Eco Tawny Owl Nest Box

Tawny owls traditionally nest in holes in trees and old crow nests but readily take to nest boxes where natural sites are lacking.  Some studies have found that they prefer to nest in nestboxes compared to natural sites when given the choice. Our Eco Tawny Owl Nest Box is purpose made for tawny owls from hybrid materials - combining the best properties of recycled plastic and wood to provide a long lasting, comfortable box for a pair of owls to raise a brood.

The box consists of a weatherproof outer shell made from UV stabilised 100% recycled plastic with a design life of 20+ years. Inside the outer shell is a wooden nest chamber to provide the ideal environment for owls to nest in. The outer shell has been precision cut and uses an ingenious system of tabs to hold it together. This further extends the lifespan ensuring that there are no fixings holding the weatherproof shell together that could rust or degrade over time. Internally there is a removable wooden nesting chamber with drainage holes for the birds to nest in. This is constructed from FSC Certified Oriented Strand Board, which is made from flakes of wood waste or from saplings thinned from forests to make space for larger trees. If you need to check or clean the box it is simply a case of twisting the fastening at the bottom and the wooden nesting chamber slides out.

The Eco Tawny Owl Nest Box is designed and manufactured in the UK. The outer shell is made from recycled board which is itself made from discarded bale wrap, fertiliser bags and other plastic waste, gathered mostly from farms across the UK.

Where to site your Tawny Owl nestbox

With an estimated 50,000 pairs, Tawny Owls are the UK's most abundant species of owl. They can be found across England, Wales and most of Scotland and may nest in almost any wooded or partially wooded area including gardens and parks in towns and cities.

The best spot for putting up a tawny owl box is on a large deciduous tree in a coppice or wood. Tawny owls don’t like being disturbed so its best to site the nestbox in a relatively secluded spot ideally in the woodland rather than on the fringes. Tawny owl boxes are best sited at least 3m high with branches nearby for the chicks to exercise from when fledging. To protect the nest from heavy rain face the box away from prevailing winds (usually west/south west in the UK) and ideally out of full sun, although this generally isn’t a problem if they are sited within a woodland.

Tawny owls do not build a nest inside the box, but research has shown that placing a layer of loose dry woodchips or shredded bark in the base of the box before the breeding season starts may encourage nesting. Tawny owls breed comparatively early with egg laying usually starting between early March and late May