Great horned owls may help homeowners with rodent control
By Brooke Kinebrew
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CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, California (KSBW) — Carmel Owls, a nonprofit organization, is installing platforms for great horned owls across the Monterey Peninsula to help homeowners address rodent problems naturally.
“A lot of people have problems with rats eating their car wiring harnesses, which are soy-based, since 2015,” said Paul Falworth, chief owl officer of Carmel Owls.
The group completed the second phase of its installations, putting up eight platforms last week and another eight this week.
They aim to install 35 platforms this year, each designed to last about 30 years.
Great horned owls begin searching for nesting spots in December-January, with nesting season starting in February.
Owl families can consume about seven rodents a night for two to three months.
“It’s returning to natural predation, trying to get rid of rodenticides, which has a lot of secondary kill when you spread poison in your backyard, obviously, dogs and cats and other raptors,” Falworth said.
Volunteers build and install the platforms for free, but only about one in 10 applicants qualify for installation. Robb Talbott, a property owner who had a platform installed last week, said rodents have caused significant damage to equipment and problems around his home for years.
“The bird will do the rest, so we don’t poison the environment. I’ve never used poison to kill gophers,” Talbott said. “We’re hoping for our family to come when the season chooses, to help us. Until then, we trap every single day.”
Stevenson School recently had a platform installed next to its new science building, providing students with an opportunity to observe the owls from the third floor for educational purposes.
“We never know if a mating pair of owls are going to find a nest and actually inhabit it. But, if they do, I’m all ready to put up a cam and have it livestreamed and have people from wherever they are, they can keep track of the owls,” said Andrew Czerny, a science teacher at Stevenson School.
Carmel Owls said they hope to see owls move into the platforms by next April, though it could take a year or two.
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