Pellet or poo?

A couple of years ago, I didn't even know owl pellets existed, let alone what they were.
Today, I went hunting for them.
Although I purchased a commercial owl pellet lab kit, I felt a little sheepish about spending actual cash on something that should be free for the taking for anyone who cares to look. A nature book helpfully suggested that I could find "piles of them in places where a pellet-producing bird, such as an owl, has roosted." No prob: not fifty paces from my front door is a forest preserve with numerous mature trees, and a large population of small animals and birds: a veritable owl paradise. The website for the forest preserve further assured me that both Eastern Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls are permanent and common residents of these parts.
So, today, I went to find some pellets.
I came home with a pocketful of ... er ... something.

Unless you have a barn, where mice figure regularly on the menu for local barn owls, finding owl pellets is harder than it sounds. From my earlier literary experiences, notably Winnie the Pooh, I believed that owls favored trees with holes in them. Large oak trees with solid, and conveniently perpendicular limbs are a common sight in our woods. Many boast inviting and commodious looking holes. Initially, I got very excited about finding little piles of matter under one such tree. I poked the piles hopefully with a pointed stick, eager to uncover ground animal bones, fur, eyeballs, I dunno.
The piles were quite crumbly, and they did, in fact contain copious quantities of fur.

Unhappily, the piles were made up of remarkably consistent cylindrical shapes that resembled the less crumbly, more glistening, and smellier ones scattered nearby. Upon more thoughtful consideration, I realized that in these woods, large, comfortable oak tree holes are most likely inhabited by raccoons. I further speculated that no self-respecting owl would care to share a perch with a noisy and untidy bunch of masked hoodlums. Therefore, I would have to search for my owl pellets elsewhere.
By that time, I was starting to feel a bit dispirited and cold. I examined the ground beneath some trees with fewer holes and a more upright habit. But these efforts were perfunctory. Why, I thought, was it so hard to find evidence of owls? If only I had been conducting research on the eating, not to mention drinking, habits of humans, I could produce ample evidence. Fast food and candy wrappers, and heaps upon heaps of beverage cans and broken bottles may perhaps excite some future archaeologist.

Comments

[Meg L]

umm, bad luck finding pellets. I hope you are aware that raccoon droppings carry a really bad parasite or something (blanking at the moment.) People and dogs can pick it up by poking into raccoon latrines.

[Justyna]

Yeah, thanks. I didn't handle the stuff. Just poked it with a stick. The chunk that ended up in my pocket was actually a nearly completely composted piece of bark. Washed the gloves and the jacket, just in case.

[RedMolly]

Too funny! I am now unexpectedly grateful for the store-bought owl pellet my mom showed up with at Thanksgiving.

Is it possible to build an owlhouse (like a bathouse) and attract owls to your area? Do owls fly off with wayward normally-indoors temporary-escapee cats? And have you seen the online "virtual pellet dissection" site? I'm sure I have the URL around here somewhere... yeah, here it is. http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/

(My squeamish-ish little guy loved it.)

[Justyna]

This link is super cool. Thanks!
Last year when we were at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary near Jupiter, FL, we attended an owl workshop, where they talked about building owl houses, specifically to attract barn owls. I have found this site, which has a variety of owl house building projects http://www.owlpages.com/links.php?cat=Owls-Nest+Boxes. I don't know how you'd get the owls to move in, but it might be worth a try.