HAENERTSBURG – The couple rented in the village while renovating their new home overlooking the arboretum, also in the village. Not only did they renovate their home to include three stylish double en suite bedrooms called Art Gallery B&B but their home is next to a vacant piece of land. This stand was once the Haenertsburg Hotel. No one knows what happened to the hotel but the original owner of Joe’s home, the late Dan Symonds, apparently still had memorabilia from the hotel, like the swing doors and brass lanterns. However, even with the most persistent journalistic wiles, it was no longer possible to unlock the elderly man’s mind.
While renting, the Langlois couple visited and were fascinated by a raptor’s sanctuary in Dullstroom that houses damaged birds. Joe has always lived in areas where there are lots of birds, like Kariba in Zimbabwe, and he’s always been interested in raptors.
Two English men were selling owl box kits for R300 each, designed for spotted eagle owls and as the couple had heard and seen the village owls, they decided to buy an owl box. The old Haenertsburg Hotel stand has a large sawn-off blue gum stump which made an ideal nesting site.
The owl box was placed in a north facing position on the stump as storms don’t come from the north. A north facing position also protects the sun from getting into the mouth of the box and Joe had to create at least three clear flight paths as owls have to be able to get to and from the nest from three different angles. The advantage of this box is that the owls fly to the old jacaranda tree first, then into the box.
“This old jacaranda is clearly seen from my stoep and I’ve also created clear flight paths for the owls by cutting down branches. The owls also fly into the next-door-neighbour’s palm tree and from there to the jacaranda, when that happens that tells me they’re coming to examine the box. This always happens between September and October.
“All the owls do in that box is breed and then they leave. Owls mate for life and in the first year there were two chicks, one chick in the second year and one chick last year. That blue gum stump is ideal as the box is too small for the entire family but the ledge affords extra perching space. The female owl sits on the eggs during the day for about six weeks and the male comes in just before dark. After he comes in the female flies out to hunt for shrews and insects ensuring the eggs are protected arount the clock. Once the owlets start hatching the couple begin a serious feeding regime as they grow quickly and are ready to leave the nest in six weeks.
“When they are ready to leave the nest the owlets come to the edge of the stump, they poise as if ready to jump and eventually they do pluck up the courage, jump and fly away. All the while the parents protect the owlets and jump with them,” Joe said.
He explained the owlets don’t return after that but the parents do for the next breeding season. Joe has seen the parents hand over entire shrews to the owlets. In the first year, Joe put straw in the box but he soon realised the owls bring in their own ‘owl mattresses’. As the box is several years old the wood has begun to warp but Joe plans to replace it soon so the owl couple can breed their owlets in peace on the old blue gum stump.
