mated couples and a single male seeking a mate. They were all within just a few hundred yards of each other, as I captured their calls from outside my front door.  They will tackle any prey available including all the smaller owls, cottontails, even sick fawns and raccoons. Mostly their focus is on rodents though.

A local favourite is the Northern Pygmy owl, who despite their diminutive size, will haul away fat mice and small birds (juncos etc) grabbed near a seed feeder.  They are remarkable hunters (in daylight too) and quite fearless, even around humans.  In the case of the Pygmy owls, it seems the best way to support them is with a well-fed junco population, since they are probably the commonest species here for much of the year.  A couple of Pygmy owl boxes are waiting for me to find the right, out-of-the-way locations to be installed on trees.  Don't underestimate though, the challenge of getting any but the smallest of nest-boxes up and well positioned safely into a tree location. Take it slowly and plan which hand is going to be free to do what, especially when working on a tall ladder.

Since Great Horned owls are no doubt less common elsewhere, maybe in your area a nest site can be provided this way : Find a large deciduous tree such as a spreading maple etc (maybe multi-stemmed)  and create a shallow triangular platform supported between three of the stems.  This 'platform' is just to carry the considerable weight of branches, leaves and moss the owls themselves will bring to the platform once they discover it.  You can help start them off by putting a small amount there just to disguise the platform once completed.
If you use a wire mesh base such as 2" stucco wire attached to cable, strong wire or such along the edges, between the tree-stems, you'll need to find a way to prevent long-term damage to the tree by using stainless steel screws etc., not galvanised or plated. Otherwise you'll kill the tree eventually. It should be like a shallow saucer to support the natural materials.
The platform must be well-supported since it may be used over many seasons, and they'll bring in much material which, when wet will be a heavier load.  Needs to be installed between 15 and 45 feet up in the tree.

The Barn owl needs all the help it can get, as safe and dry nest sites are ever harder to find for them. If you live in meadow or rough pasture areas that have good populations of voles or mice, then it likely is or was Barn owl habitat, and could be so once again.  A good Barn owl nest-box design is here:
https://fraservalleyconservancy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/How-to-build-and-install-barn-owl-nest-box.pdf

The Barred owl though has been such a disaster for the survival of the smaller and less 'hungry' owl species, that I'd suggest instead focussing on good, predator-proof nest-box construction & installation solely for birds, such as the smaller owls, that really need it. Where I live, Barred owls are more or less an invasive species, out-competing all but the Great Horned, and both of them significantly reducing other types of owl.

To help raptors in your own specific area, it's better to get reliable info from local/regional or national conservancy organisations on which species are in decline and need a hand, rather than relying on a "woodworker crafts" organisation for their suggested projects.  Information too, on what actually works for the birds themselves - adults and young - has greatly improved the designs of nest boxes in recent years, so both the recommended dimensions as well as other features have changed in the past few years.  Particularly, techniques for reducing predation by larger species on smaller ones have greatly improved, with appropriate opening sizes and small baffles included to prevent access to the nestlings by predators. It's certainly worth the time to research raptors' needs, before starting cutting the wood.  
Both Audubon Society and Cornell ornithology dept. (Cornell Bird Lab? maybe..?) have excellent resources worth checking out.
Also   allaboutbirds.org

And of course, particularly for the nocturnal raptors, enjoy spending some time outside under dark skies just standing quietly to listen to what owls are in your region - you may be surprised at how many different calls can be heard.  With their phenomenal hearing and vision, they may know very well that you are present, before you know they are, so be as quiet as possible, and patient.  Winter through spring are often good times, as many owls start establishing their breeding territory quite early, and so the pair often call together to tell other individuals to space their chosen territory far enough away. None of them are looking for conflict necessarily - just looking for each to have their own space without disputes.  They already have a big enough task raising their brood, without needing additional hassle from encroachments and conflict.  

Merlin, a free bird ID app for Sound ID as well as visual identification, is a great resource that will help you know which species are living around you.
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/sound-id/

All kinds of species really benefit from big older snags and dying trees being retained and left to fall by themselves in their own good time, if they're not actually hazardous to people or property.  For wildlife a dead tree is often more valuable than a live one, and so many of them get cut down for no good reason that birds, red squirrels and a thousand other species who depend on dead/dying trees for nesting-habitat and food are getting severely depleted unnecessarily.

Hope this helps.