They say good things come in small packages, and that was certainly true for one lucky wildlife enthusiast’s chance discovery in the woods of Poland.
Good Good Good reported that wildlife photographer and ornithologist Tomasz Sczansny heard an unusual sound during a walk in a forest in Upper Silesia.
To his expert ears, it was the territorial call of a male Eurasian scops owl. This was noteworthy, as the owl is very rarely seen in Poland.
He returned with a colleague to find an even more delightful discovery: the male had a girlfriend.
After capturing some distinctly not-safe-for-work footage of the pair via a thermal camera, they later found the fruits of the couple’s carnal labors. Adorable fuzzy chicks were found huddled inside the nest.
It marked the first breeding activity of the Eurasian scops owl in Poland in a century.
“The greatest joy in my life comes from observing the incredible spectacle that nature puts on for us,” Sczansny marveled in an interview with Vectra Publishing, via Good Good Good.
Weighing less than 5 ounces, the Eurasian scops owl makes even the appropriately-named Little Owl (around 6 ounces) seem, well, less little.
It has a vast natural range, with breeding populations found from Portugal to northern Mongolia. As an insectivore, it plays an important role in the ecosystem in keeping bug populations in check.
A study in Turkey, published in the journal Ornithology, observed an interesting mutualistic relationship between the birds and worm snakes. Nesting females have been observed carrying the little reptiles into their nests to help them avoid ants. Nests with worm snakes had a significantly higher fledgling success rate.
The remarkable discovery underlines how useful cameras are for tracking and safeguarding wildlife.
A species returning to an area after a long absence acts as a clarion call to enact effective local protection measures.
According to research published in the journal Land Use Policy, habitat destruction and agricultural practices are the main threats to the Eurasian scops owl.
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