Owl boxes installed at Janes Island State Park

Response to owls nesting on nearby condominium balcony in Crisfield

Maryland Park Service
Posted 12/7/21

CRISFIELD — Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff joined Janes Island park rangers recently to install three barn owl nesting boxes.

This effort to provide suitable nesting sites …

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Owl boxes installed at Janes Island State Park

Response to owls nesting on nearby condominium balcony in Crisfield

Posted

CRISFIELD — Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff joined Janes Island park rangers recently to install three barn owl nesting boxes.

This effort to provide suitable nesting sites in the area was in response to a situation in Crisfield where barn owls were nesting on the balcony of an unoccupied condominium.

Janes Island State Park Manager Christina Carlson was contacted to assist with the rescue and removal of one of the animals that had been injured. In an effort to reduce the potential of future conflicts with local residents and this beneficial bird of prey, the park submitted a conservation project to provide alternate nesting sites for the owls.

Despite the species’ widespread distribution across the state, barn owl occurrences have declined dramatically in Maryland.

The boxes were constructed by one of Janes Island State Park’s skilled volunteers, Camp Host David Clark, using specifications provided by Chris Snow, stewardship coordinator for DNR’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service. Staff identified suitable locations outside of the wildland to erect the boxes.

Best care practices were used to minimize impacts to flora and fauna and ensure the protection of sensitive species and habitats.

For information on volunteering or getting involved in conservation projects at Janes Island State Park, call the park at 410-968-1565 or email the volunteer coordinator, Ranger Mark Herring, at mark.herring@maryland.gov.

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