On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 05:16:08 GMT, "amjordan" wrote:


B.Server wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 05:34:10 GMT, "amjordan" wrote:
[...]
Aaaah ... no gophers in Austin? Really? Hm, interesting. Well, I grew up in
Weatherford, Texas, where we had gophers out the wazoo. (Maybe it was the
clay soil there? I once stood in our back yard and watched an entire
sunflower plant being slowly pulled underground!) I started hanging around
this newsgroup when I was living in Arlington, TX -- granted, it wasn't
Austin, but I couldn't find a good local gardening group and Arlington
shared many issues with Austin.

Now I'm in northern California, and once again living on clay soil that is
inundated with gophers! I posted to this group because I have often found
solutions to my problems from the good and knowledgeable people here ...
sorry if I offended anyone! At any rate, if anyone is interested, I found
the solution to my problem (I think) online yesterday at
http://members.tripod.com/Tommy51/aboutbarnowls.html (Using Barn Owls for
Rodent Control). Amazingly enough, barn owls are apparently very willing to
move in to just about any habitat you create for them that is remotely
appropriate, and they are also very willing to take care of your rodent
problems! And here in Sonoma County, there are quite a few barn owls
already. So I intend to put up some nesting boxes and encourage the
feathered ones to come be our new tenants! LOL! Hopefully that will take
care of the problem.

thanks,
jordan


I hope that works. We had a pair of barnowls who hunted our utility
easement for mice and rats for a couple of years. Haven't heard them
for a while, but there are some other species whose "hoot" I do not
recognise that have moved in. Nicer when they have a nesting box that
you know about because they are one of the most interesting looking
owls (IMO) that you will ever see. We only were aware of them from
the calls and an occasional large, silent, object swooping past. No
idea where they nested.

Here it may just be "the soil", or rather the absence of same over
much of the area. Excepting drainage bottoms and the blackland to the
east, there is not very good deep digging for burrowing rodents.
Maybe those who live along the Colorado or off the escarpment have
them. Or it might be that none are born with and urge to burrow in
brick.

Oh, and I was not suggesting to not post, only that we might not be
able to help. Sort of like the folks who assume that aus means
Australia and post questions from that perspective.

cheers