This picture reveals the motion sensors that will be sandwiched between the cedar wood box and the facade of fake barnwood. All eight of the owl boxes will have infrared (IR) beam-break sensor across the entrance. This should provide a reliable record of all ins-and-outs by parents and fledglings. And it will provide a time-stamped record of when particular owls like to sit in the entrance. If we want to glimpse an owl with our own eyes then this record will tell us when to show up and look for them.
I will also attempt a passive infrared sensor (PIR) motion sensor facing outward from just below the entrance. This long-shot last-minute addtion was inspired by Megan’s trailcam photo of an adult carrying a fish toward a nest. If we can trigger a camera module that is mounted on the ground and facing up toward the nest box, triggered by owls flying toward the entrance, then maybe we can capture a record of prey that they are carrying with their feet. This is a wild new idea, no promises, but I think it’s worth a try.
A PIR on the front would never work with woodpeckers or parrots because those species quickly demolish anything and everything that they find visually interesting near the nest. But maybe owls and kestrels will leave it alone. The beam-break sensors are encased in aluminum tubes that should protect them from aggressively curious birds.
