A boreal owl has chosen us (we hope)

Posted On April 5 , 2026

On March 22nd, a couple of hours after the sun rose, I posted the first photo below on Facebook with the comment “There’s a little Boreal owl asleep in my bird feeder! This is a first.” The owl has now spent many days with us and this afternoon (April 5th), I finished installing an owl nesting box I built in the hope of making this a long-term relationship.

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The Latin name for the boreal owls found in the Yukon is Aegolius funereus richardsoni. It is also known as the Richardson’s owl, after Sir John Richardson (1787-1865), Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer.

Just after 1:00, I posted “Some days I feel blessed. This is one of those ❤ That’s 4 hours he/she has been there – now basking in the warm sun. Moving around and seems to hear something under the snow at times, so I’m hoping for hunting success soon. My day is totally disrupted – no snow shovelling out back or blowing in the front, and the dogs get taken out front for pees.” I also started posting in the Yukon Birds group about our beautiful little visitor, and it was quickly confirmed how special this was.

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That afternoon, after the owl had been there for over 6 hours, I started to feel like we’d been adopted, and that deeply pleased me. The next photo shows what I still termed “he/she” was on the ground right where his/her focus had been a while before. A successful hunt had been made, a vole was under his belly, and it was time for a nap, at a place that was silent and safe.

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After the nap, the owl left with he vole, but returned a few minutes later. I began researching boreal owls, starting with the Sibley’s Guide on my desk.

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The male and female boreal owls are identical, but females are up to 50% larger. Seeing only one makes that not very useful, but from the sizes given in Sibley’s, I was fairly certain now that this was a male. I named him “Al” – his full name being “Borry Al Owl” 🙂

As night neared, Al went under the roof of the firewood shelter and perched on a vertical pole. He left sometime during the night, but the next morning (March 23rd), he returned at about 9:00. By now I was very glad that I don’t have to buy film anymore! 🙂

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He spent the day with us again, then left during the night sometime. He didn’t return on the 24th, but to make up for that, a moose spent about 25 minutes browsing along our driveway that evening – I spooked her when I got home from a meeting about 9:45. A flowering bush that had been 10 feet tall before the moose started visiting is now 2 feet high.

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The next morning (the 25th), I was very pleased to see moose tracks completely circling the large bee garden, with the willows no doubt being eaten, before heading off through the forest to a neighbour’s. All the pricey new shrubs have tents over them, doubly protected by deep snow, but the Mayday tree, which wasn’t protected, was completely gone 🙁

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The owl then left for a few days, and I finally decided that our wonderful experience was over. But at about 09:00 on the 30th, he returned! 🙂

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The temperature hit -27°C/-17°F that morning, and when it came around he warmed up in the sun for a while, but by 1:00 he was in the shade of the firewood shelter.

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Here’s a broad view of where he spends his time. He didn’t return on March 31st, so I used that break to clean up, including cleaning the snow out from the empty firewood shelter, partly in the hope of improving hunting for him. This was shot on the morning of April 1st – he was back sitting on the feeder.

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For Al’s April 1st visit, he chose a higher location on the roof of the feeder and he was much more active. This was the first time I had seen him grooming.

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The new perch allowed me to get an accurate measurement of his height. I went out with a ruler a few minutes ago to measure that height – it’s exactly 5 inches (12.7 cm).

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As I dug deeper and deeper into the world of boreal owls, I discovered that they easily accept nesting boxes, and that the spruce forest at the edge of my large bee garden would be a perfect location. I found an excellent set of plans at the Cornell Lab’s Nest Box website, and on April 2nd went into town to get the wood and other things I’d need.

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I was in for a couple of shocks. First, the required 1×12 pine costs $69.95 for an 8-foot length. Ten feet are needed, so two pieces – one box would cost about $160! No, I can’t do that. Luckily, I looked further and found 1×12 laminated pine for $29.99 per 8-foot piece. Laminated is not the preferred option but it was either laminated or nothing. Three pieces would allow me to build two boxes, so that’s what I bought.

The next problem was when I looked at the 3-page set of plans and instructions and was completely unable to process what was needed. I’ve been back to finding it very difficult to read or write the past few weeks, and that finished me off. I went out to shovel more snow…

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At around 1:30 I decided that if I just took it slow, one step at a time, I could do it – if it took 3 days it didn’t matter. It was a beautiful day to work on the driveway to start – the temperature was about 0C. One of the members of the Yukon Birds group asked me to document the process, so I took photos of the significant steps.

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It felt good to fire the saw up – it has cut a whole lot of wood for me over the past couple of decades. After the first cut, I set up the extension table so I could work there – it wasn’t nearly as warm as out in the sun, though!

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The plans call for the sides and floor to be 9 5/8″ wide, so I trimmed the plank for those 3 pieces. I suggest, though, that you only cut the sides at this point – cut the floor last, once you have the box assembled, as the wood thickness and variations in the cuts will determine the exact size you need.

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Cutting the sides for the sloped roof. I found that the table saw did everything I needed, so didn’t set up the radial arm saw.

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The plans say if you can’t cut a 3×4″ oval hole, a 3″ round one will suffice. I found the oval easy to cut by drilling two 2″ holes then using a jig saw to create the oval. An 80-grit sanding belt is great for cleaning it up.

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Add a perch inside the box, 2″ below the hole.

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With the box just propped together, I was pleased with the way it was coming along, but it was just after 9 pm – I’d finish it and hopefully get it mounted the next day.

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Drilling for the screws the next morning. The plans recommend using construction adhesive on all joints as well, and some caulking. Boreal owls can be very sensitive to such materials, though, so I chose not to – I felt guilty enough about using laminated wood.

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A 5-inch-high hinged panel on one side will make annual cleanup much easier.

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Installing the back is next.

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Now you can you cut the floor. Nip off each corner to allow any water that might get in to drain.

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With the box now assembled, the hinged panel will no doubt need some trimming so it opens easily. I found the little plane to be most useful, but sandpaper or a knife will also do the job. If a lot of material needs to come off, remove the panel and cut it on the saw – it will be quicker in the long run.

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The final step before installing the roof is to add a couple of inches of wood chips. I finally found a fairly small bag in the 4th store I tried – Walmart.

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Basically finished. As I write this very early on April 4th, I haven’t figured out the installation yet. Both getting through 30 inches of snow to the tree and going about 12 feet up a ladder are going to be challenges…

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I got started on digging a trail to the tree that seemed most appropriate for the nesting box, then looked back at the firewood shelter. The bow in the main beam which I’d hadn’t seen before meant it may well collapse as the snow got heavier.

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Clearing that roof became Job 1. I had to snowshoe to the far corner, but the roof is now clear and the bow in the beam is gone. When things settle I’ll add a support post in the middle of that beam as I did on the front side a few years ago.

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This time of year, as well as the big jobs, there are also drainage issues to deal with.

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Back to the trail – the snow is 30 inches deep and the tree was about 50 feet away. The temperature hit +7C/45F – it was wonderful being out in the sun for 4 hours or so…

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Just before 5 pm I reached the tree. I brought the stepladder out and sawed off the lower branches, then the 10-foot extension ladder to continue up and finally – hopefully – install the box. Tomorrow…

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April 5 – it finally occurred to me this morning what the key to solo installation of the box would be. Drive a strong nail into the tree (with an upward slant) where the upper hanging-screw hole is, and then hang the box on it. With that done, a heavy screw in the lower hole secured it well.

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And there it is. The hole is just over 13 feet from the ground. Now we just wait. What boreal owl will be able to resist such lodging? Fingers crossed.

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I bought lumber for two boxes, and have a perfect tree out towards the barn for the second one.