Owlets at Silverwood. (Steven Lacey)
“I only want to make life easier for the owls,” said longtime Silver Lake area resident, Steven Lacey.
Passionate about the wildlife in Silverwood Park, he has taken a particular interest in the population of great horned owls that reside in the park. Lacey, who spends his weekends strolling Silverwood photographing the wildlife, says he has become an unofficial spokesperson for the owls.
On several occasions, Lacey has taken it upon himself to try to improve the living conditions of the owls that reside in the park. Lacey says he feels a responsibility to do whatever he can to keep the owls in there. “Anything I can do to make life a little easier for them, I’d like to do.”
When Lacey started photographing the owls regularly five years ago, he found that the elusive animals brought him purpose. “They’re just beautiful,” he said as he recalled the inspiration behind his owl enthusiasm. He was not sure what it was in particular that drew him to the birds, but he knows that they’ve impacted him in a deep way.
There has been a small population of owls in the park for almost two decades according to Lacey and park representatives and their presence is welcomed by the community. Sought after by enthusiastic bird watchers and leisurely park-goers alike, the owls have become an attraction and an unofficial symbol of the park.
Great horned owls do not build their own nests, often settling into old crow, squirrel or hawk nests. In the case of the Silverwood Park owls, this fall, they are taking up residence in a hollowed-out oak tree to prepare for winter. In the past, Silverwood has had nest boxes for owls, ensuring that they are protected from the harsh Minnesota winters.
Pictures taken this year by Lacey show the man-made owl nests in a state of disrepair, with the bottom of the box appearing to be falling off of the structure, leaving the owls more exposed to the elements.
Lacey has requested new nest boxes be built three times, and his proposals were rejected. Recently, he gathered support from a Minnesota Boy Scouts troop who offered to build and fund the new owl nests. This, too, was denied by the park.
In the opinion of Lacey and other community members, while the owls may not require man-made nests to survive, their installation can make life easier for the owls by providing a partially enclosed environment for the colder months and provide adequate protection from predators. In the eyes of Lacey’s community, the man-made nests are a small investment in the long term to encourage a safe and familiar environment for these unique animals that will help ensure they continue to nest in the park.
According to Alyssa Baguss, art and environmental regional supervisor at Silverwood Park, the question of where to live boils down to the needs and habits of the owls themselves. They make their own decisions.
The nesting boxes were not installed by the Three Rivers Park District, but were built by the Salvation Army, which owned the land before Three Rivers. The park district’s conservation experts, who guide all decision making in terms of wildlife, have concluded the owls don’t need nest boxes. Three Rivers Park has elected to take down aging and damaged owl boxes and has chosen to not replace them.
This is largely because great horned owls nest fine without the boxes. According to Baguss, the owls in Silverwood Park often opt for an oak tree cavity rather than the nesting boxes. She further noted that the boxes are not an inherently safer nesting area for the owls than any of their natural habitats.
Three Rivers Park District does assist in creating safer nesting habitats for species of birds under threat; however, great horned owls do not fall under that classification.
Baguss and Three Rivers welcome the public interest in the owls and encourage all questions and concerns about these and other creatures in the park. She emphasized that the owls are in great care under the supervision of the Three Rivers Park District and their conservationists.
An owl in a nesting box. (Steven Lacey)