My Owl Box Experience
I thought my MOT crunching friends might get a laugh from this. If nothing else it shows just how dumb I can be. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

After watching Molly and McGee at the Owl Box for the last couple of months, I decided to install an owl box of my own. I figured the project would take 6-8 hours plus drying time for the concrete. I live in perfect owl habitat; 50% Oak forest and 50% grassy meadow infested with mice, rats, voles, pocket gophers and rabbits. Owl heaven. I did some research and ordered an owl box from “The Owl Box Factory” ($175) and a telescoping mast from “S & K Manufacturing” ($80). I made “the” trip to Home Depot for concrete and the miscellaneous “stuff” necessary to complete the project ($60). The box was delayed due to a glitch so I installed the anchor and mast. The owl box arrived. It was supposed to weigh 20 lbs. Had I actually read the footnote I would have found out this is for the model that flush-mounts to the inside/outside side of a barn. The pole-mounted version is 30 lbs. as it is a box within a box to create a convection current to cool the inside box. Ooops! Also after installing the heavy-gauge steel plate on the bottom of the box, the adapter plate and a pipe flange, it’s now around 40 lbs. Ooops! I look at the spec’s for the mast I bought; “Maximum Capacity 25 lbs”. Ooops! No worries, in a flash I am back at Home Depot for 2”, 1 ½”, and 1” galvanized pipe ($130) and spend the rest of the day fabricating a telescoping mast that will survive a Force 5 tornado. Now it is painfully obvious that I have TWO problems. First the mast/box assembly is now in excess of 135 lbs and is way too heavy for the anchor I built. Second, I can barely lift the damn thing off the ground much less raise it 17’ in the air. Ooops! No worries, I spend the evening designing a new anchor system where I can swivel it 90 degrees to the upright position and lock it with a pin. Next morning I am back at Home Depot (did I mention it is a 25 mile round trip?) for a 6x6 post, 300 lbs of concrete, longer bolts, etc ($70) and finish the day digging a 3’ deep hole which is no small task in my heavy clay soil. Next morning I finish the anchor and attach the mast to it. In my “younger days” I could have “walked” the assembly up to its upright position, held it in place one hand and driven in the locking pin with my other hand. In my “old age” I find I can’t raise the damn thing more that 35 degrees from horizontal!!! At this point any “sane person” would just call a friend and two people could have easily finished the task. But not me ... I am on a mission ...that sucker is going up ... AND ... I have a truck with a 20K lb Warn winch on it!!! I get out the truck and attach the winch to the top of the mast. I carefully align it. I push the button ... there is a sizzling sound ... there is black smoke ... there is the smell of burning electronics. After 30 years the control box of the old Warn winch is fried. I spend the rest of the day removing and disassembling the control box and figuring out what I need to fix it. I’m back to Home Depot the next morning for parts ($35). When I get home a neighbor up the road drops by and together we easily raise the mast and lock it in place. EUREKA ... project complete!!! I spend the rest of the day fixing the winch.

In retrospect, for the time, effort and money I spent on this project, I could have BOUGHT a Barn Owl, put her up in a hotel and allowed her to order rats and rabbits from room service. If I am able to attract a mated pair next spring it will all be worth it though ... at least I think it will be.

Cheers! Crunch on MOT!

My Owl Box Experience
I thought my MOT crunching friends might get a laugh from this. If nothing else it shows just how dumb I can be. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

After watching Molly and McGee at the Owl Box for the last couple of months, I decided to install an owl box of my own. I figured the project would take 6-8 hours plus drying time for the concrete. I live in perfect owl habitat; 50% Oak forest and 50% grassy meadow infested with mice, rats, voles, pocket gophers and rabbits. Owl heaven. I did some research and ordered an owl box from “The Owl Box Factory” ($175) and a telescoping mast from “S & K Manufacturing” ($80). I made “the” trip to Home Depot for concrete and the miscellaneous “stuff” necessary to complete the project ($60). The box was delayed due to a glitch so I installed the anchor and mast. The owl box arrived. It was supposed to weigh 20 lbs. Had I actually read the footnote I would have found out this is for the model that flush-mounts to the inside/outside side of a barn. The pole-mounted version is 30 lbs. as it is a box within a box to create a convection current to cool the inside box. Ooops! Also after installing the heavy-gauge steel plate on the bottom of the box, the adapter plate and a pipe flange, it’s now around 40 lbs. Ooops! I look at the spec’s for the mast I bought; “Maximum Capacity 25 lbs”. Ooops! No worries, in a flash I am back at Home Depot for 2”, 1 ½”, and 1” galvanized pipe ($130) and spend the rest of the day fabricating a telescoping mast that will survive a Force 5 tornado. Now it is painfully obvious that I have TWO problems. First the mast/box assembly is now in excess of 135 lbs and is way too heavy for the anchor I built. Second, I can barely lift the damn thing off the ground much less raise it 17’ in the air. Ooops! No worries, I spend the evening designing a new anchor system where I can swivel it 90 degrees to the upright position and lock it with a pin. Next morning I am back at Home Depot (did I mention it is a 25 mile round trip?) for a 6x6 post, 300 lbs of concrete, longer bolts, etc ($70) and finish the day digging a 3’ deep hole which is no small task in my heavy clay soil. Next morning I finish the anchor and attach the mast to it. In my “younger days” I could have “walked” the assembly up to its upright position, held it in place one hand and driven in the locking pin with my other hand. In my “old age” I find I can’t raise the damn thing more that 35 degrees from horizontal!!! At this point any “sane person” would just call a friend and two people could have easily finished the task. But not me ... I am on a mission ...that sucker is going up ... AND ... I have a truck with a 20K lb Warn winch on it!!! I get out the truck and attach the winch to the top of the mast. I carefully align it. I push the button ... there is a sizzling sound ... there is black smoke ... there is the smell of burning electronics. After 30 years the control box of the old Warn winch is fried. I spend the rest of the day removing and disassembling the control box and figuring out what I need to fix it. I’m back to Home Depot the next morning for parts ($35). When I get home a neighbor up the road drops by and together we easily raise the mast and lock it in place. EUREKA ... project complete!!! I spend the rest of the day fixing the winch.

In retrospect, for the time, effort and money I spent on this project, I could have BOUGHT a Barn Owl, put her up in a hotel and allowed her to order rats and rabbits from room service. If I am able to attract a mated pair next spring it will all be worth it though ... at least I think it will be.

Cheers! Crunch on MOT!

Well, it was something to talk about...