The nesting of a long-eared owl in urban Belarus is so rare that ornithologists doubted the fact until the last moment. According to APB-BirdLife Belarus (public association), in the second half of January, owls were hatching while street temperatures hit minus 30 Celcius. Even now, the weather is hardly warm. Alongside severe frosts, the hatchlings have been vulnerable to ravens, hawks and cats.
Baby owls were born several months earlier in the year, so their appearance is a true miracle. Volunteers are monitoring the nest to ensure the safety of the young birds.
According to Ruslan Shaikin, a specialist with APB-BirdLife Belarus Public Association, such cases have been observed in Russia but this is the first in Europe. Our changing climate may be responsible for the anomaly, as various natural processes are being disturbed.
