Students have probably been wondering what the box is in the tree near the bird mural is. Upon closer observation, students will see several pairs of striking yellow eyes. The eyes belong to a Great Horned Owl, and the box is their nest! The owls are not very active during the day, but students can still watch them from the sidewalk. The Great Horned Owl that inhabits the box laid 2 eggs back at the beginning of the year, and two baby owlets have hatched and cohabitate the box now. It is an exciting time to keep tabs on Ironwood’s owl friends!

The owlets will fledge soon- if the owlets are fledging, that means that they are learning to fly and getting their adult feathers. Students may see them on the ground and think that the fledglings have fallen, but in reality that’s just their process of learning. The mom or dad is always nearby watching, and will attack if students approach the owlets. If students do think something is wrong, find a nearby staff member to alert them.

The owlets will stay on campus into the summer months and, perhaps, sometimes be seen into the next school year. Until then, they will feed on rodents, birds, and other small mammals. It is possible that students may find or see owl pellets which are regurgitated parts of prey items that the owl could not digest: the fur, bones, teeth, feathers, etc.

In past years, the owls have not had much luck. Their first few years at the school- they had tried to nest on a ledge near one of the stairwells. Unfortunately, this area was very close to students and overall not extremely viable for the owls.

“It was horrible,” says Chris Rohrer, a teacher here at IRHS, “We knew there was a point where we had to step in.”

The staff alerted the Tucson Wildlife Rescue and with the Rescue’s help, the staff was able to set up the box that the owls nest in today.

Last year the school needed roofers to come in and work on the school. This work was incredibly disruptive to the owls, as there were many loud noises and a stench. The owls abandoned the eggs early on, leaving them to rot. Other years the owlets were simply unlucky, which resulted in their demise. Overall the mom and dad have probably had about 20 or so successful owlets.

Although the owls can be fun to have around, they aren’t pets. Students should not go near them or approach them, these birds are raptors, a term which encompasses all birds of prey, they have extremely sharp talons and if they think that their fledglings are in danger, they will protect them fiercely. This includes trying to peek under their nest or approach fledging owlets. Also, if students are caught messing with them (i.e. throwing rocks, trying to grab them, yelling at them, etc.) those students will be in serious trouble. The birds are protected by law. Stay on the walkways, those areas are perfectly safe for both parties.

“So long as the kids are respectful, I think the owls can be an amazing learning opportunity,” says Chris Rohrer.