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Now, let me get this straight, Andrew: A Saw Whet Owl hit your window while you were watching bass fishing on TV -- and now you want to attract even MORE owls? If I were you, I would discourage owls from visiting me, at least until I got some stickers and/or curtains up on that window so that future owls won't crash into it, too. Of course, I ask a thousand pardons if you've already done this, Andrew, but I feel it's my duty to speak up for us owls -- even if the species that you mentioned, the tiny Saw Whet, happens to be one of my favorite midnight snacks! By the way, what became of the Saw Whet Owl that hit your window? Was it killed or seriously injured? I ask because, in both cases, you should report it to your local bird club or Audubon group. As authors Patricia and Clay Sutton put it in "How to Spot an Owl," "Even a dead Owl is significant and, depending on when you find it, adds to an understanding of the owl's dispersal, winter range or breeding territory." They also point out that road-killed owls (and no doubt window-killed owls, too) are often welcomed by nature centers and universities for various educational purposes. Plus, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would appreciate knowing if your Saw Whet accident victim was banded. (Then again, the crash victim may have flown off stunned but otherwise uninjured -- but even in this case, I'm sure a local bird group would appreciate hearing of your close encounter of the raptorial kind.) I'm sorry, what was your question again, Andrew? (Tee-hee!) Oh, yes, as for attracting owls, you need a natural-looking yard suffering from a little benign neglect. Quite frankly, we owls are turned off by manicured lawns, mainly because they're typically not very rodent-friendly. Again in the words of the authors of "How to Spot an Owl," such places are just "green deserts" to the likes of us. No, give us some undergrowth, if you please, a few evergreens, perhaps, and a little water feature for the odd bath -- and whatever you do, don't cart away some big old oak tree or whatever just because it's dead. A Screech Owl, in particular, could make a nice home in that, especially after a woodpecker has had a go at the bark. As for the establishment of multiple nest boxes, it might help, provided that they are far enough apart so that territorial disputes won't develop after more than one of them is occupied. Finally, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm sure we all would enjoy visiting you more often if you were to put something up on those windows of yours so we'll know that they're there! Ouch! I can't believe I'm saying this, but, "Oh, that poor Saw Whet!"
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