Shhhhhhh!!... wake me up when others go to sleep...
A short post on how close wildlife can be to our city homes without being noticed.
Through a close friend, I managed to find a couple of Eurasian Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo)... less than five minutes from the very centre of Zaragoza!!!
Of course the location isn't going to be revealed in order to avoid disturbing these awesome predators, but I couldn't resist showing you all these beauties.
You might find strange to know that animals like these do in fact live so close to urban environmets, but in the end it's just a matter of following nature's first rule: if there's food and no harasment, plus enough places to hide, virtually any animal can find spots like these perfect to live in, specially birds.
In the area where these two owls live in there's plenty of food (rats, rabbits, mice, reptiles, crows, ducks,...), proof of it is that the day I first saw them, a hen Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was perched less than twenty metres away from one of the owls (I guess they both were unawared of each other's presence for they are true rivals and more than once owls prey on falcons). Yes!, another top predator near home!!
"I know my presence is quite evident, but it's very easy to spot me on a picture where I'm the center of it! I dare you to find me in real life!!!"
Eagle Owl population is increasing, good news for us, but let's not forget that not so long ago, authorities payed for the limbs of killed owls (among with other predator's) and they were seen as rivals for hunters and farmers. Fortunately things are changing, specially on the view hunters and farmers have on nature nowadays.
On late January, owls start to fix their boundaries through their famous "hoo-hoo-hooooo" cry. If you have the chance of listening to their cry on a cold winter night, you are never going to forget it. Few sounds have the power to transport our souls to atavistic places, and this is one of them.
I have a special weakness for these birds, hated and feared by other nocturnal species and certainly foes of diurnal raptors. I have seen a Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) attacking a huge owl hen wothout serious consecuences and I could feel the great amount of hate displayed by both species, similar to the one we can see between hyenas and lions on the wildlife documentaries.
I found this video on Youtube, also posted from Spain. I don't place other people's stuff on this blog, but this scene reminds me so much of what I saw that day (and it is such a great captured moment, by the way -hats off-) that I couldn't find a better way to explain myself. Watch how the owl displays an act in order to look bigger and stronger before the lightning speed attack.
Great vid. Congratulations!
But let's go back to our couple of friends: there they were, resting on their safe and hidden places, waiting for the right moment to stretch their limbs and start searching for any animal smaller than them and turn it into a nice meal.
Who could tell thet behind those lovely looks hides a mercyless killer...
... or behind those sleepy eyes!!
We are about to enter our old friend the Old Cold Winter, a hard time for any wild animal. I can't wait to visit these wonders again and, let's knock on wood, confirm that they are still the kings of this area, at least the night time ones!
Thanks for reading!!!
PD: very special thanks to my friend Eduardo for showing me such wonders. Great guy and great bird lover!!!
