NEWS

august 13, 2021

There has been an alarming number of possibly poisoned owls this year. As we await test results for several possible cases, we wanted to make sure to share with you our guide for 7 Steps To Non-Toxic Rodent Control. There are many simple and safe steps that can be taken to deter rodents from your property.

If you come across an injured or struggling wild animal please contact your local wildlife hospital immediately. If you find animal remains with no obvious injury, please let All About Owls know, and we can help you get in touch with CA Fish and Wildlife to arrange for possible rodenticide exposure testing.

Please email us at learnallaboutowls@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Check out our 7 Steps handout!

july 27, 2021

FLEDGED! The foster baby from early July has left her nesting box. This young Barn Owl was found after she had fallen from an older nesting box that was placed very high, making it dangerous to return her to the nesting box- we didn’t want her to jump out again! Luckily she had no injuries, so she was placed in one of our extra nest boxes in Novato, and volunteers dropped off food nightly until she was old enough to fledge. Our volunteers will continue to drop off food on the nesting box nightly until she is hunting well on her own, just as wild owls do for their young.

july 16, 2021

New foster owlet alert!

We received a call about a week ago for a 5 week old Barn Owl that had fallen out of a nest box in Novato. The box was older and placed very high up, so it was not possible to climb to and return the owl. Luckily the owlet had no injuries, so we are able to foster her in our extra nesting box close by.

A height of 9-12 feet is just right for owl nesting boxes. This allows the box to be accessed for cleaning and any possible rescue and is a safer fall for young owls learning how to fly.

june 21, 2021

We have a sad development from the story of our young Barn Owls from the Booneville hay shipment in early May. All four of the owls fledged from the nest box safely in late May and were spotted coming by the box nightly to pick up food. Unfortunately, a neighbor found two young Barn Owls drowned in their swimming pool just a few days ago. Upon examination, we could confirm they were the owls we had been fostering. Their weight and body conditions were good, and there were no obvious injuries, so all signs point to them doing well up until falling into the pool. We can guess that a gust of wind or a scare from another animal sent them toppling down. Even though the pool was very small and hidden away from the nest box, it poses a threat to wildlife.

So, what can we learn from this unfortunate event? Swimming pools are a danger to many types of wildlife, and covering your pool when it is not in use is a simple step that can protect wildlife and provides other benefits like saving energy and keeping your pool clean.

If it is not feasible to cover your pool daily, you may consider adding several FrogLog critter-saving escape ramps to your pool. Shop here: https://froglog.us/

These simple devices give all sorts of animals a ramp out of the pool, in case they can’t get themselves out. There are so many simple ways to help protect our native wildlife from human-related dangers. You can always reach out to All About Owls for advice on any wildlife concerns.

may 12, 2021

We are excited to help foster our first set of Barn Owl babies for the 2021 season!

Bird Rescue Center received a call about several owlets being found in a hay bale shipment all the way in Booneville! Without knowing where their nest and parents are located, it was not possible to return the owlets to their original nesting site.

The owlets arrived at BRC and received a thorough examination. All About Owls was then contacted to help with ‘hacking out’ the babies. Hacking out refers to placing the owlets in a safe nesting box where the babies can grow up in the wild, so they have the best chance for a successful release. Before placing the owlets in a hack box, AAO placed federal bands on each chick’s leg so we can learn more about Barn Owls and what location they may end up at in the future.

Our AAO volunteers will place food in the nesting box each night, and we can monitor the owlets growing up by watching them on camera! When the owls are ready to fledge, we remove the screen window from the box, and off they go! The juvenile owls will continue to return to the box for several weeks as they become independent, so we continue to offer food during this period.

Did you know you can check in on the owlets live at any time on our website? Just follow the link to see the babies growing up: https://allaboutowls.org/live-owl-cams/

april 15, 2021

THANK YOU! We had a wonderful response to our float.org fundraiser, selling 138 shirts and raising $1104 for our education and rescue work! Can’t wait to see everyone’s new gear!

april 5, 2021

ONE WEEK ONLY! Purchase any All About Owls item on www.float.org/aao before April 11th, and AAO receives an $8 donation. These tees and sweatshirts are so soft and comfortable, sure to be one of your new favorite things to wear!

march 3, 2021

Coming soon! Our new vineyard-style Barn Owl boxes are being built right now. These nesting boxes improve upon our standard box design by giving the owlets more space to really stretch their wings, and giving you plenty of room to add in a Nest camera if you want to watch the action! Contact us at learnallaboutowls@gmail.com for more info, and to get on the waiting list.

january 14, 2021

Another setback for the Spotted Owl population. This species would have more protections if it was properly listed as “endangered” instead of its current lesser designation of “threatened”. The Center for Biological Diversity is leading a legal challenge to change the Spotted Owls designation. More information is available here

january 3, 2021

Story courtesy of our partners- Raptor Are The Solution (RATS):

AB 1788 goes into effect in California on Jan. 1, 2021. The bill, which will greatly curb the use of deadly second generation anticoagulants, was carried by Asemblymember Richard Bloom and sponsored by RATS, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

december 23, 2020

December 15, 2020

Dreaming of an owl nesting box, but you don’t live on a large property? Consider a Screech Owl box!

Screech Owl nesting boxes can work well in suburban neighborhoods where a large Barn Owl box isn’t a good fit. Screech Owls are found throughout the Bay Area and have a soft, pleasant call. Plus, they are efficient at catching small rodents and insects around your property! Boxes are priced at $150 each. This size box is also a good fit for Saw-whet Owls and American Kestrels.
For more information, and a free email consultation, email us at learnallaboutowls@gmail.com

October 27, 2020

Whooo’s filming an educational presentation at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County? Why it’s our resident owls, Buho (Western Screech Owl) and Gazeau (Great Horned Owl).

We are trying out new ways to continue to educate the community about the owls in our neighborhood and be safe in these current times. Fun video coming soon!

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Friendly reminder that your owl nesting box should get an annual cleaning and inspection in October or November.

Boxes that have been occupied, but not cleaned, are at risk of overheating or becoming so heavy they fall. Don’t let this happen to the owlets in your life!

Email us today if you need advice or cleaning tips!

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

From our friends at Raptors are the Solution (RATS): Today, CA Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1788 into law! This bill will curb the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides while the Dept. of Pesticide Regulation reevaluates these dangerous products. Thank you to assembly member Richard Bloom, for your years of dedication to this issue, and thanks to everyone who called, wrote, tweeted or otherwise helped get this bill across the finish line!

Photo credit: Walter Keenan

August 19, 2020

The two young Barn Owls from the Vallejo palm tree fledged (left the nesting box) over a week ago, and are still being spotted nearby! In the wild, the parents would continue to feed the fledgling owls for a period of time afterwards, until they were ready to be independent. Our dedicated volunteers continue to drop off food on the box each night to mimic what the parent owls would do.

August 6, 2020

In Memoriam

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague. Brad Marsh, our fellow champion for raptors, passed away on Monday August 3rd.

Brad was a gentle giant of a man with a warm and embracing spirit who worked tirelessly with steadfast focus to help injured and orphaned raptors make their way back to the wild.

We were privileged to have partnered with Brad closely on this journey throughout the years. He never stopped honing the thoroughness, the mindfulness and the competence with which he cared for the birds, and his resolute will in doing so was indomitable.

Photos by Star Dewar

Quite simply, Brad made this a better world for the birds; the ripples he created in moving through life stretch skyward.

We will miss you sorely, Brad. The birds and the entirety of our wildlife conservation community will feel your absence profoundly.

May flights of eagles carry you to your rest.

August 4, 2020

THANK YOU! We had an amazing response to our t-shirt fundraiser, selling 84 shirts and raising over $600! All proceeds support our education and conservation work right here in the Bay Area.

We hope everyone enjoys their new All About Owls apparel! We can’t wait to get our new shirts as well. Thank you for supporting our non-profit!

August 2, 2020

Remember the pair of young Barn Owls that fell from the palm tree as it was pruned? They are getting bigger each day and will be ready to fledge soon! While we are glad these two will live the wild life they deserve, this ordeal was a reminder that tree trimming should only be done in October and November, when birds are not nesting.

July 27, 2020

ONE WEEK ONLY! You can support our non-profit’s education and rescue efforts and receive a great looking shirt or sweatshirt. Every item sold includes an $8 donation to All About Owls!

Please share with your family and friends!

July 21, 2020

Plan your tree trimming for October and November! This is the time of year birds are least likely to be nesting.

There was a hidden Barn Owl nest in this palm tree in Vallejo. Pruning the tree frightened two young Barn Owls, causing them to fall to the ground. All About Owls was contacted, and the owlets received an exam at WildCare, where they were in good health. With the nest completely gone, the owls were placed in one of our Novato hack boxes. These owlets are estimated at 5-6 weeks old, and would of still been fed by their parents for the next 6+ weeks.

While in the hack box, one of our dedicated volunteers will discreetly drop off food daily, so the owls do not associate people with food. While we are happy to help these owls return to the wild, it is disappointing that the owls were put in this position. Please consider sharing this information with your friends and neighbors- tree trimming is a fall activity. Thank you for your support!

july 13, 2020

We have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to cancel The Owl Festival for 2020. The safety of our staff, volunteers and supporters is our number one concern.

We hope to hold The Owl Festival in Spring 2021, and will keep you updated once we can have a safe event.

We will be filming an educational presentation with our ambassador owls to share with you virtually soon! Stay up to date by following our Facebook page, or signing up for our email list!

Email us at learnallaboutowls@gmail.com for more info.

june 29, 2020

This baby bird season has been a busy one, and All About Owls has been involved in many orphaned raptor cases.

These pictures are of our most recent adventure- young Cooper’s Hawks!

Alex Godbe, AAO Director, and our amazing AAO volunteers constructed a custom Hack box for 3 Cooper’s Hawks that cannot be returned to their original nests. One hawk is from WildCare in San Rafael and two are from Lindsay Wildlife in Walnut Creek. The Cooper’s Hawks are being cared for in their new Hack box in the North Bay and will be released at this location once they are old enough to be on their own in the wild. AAO volunteers will be discreetly dropping off food for them until they can hunt on their own. The cost of materials for the box was paid for by WildCare. AAO is seeking donations for an additional freezer to hold the many frozen mice these 3 hawks will consume during their stay. We are proud to partner with WildCare and other local rehabilitation hospitals every spring and summer to help with raptor rescues and reunites.

Thank you for your consideration in donating to our non-profit’s rescue efforts!

may 5, 2020

We have an exciting development in our story from yesterday!

You may remember the Barn Owl box from earlier this year with 5 eggs. Unfortunately it became obvious that the eggs were unviable, as they should of hatched quite some time ago. Sadly these things do happen, though hard to say why. Once we received the foster Barn Owl a few days ago, we thought it may be a win-win situation to pair the owlet with the expectant parents. Once the parents left to hunt at dusk, a quick exchange was made- eggs were confirmed as unviable, and the owlet was placed in the box.

The first two nights the adult owls stopped by, but did not enter the box. On these nights one of our amazing volunteers discreetly dropped off food for the owlet.

Last night our hopes became reality- Dad stopped by with a meal and baby accepted it! Pairing the young owl with a set of wild parents will give baby the best chance of being successful in the wild. It also gives this adult pair of Barn Owls experience caring for a baby, and hopefully they will have success with their next clutch of eggs. We couldn’t be happier to see this match work out!

may 4, 2020

This fluffy little Barn Owl has lived quite an exciting life already! Estimated to be about 4 weeks old, this owlet was found on a hay bale of a hay delivery truck. Even though he or she is physically in good shape, we don’t know where this owl’s nest may be, making it impossible to return them to their original home. After a checkup and bill of clean health at WildCare San Rafael, All About Owls stepped in to place the young owl in a hack box in Novato. The property chosen has several active Barn Owl boxes nearby, so we hope this little one can learn to be a wild owl through observation.

In the meantime, our dedicated volunteers will be discreetly placing food in the box daily for the owl to eat, and monitoring his or her growth from our trusty camera.

Being able to help owls thrive in the wild, and educate the public about our wild neighbors in the process, is the very heart of what we do!

April 8, 2020

Remember the pair of Barn Owls nesting in our Novato box? Here’s a great video of the female having a quick meal this morning, of what looks to be a juvenile rat! Barn Owls have a unique style of eating- often swallowing their prey whole, then later coughing up a pellet of all the undigestible parts like fur and bones. These pellets are a great way for scientists to see what owls are eating in the wild!

Owls play an important role in the wild- natural rodent control. Did you know a family of nesting Barn Owls can consume 3,000 rodents in a 4 month nesting cycle? We are thankful to have their excellent rodent-catching skills in our Bay Area neighborhoods!

february 26, 2020

Save the date! Our annual summer event, The Owl Festival, will again be at Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma on Sunday, August 23rd. More details coming soon!

february 18, 2020

Check out this fun video from one of our Barn Owl boxes in Novato! Barn Owls in the North Bay are scouting out potential nesting sites now. Fingers crossed for nesting owls in this box within the next few weeks!

january 13, 2020

Lovely weather, kids enjoying nature, and owls… what more could you ask for? We had a wonderful turnout at the Christmas Bird Count for Kids. Here’s a few pictures from our presentation. Thanks to all who attended!