Another day in the city. There’s traffic and noise and only one driver who knows how to drive on the roads this morning – you. Pretty much the same as every morning.
With holidays around the corner, it seems to get more frantic as the break approaches. For our city dwelling Spotted Eagle owls (bubo africanus), it’s just as frenetic.
It’s flat out with hungry chicks and family matters. It’s spotted eagle owl breeding season!
For EcoSolutions, it’s climbing trees and ringing owlets in our occupied owl boxes. This season alone, we have placed rings on over 50 young owls and logged their details into both our and the Avian Demography Unit’s database. Ringing young owls is a crucial component in our conservation effort.
The information we receive is invaluable and gives insight into the dispersal of young owls in urban centres and the routes they take.
Ring recoveries also provide information on survival rates and help us to learn more about the complexities of traffic and noise and cars and drivers (you excluded) for city living owls and their young.
Ring recoveries provide so much data to us. It is for this reason that we ask everyone, if you do find an owl or an owlet with a ring on it, please give EcoSolutions a call.
Our contact number can be found on our website at www.ecosolutions.co.za. We are fully permitted to respond and collect immediately.
‘Spotted’ an owl in your community? Email your photos to the editor at ashtynm@caxton.co.za
Also check out:
#GivingAHoot: ‘Can an owl really turn its head 360 degrees?’
