The Friends of Beltzville State Park are hoping to lure some special visitors to the area — and they’d like to see them stay for a while.

The group recently built and placed a barn owl nesting box in hopes of attracting the birds, said Deborah deBeauclair, a volunteer with the group.

“A member of our group who is on the board found an article in the paper about how the Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking to get barn owls back in number, since there haven’t been many in quite a few years,” she said.

In the article, the commission noted that the decline is attributed to the loss of grassland habitats where the owls hunt for small mammals as well as the loss of secure nesting sites. The commission explained that it was looking for landowners who currently have barn owls, or who have habitat that could potentially attract nesting barn owls to their properties.

The volunteers decided they would help with the initiative by building a barn owl nesting box.

DeBeauclair and Jerry Larkins, another member of the group, got to work recently to complete the project.

The volunteers then painted and hung the box on a barn near the park.

While they’re not completely convinced that owls will choose it as a nesting site, deBeaucliar said the box’s addition “certainly can’t hurt.”

She noted that the group will build more boxes for species like screech and barred owls.

Facts about barn owls from the Game Commission:

• Barn owls measure about 10 to 15 inches tall and have a wingspan of 41 to 47 inches.

• Their distinctive long heart-shaped facial disk has earned this owl the moniker of “monkey-faced owl.”

• They make hissing or scream-like vocalizations.

• Barn owls are found in agricultural fields, grasslands and other open areas. They tend to avoid forested landscapes, primarily because they hunt for food in open, grassland habitats.

• They commonly nest in barns as well as silos, abandoned buildings and artificial nest boxes. They have also been known to nest in cavities of large dead trees, rock crevices and even burrows in riverbanks.

• A family of barn owls can consume up to 3,000 rodents during the course of the breeding season.