# Owl Upgrade



## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

After checking the various haunt-prop lists, Google, etc, I only found ONE other owl prop treatment. I decided my Golden Cedars Pet Cemetery absolutely NEEDS an owl. In fact, it was one of the first things I thought of as a prop. Here's the thread in which I will document the build as a how-to. 

The upgrade includes taking a stock-standard blow-mold plastic garden owl, used to scare away birds, and adding glowing, blinking, following eyes, along with a nice(r) paint job. Hopefully I will be able to post a few pictures later this week and share my progress.

Thanks for reading!

Galen


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## Maarkb (Jul 26, 2013)

Can't wait to see it. Are you gonna add feathers? I'm sure it will be creepy!


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## FastEddie33 (Aug 16, 2013)

Sounds cool..Can't wait to see it!!


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## halstaff (Nov 18, 2009)

Looking forward to it!


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## MapThePlanet (Nov 12, 2010)

Sounds like a solid idea!


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Feathers! I'm undecided on feathers. I was looking at a little baggie of feathers at Joann Fabrics a few nights ago and put them back. I'm thinking it may be too dark to notice the feathers on the whole body so I'll let the paint fool the eye there...but this is a Great Horned Owl, so a few accent feathers on the 'horns' may stand out.

Thanks for the encouragement. I invested a little time with my oldest son this morning working on his train layout, and that's currently in the workshop taking up space. However, I may get started on the owl tonight. Apart from feathers, if I go that route, I have all the parts I need to make this work!

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

*A good start*

Here's what I started with:










Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Next I removed the eyes and beak. I used a Dremel with a round metal cutter/grinder to cut away the base, which was molded to look like the top of an old fence post, I think. Already a vast improvement. Had to put on a leather glove just like an animal trainer. 










And here's what's left of the base. There's gotta be a use for this, also for the eyes. The beak was reinserted after I ground away a little inside the head. It was hot-glued in when I bought it and wasn't fully in place. Now it is snapped snugly without any adhesive. I think it was designed to snap in, but the way the slot was made for the beak tab, it wasn't shallow enough to allow it to lock in.










And of course all that dust became charged particles which stuck to the owl, my workbench, etc. My shop vac took care of that. This work session I also bisected a poor ping pong ball, drew in some eyes, and rigged a light in the bird to check out the following-eye effect. More on that in another post.

Galen


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## BugFreak (Oct 30, 2011)

I've been wondering what to do with one of these things that's been sitting in my garage for a while. I can't wait to see it!


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Substantial progress yesterday. Got to spend the whole day puttering in the garage, first doing some long-overdue straightening, then making an inner support for the owl-tronics.

While I am happy with how the support came together, I'm not as pleased with the brightness of the eyes and even more frustrated with where to put the prop in my yard. Once the rest of the display begins to come together (over the 2014 build season) it would fit easily on a fencepost in another part of the yard. But without a supporting cast, it just looks strange by itself AND is way too isolated in a part of the yard where nobody would walk usually, and it presents itself as a target for theft. Too far from the ToTs and the following eye effect is lost. Too close to the front door and while it is easier to protect, it is also easier to examine (spoiling the illusion) and the blinking is diminished due to ambient light.

So today I am working on a plan B. If you recall from a few posts above originally the owl came molded on a post, which I cut away. Funny thing...I plan on mounting it on a post. Found an old 4x4 timber in the wood pile out back which will make a dandy sign post for the haunt. This year I'm going to leave off the 'Golden Cedars' sign and just make it a fence post with an owl on top. This way I can place the post further from the front door, making it harder to examine close-up and hopefully letting the blinking effect shine in the dark. 

But it may mean I have to paint the owl this year, and I was beginning to think I wouldn't have to. Why spend alot of time on something that won't be seen or appreciated?

I took pictures of the innards before screwing them inside the body, and I'll post them later today.

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

*Owl Guts*

Here be the innards:



















Found a 2x2 cutoff in the scrap bucket that fit EXACTLY without trimming.  Whittled the front into a V to allow light to reach the eyes. Taped the plastic baggie which the bat-eyes circuit came in to the post, then taped the LED's to the post.

After some testing, I realized I needed to space out the LED's and add a diffuser to each. I used a plastic/wire tie from a coffee bag (never throw these away, ever!) as an adjustable spacer, then popped the ping pong balls over the LED's to diffuse the light. While this has the effect of evening out the glow behind the eyes, it does dim the light output somewhat.

The wire 'legs' on this strange insectoid critter are coat hanger wire screwed to the post with lath screws (because I had them, and because they have a wide, flat head). The wire can be bent to fit the mount, then looped and screwed to the mount, in my case, a post top.

The whole rig is screwed into the owl with two drywall screws, one through the top of his head, and another through the belly right in front. I can fit my hand inside to turn on and off the circuit, as well as slip the circuit out of the baggie to change the battery. I like the drywall screws because they are black, so if they don't get painted they'll hide better, but also they're matte finish, so they'll take paint well when I get around to repainting this guy.

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

*Next Year's Spot*

Here's a picture of the full prop set temporarily in place in NEXT year's location, with a little gremlin thrown in for fun.










That's my youngest out helping Daddy test lighting & locations. The post is a 4x4 I found out back in the scrap wood, collected somewhere from a free lumber pile. The 2x10 base is the same, discarded from a foundation pour somewhere and collected when I was making raised garden beds.

I jig-sawed a hole in the base offset to one side and nailed the post in from both sides with four galvanized nails, two on each side. It will sit flat on any surface this way. I drilled pilot holes for the nails to prevent splitting the plank.

The owl is screwed on to the post in two places, and the same wire is set into holes drilled down into the post. This way it can move some; it won't be SO rigid that it blows over, but it is well attached.

The reason I offset the post into the base plank is so that next year I can hang a sign for the "Golden Cedars Pet Cemetery" on one side of the post, and it will take the weight. The trees in the photo are the Deodar Cedar trees for which the cemetery is named.

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Oh, forgot to mention, I purchased 4, 12" galvanized nails today. I will drill 4, 3/8" holes in the base at an angle. After I pull away the mulch, I will set the plank on the ground and drive in the spikes, then recover with mulch to hide the plank. I'm only setting up Halloween night this year, so I'm not concerned with rot...yet.

The border you can see in the previous post's picture is what ate into this year's prop building time. I originally had only the round rock, but it was too hard to weed around. The edging pavers make a nice mowing strip and will really help define the display (as well as the lawn the rest of the year, but, you know, priorities, right?). Next year I plan to have a post and chain fence running just inside the pavers to keep ToT's out of the prop zone, but still let them wander through the display.

Galen


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## nimblemonkey (Aug 21, 2011)

looks good- I've thought about getting one of those owls and didnt really like the fake post base they were sitting on. I like your idea of cutting it off and mounting the owls talons to something more realistic.


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## diggerc (Feb 22, 2006)

Close-up!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: I love this idea! It looks great, and I am going to steal/borrow your idea....I may make my owl black though....not sure...but I love your idea....you can never have too many birds of prey. Your son is a cutie pie and I love those cedars....it looks like the trees have hands.


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

nimblemonkey - Exactly. It really wasn't hard to remove the fake plastic post with a motor tool. If you found a starter owl with feet that were level it would be easier to mount the feet on a standard fence post cap or straight branch, but I think the feet on an angle are nice, especially with the broken-top post I found to mount it to.

diggerC - I'm afraid you'll have to wait until closer to this year's season. I've still got the owl in my garage. In fact, I turned it on and sat with it for a while, just watching it blink. I'd say I'm pretty pathetic for doing that, but not to the crowd on this forum. Y'all understand, right?

Pumpkin5 - Thanks! Please steal/borrow away. I have NEVER seen another owl in a home haunt in person. HM at Disneyland has two in the graveyard scene, but they're far more animated (animatronic) than this guy, with necks that stretch when they hoot. An owl painted black with two lit-up eyes used as a back-lit silhouette towards the back of a display would be cool. These cedars look sad in the right lighting...hopefully they'll make a nice backdrop for the haunt.

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

*Owl + Sign = That's Just Plain Creepy!*

Here is the owl once again, but with this year's addition, a hand-painted and weathered sign for the Golden Cedars Garden Of Rest Pet Cemetery. As one teenager put it, "Okay...that's just plain creepy!!" When I heard that line, I knew it was a successful prop. Another great warm fuzzy came from an elementary aged ToT, "Mister, I like your pet cemetery".

The drawback was overly courteous parents who told their kids not to walk on the grass. Next year's prop builds will include a way to invite them up the lawn. This is important so that you get the following eye effect of the owl. Otherwise, it's just an owl on a post. Even so, the hooting soundtrack worked very well to sell the illusion. One kid even asked his Dad, from the street about 40 feet away, "Was that owl real?" Nice.

Here's the dusk image:










and a (grainy) shot closer to dark.










Also made a few monuments which I will happily document on another thread. Thanks for reading, and for the great ideas shared on this forum.

Galen


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

It definitely looks like a real owl at night and he makes for a very nice post topper, too:jol:


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## craigfly06 (May 11, 2012)

Really good job! I work at Home Depot and just moved these owls from one place to another. I thought what could I do with these?? I am not that good with electrical stuff, if you could explain that more or give directions to how to, My inept self could do the work.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:I love this thread....cutting that owl's feet out just makes it look so much more lifelike. I am definitely making one of these for this year. I have two owl statues at the coast...they are suppose to keep seagulls from sitting on your dock and pooping everywhere. Do they work?....uh....no...they don't.(hence the seagull poop all over the dock) When plastic owls don't do their job...they get turned into Halloween props (whack whack, saw, saw).


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## CrazedHaunter (Nov 18, 2012)

Ocalicreek, just wondering how hard do you think it would be to cut the head off and remount it with a servo so you can have the head turn when it blinks? My thought here is to use a controller by Halstaf and a program from ScaryLane that they put together for a CalhauntS MnT last year . It was a book that opened up randomly and had blinking LEDs for eyes. I'm thinking this could be another application for it..


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## Gallow (Mar 17, 2015)

That looks great!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

CrazedHaunter said:


> Ocalicreek, just wondering how hard do you think it would be to cut the head off and remount it with a servo so you can have the head turn when it blinks? My thought here is to use a controller by Halstaf and a program from ScaryLane that they put together for a CalhauntS MnT last year . It was a book that opened up randomly and had blinking LEDs for eyes. I'm thinking this could be another application for it..


:jol:What a great idea! Is that possible? Or impossible?


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

craigfly06 said:


> Really good job! I work at Home Depot and just moved these owls from one place to another. I thought what could I do with these?? I am not that good with electrical stuff, if you could explain that more or give directions to how to, My inept self could do the work.


Just checking the board after a while and thought I'd reply to you kind folks who have read this thread. Thanks for the kudos!

Here's the place I purchased the circuit board:

http://www.simplecircuitboards.com/HauntedHouse.html

You want the 'bat eyes' circuit.

I asked for yellow LED's and the owner was happy to make that change. I've been really please with how well the circuit works, and it wasn't that expensive. Plug n Play. The only mod I did was to put the LED's in the ping pong balls to diffuse the light.

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol:I love this thread....cutting that owl's feet out just makes it look so much more lifelike. I am definitely making one of these for this year. I have two owl statues at the coast...they are suppose to keep seagulls from sitting on your dock and pooping everywhere. Do they work?....uh....no...they don't.(hence the seagull poop all over the dock) When plastic owls don't do their job...they get turned into Halloween props (whack whack, saw, saw).


THANKS Pumpkin5! Yep, I've heard similar stories about how the owls DON'T work as they are supposed to. Whack away! My owl may never scare away birds....but I can tell you my chickens don't like it! I showed it to them when we first got it and they went NUTS! I don't think they've ever seen an owl before so it must be encoded in their genes somehow. Maybe now the prop will creep out a few more kiddos...

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

CrazedHaunter said:


> Ocalicreek, just wondering how hard do you think it would be to cut the head off and remount it with a servo so you can have the head turn when it blinks? My thought here is to use a controller by Halstaf and a program from ScaryLane that they put together for a CalhauntS MnT last year . It was a book that opened up randomly and had blinking LEDs for eyes. I'm thinking this could be another application for it..


There IS a version out there that has a head on a swivel. I think it moves when the wind blows, and looks like a bobble head. Careful placement of feathers could easily hide the gap, though you may need to feather the whole bird for continuity. I'm not familiar with the controllers you mentioned, so I couldn't say how well that would work. Sounds cool - Go for it!

Galen


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Gallow said:


> That looks great!


Thanks! Two years running and it is still effective.

Two tombstones, a sundial, and a sleeping kitty planned for this year's additions. Though tonight my son and I were scheming about using the garage for a walk-in pet cemetery experience....

Galen


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:^ Galen....isn't that all owls' real dream? To become a nightmare in some child's restless sleep??? Thank you for your instructions...so very cool.


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## Mistress Macabre (Sep 19, 2014)

Turned out great! I love this idea!


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## Daphne (Oct 18, 2006)

This is an old thread but has some great info! I've also looked for owl upgrade ideas and this is the only one I've found. This same owl, minus your awesome upgrades, is sitting on my fence outside waiting for some kind of cool mods just like this one! Thanks for sharing!


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## ocalicreek (Aug 1, 2013)

Daphne - Thanks for waking this tired old thread! I used the prop last year and the creep factor was not as great due to poor streetlight placement and a malfunction - the LED wire broke loose from the circuit board. Not a hard fix, but not something I could do on Halloween. Plus I was falling-over sick, propped up by chocolate, and had set up at a friend's house. Yikes! Scares me to think about it in hindsight. 



Unfortunately I won't be setting up this year....though maybe I'll set up just the owl...


Pull yours off that fence and get cracking! Feel free to add your owl photos to this thread, if you'd like.



Galen


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## Daphne (Oct 18, 2006)

Hope you are well this year! 

I feel you on the final hour prop crash. Both my FCG and animatronic witch have pulled that stunt on Halloween before. Ugh.

Any chance you have close-up video of your owl in action? I'd love to see the eyes working. It appears the city has upgraded the lights in the streetlights so I have concerns on several props including the owl and being able to see the eyes in action.

Thanks!


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