By Chris Artuso Owls of the World Owls as biological pest control… and peace makers! I am posting this with permission of Dr. Motti Charter of the University of Haifa and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. This is his photo of 7 Barn Owl nestlings in Israel with a fascinating story. When I was invited to attend a conference in Israel in 2012, I learnt a great deal about a variety of conservation-related topics. One of the stories I heard from the great Yoshi Leshem is worth sharing in this group and in keeping with our theme of conservation. I have already touched on the theme of the use of owls as biological controls in previous posts (a far superior alternative to rodenticides). This particular project has been ongoing in Israel since 2002 and has included the placement of well over 3,000 nesting boxes in agricultural areas. These boxes have been widely accepted by Barn Owls and lead to good breeding success. This project is enjoying great success in conserving owls and reducing various problems caused by rodents. It has also achieved a more cultural form of success. Israeli and Jordanian ornithologists have joined forces for this project across a troubled border. Barn Owls were banded in both Israel and Jordan and this lead to the discovery of a mated pair using one of the project’s boxes with a male Barn Owl from Israel (born/banded there) and a female Barn Owl from Jordan (born/banded there). This pair fledged seven young (shown here in the photo). The joke at the conference was that half the young were Jewish and half Muslim (although with seven, I am not quite sure how that works) but the most important message was how these charismatic birds had forged strong partnerships and sharing; acting in a way as peacemakers in a region of turmoil. Here are two videos from the British Broadcasting Commission and El Arabia that tell a little more of the story. https://youtube/watch?v=GM8qWpXhVpw https://youtube/watch?v=Of_zLzwpbUI
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 20:20:44 +0000
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