For many years, Great Horned Owls have nested in the home of Nighthawks, sitting quietly in their boxed home, high in the trees. They have faced many trials and tribulations, the most recent of which being the replacement of their box. 

“The box was falling apart,” stated Mr. Rohrer, a Spanish teacher and the unofficial owl expert here at Ironwood. “The wood planks began to rot, one of the planks actually broke when an owl landed on it. We had wires on it to keep it from falling apart, and we were hoping it wouldn’t fall apart last year. It did not, thankfully.” 

But it was very close to it. According to Mr. Rohrer, a custodian by the name of Matt did a wonderful job in the replacement of the owl box. “He watches over those owls like you would not believe,” he said.

The owl box will be returning soon, just in time for the adult owls to decide whether or not to lay eggs this year. They have been hanging around the cafeteria area since their box was taken down, looking for a place to nest. Unfortunately, one of the adolescent owls from last year has passed away. “Something bit it on the wing,” Mr. Rohrer said, “The second one is doing fine, though.” 

On a lighter note, it seems the owls do not currently have official names. “I’ve heard some administrators had different names for them, but I don’t know if there’s anything specific.” said Mr. Rohrer. With that brings the fun opportunity for the students to name them instead. However, he does suggest that you keep in mind that these winged wonders are not pets, and they can be incredibly vicious when their owlets are faced with adversity.