The owls have left their normal habitats in search of better places to hunt. In particular, they have been observed on the south coast and in south-eastern Finland.
– In all my 25-year career, I have never seen so many owls, especially barn owls, coming into the air.
A bad year for moles in the owls’ normal habitats drives them to seek food in unusual places.
This winter, Hokkanen has received many calls from the south coast and south-east Finland. Owl sightings have come from places such as Kouvola, Hamina, Luumäe, Porvoo and Kotka.
Also, according to Birdlife Finland, Lapland’s owls, which usually live further north, have been observed in Southeastern Finland this winter more than usual.
Three urban owls
Kotka’s townspeople have recently been surprised by as many as three owls: two Lapland owls and one barred owl.
The barn owl stayed in Kotka for only a day, but one of the owls stayed in the park in the city center and the other in the Karhula district.
Many Kotka residents were worried about the owls’ well-being and feared that they would not get enough food. The worry was not in vain. The owl living in Karhula died on Wednesday.
Short-eared owl starved to death
Arto Hokkanen, the caretaker of the sacred bird nursery, says the owl died of starvation.
– We had received many worried calls from the eagles, but the owl seemed to be doing well. On Wednesday, we received a photo of the owl and got worried. The owl’s eyes and snowy face told that it was not well.
The people at the bird nursery went to look at the owl and carefully caught it with their claws and held it in their arms. The owl didn’t object at all. The bird keepers tried to give the owl liquid and meat, but to no avail. The bird died.
– It was just feathers and bones. It had exhausted its energy. I saw right away that it wouldn’t work, says Hokkanen.
The owl moved mainly in the area of \u200b\u200bthe center of Karhula, where there is nothing worse to prey on. Hokkanen says that a busy place could also stress the bird so much that it was not even able to prey.
Another barn owl continues its urban life
The owl that still lives in the core of Kotka is doing well. It hunts park mice and moles.
Arto Hokkanen, the caretaker of the sacred bird nursery, hopes that there will be enough food until the end of winter and that in the spring the owl will go in search of its own nesting ground in the quietest areas.
He also hopes that people will let the owl live and be in peace.
– If we take photos, we take pictures from far enough away.
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