° Generally thought to mate for life, eastern screech owls - or ESO's - move to a nesting habitat once a year to raise their brood, sometimes returning to the same location each year. They like and tolerate suburban areas in addition to other woodlands, probably due to the relative lower number of predators, old trees, and available food and water sources. They do not make their own nests, instead using tree cavities, hollows, and fortunately for us, man-made nest boxes. They keep the nest very tidy and typically remove leftover food sources such as insects, rodents, small snakes, frogs, lizards, and common birds that may be larger than themselves. In central TX, most screech owls are Gray Morph as opposed to Red Morph, easily recognizable by the color. They live somewhat solitary lives except to raise a brood together and as they are nocturnal, usually they are quite difficult to find in dense trees and foliage. ESO's do not typically screech or hoot, their common calls are more of a trill and whinny sound, each with specific purposes. Screech sounds are rare and usually defensive against attack.The males are smaller than the females, while their markings are mostly the same.

° During the winter roosting season, the males may visit one or two possible nesting locations for the female to choose from. In early spring she lays 2 - 4 eggs, 1 every day or so in March / April / May. After incubating for about 26 days, they hatch in the order of their appearance and remain in the nest for about 31 days to grow to near full adult size. The owlets fledge and the entire family leaves the nest, roosting once again in the area trees and foliage. As the owlets can not fly until taught, when they fledge they either hop flop to a nearby branch or jump / fall to the ground. They learn quickly, give 'em space.The owlets have to learn to fly and hunt with the parents for a month or more, then they are on their own to go start their own family next season and establish their own habitat area.

° Once the female has laid her eggs, she rarely leaves the owl house, often sitting up in the opening to sun herself while resting throughout the day when not on her eggs. The male is almost always resting during the day very close by, hiding in a tree, ready to defend the nest. He brings her food at night and when the owlets are born, both parents hunt at night to feed the fast growing owlets. Never feed the owls or bait them. A water source nearby is a good idea.

° ESO's may roost in an owl house briefly at any time of year as they move around in different habitats and establish territories. They may bring food into it for short periods to keep it from invaders. Larger prey may be cached for a day or more, then removed when finished.

° ESO's are fairly small - robin size - and predators include larger owls, hawks, eagles etc. Many common yard birds will harass the owls, as they are not happy to see a predator in their midst. Squirrels, snakes, and other critters may attempt to take owl eggs.

° ESO's typically rest / roost during the day and hunt at night beginning at sunset. They are silent, agile, fast flying creatures with incredible eyesight and a wingspan of up to 2 feet. Their huge yellow eyes do not move, but their heads can swivel almost all the way around. They can change their appearance by making themselves skinny to hide up against a tree trunk or can puff up big to look intimidating, especially when resting. They typically live most of their long lives below the tree canopy to avoid predators, hunt in the air or on the ground, and generally fly low in the tree canopy.

° ESO's are very territorial, which means you're more likely to have owls take up residence if there is ample distance between your owl house and the nearest other owl house.

° House installation and location: mount the owl house at least 10' above the ground to a suitable tree with a vertical trunk larger than 6" diameter. Face it any direction, a bit tricky here as many storms come from the north but our typical hot summer wind is from the south. Our previous owl treehouses faced west and our current one faces north. Make sure it is mounted solid and not tilted. The owls need a clear flight path and sightlines, so no branches directly in front of it. Ideally no branches immediately near it, either, as that helps keep the predators and annoying others (I'm talking about you, squirrels, titmouse and blue jays) from getting easy access. Open ground area below and in front of the house is good as it makes for good hunting and exposes predators. Get a pro to install it. Houses with round or rectangular openings, sloped roofs, drain holes in the bottom, etc, are all good features. No perch as predators would use it.  Avoid outdoor lighting in the area around the owl house.

° You do not necessarily need to clean out the owl house each season since they keep it pretty tidy inside, but every other year or so isn't a bad idea just to remove the buildup at the bottom. Do add about 1" deep fresh wood shavings as nesting material each fall if you do not clean it out - not mulch or other stuff that will decompose quickly. Dried leaves work great, too. Do not paint or stain the inside, a rough surface is good so they can climb in and out. I cut horizontal grooves inside mine to help them get a grip and am adding a strip of oak bark for the same purpose.

° Squirrels. . . there does not seem to be much we can do about squirrels raiding or even taking over owl houses, more so during the year when there are no owls in the house. Some have had success with adding squirrel baffels above and below the house, assuming the house is too far to jump to from a nearby branch. They do fear the owls, which helps.