Barn owls take up residence at Full Circle Farm

Jason Strawbridge didn't want to follow the flock in making his Eagle Scout project. Another toolshed or bench was not what he wanted to build--he was looking for a challenge.

Lucky for him, then, that three rehabilitated barn owls needed somewhere to sleep. Jason built three owl boxes from scratch, installed them at Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, then watched during the evening of Aug. 26 as the three owls were released at the farm by volunteers from the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley.

"Seeing the boxes installed and the owls set free, it feels great to know all that hard work is going to a good cause," said Jason, 17, a senior at Homestead High School and member of Boy Scout Troop 30. "I hope that the owls actually do use them."

Although there's no way to guarantee the owls will utilize Jason's work--once freed, there's no way to keep them on the farm--farm staffers and WCSV volunteers are optimistic the boxes will be a success.

"Barn owls love open space, where they can fly low for their prey," said Jackie Turner, a wildlife center volunteer who helped rehabilitate the owls. "Full Circle is a perfect location, and the boxes are just terrific."

Full Circle, an 11-acre educational farm at 1055 Dunford Way, wanted the owls as sort of natural exterminators for a rodent problem. Farm staffers put up Jason's boxes hoping they would attract wild owls, and contacted the wildlife in case any injured owls came in and could be

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Turner and the center came across the barn owls a few months ago when their nest fell from a tree and the four fledglings were injured. One of the siblings didn't make it, but after a few weeks of rehab the other three owls were ready for release.

Normally, when owls are rehabilitated and released, they have to be let out in the same area where they were found so they can recognize their surroundings, Turner said. Because these particular owls were only about 2 months old when found, volunteers could find a suitable environment for them anywhere.

That's when they contacted Full Circle. The farm had originally asked the Boy Scouts of America if any of their Scouts wanted to undertake the owl boxes as an Eagle Scout project, and Jason jumped on it. He spent five weekends at the Sawdust Shop in Sunnyvale building the boxes, then another five weekends at the farm installing them.

"We had to dig out sections of dirt for the boxes, then we had to put in these long bolts to hold them up," Jason said. "And the bolts had to be perfectly aligned to get the boxes to stay in the right position. They boxes had to be perfect all the way through. It was tough."

If the owls stick around, they'll have plenty of chances to hunt on the farm. Full Circle staffers are especially hoping the birds can take care of their gopher problem, as gophers and owls are both nocturnal.

Jason is just excited to see his work in action.

"People can put up a shed or a bench, but I felt like there was a purpose to this project," Strawbridge said. "It will be neat to go by the farm and say, 'Hey, I built those, and they're actually being used.' "