"Winemaking is a delicate and millennia-old craft. To achieve a desirable product, vintners have to pay close attention to soil, rain, heat, and sunlight. Mice and gophers are other problems that vintners often turn to rodenticides to solve. In a bid to provide a more natural solution, a team of students at Humboldt State University in California is testing the efficacy of a centuries-old practice: using owls to hunt pesky rodents."
Scientists have developed a new noise-reducing material based on how owls fly silently - this owl-inspired invention could make cars, planes, and buildings much quieter in the future.
The deaths of four Spotted Eagle Owls (Bubo africanus) in Keurboom Park highlight the deadly impact of rat poison and the urgent need for safer, non-toxic alternatives.
GREENSIDE – Newly installed signs on Gleneagles Road hope to encourage residents and motorists to be aware of owl activity.
Owlproject.org brought International Owl Day to Thembisa schools, sparking joy and awareness. We are proud to support this colourful celebration of owls!
I can't believe that it is nearing the end of June and this is the first official newsletter of the year. 2021 is definitely flying by!
"Fuelled by various myths and superstitions, the nocturnal bird is illegally trafficked in thousands during Diwali." Owls have sustained a vivid presence in folklore, myths, and legends. However, their interesting intellect and persona also make them at risk of superstitious rituals, in turn making them prone to poaching and illicit trafficking.
Owls and kestrels are being employed as agricultural pest controllers in the Middle East.
Valentine’s Day is well-timed for some of the first courtship displays of the early breeders — owls. Even with snow in the branches and blanketing the ground, hearts are all aflutter, and focused on bringing another generation into being.
An owl and her owners have returned to the Giant's Causeway to thank National Trust staff and local people who helped reunite them. Patricia O'Callaghan and Terry Turkington were holidaying on the north coast two weeks ago when their beloved barn owl Arya escaped.
"The rock icon once bit the head off a live bat on stage - but these days he is taking a more sympathetic view towards the animals."
The Parkhurst suburb of Gauteng is aiming to become the first rodenticide free suburb in South Africa. This will be achieved through a combination of commitment from Parkhurst residents, owl boxes, environmental design, humane rat traps and EcoSolutions' rodent flashers. EcoSolutions Urban Ecology is very proud to be a part of this initiative.
"Above and belowground, perennial crops including wheat, grasses, trees, and more provide habitat and nutrition to creatures that help make ecosystems whole."
Aspen Hills Nature Estate has been playing the role of surrogate parents to 5 Barn Owls.
As rodent numbers increase, so do poison sales. Turns out that ridding the cities and towns of rats may be contributing to harming most of the predators that feed on them.
Poultry farmers will have to prove their competency in handling rat poison, following the introduction of a new generation of products coming to market later this year. It is already acknowledged that resistance in rat populations is growing, and in some areas none of the existing poisons authorised for outdoor use are working
"How shop-bought rodenticides could be threatening Australia’s powerful owl – video Such encounters are fortunately rare. “It is kind of a double-edged sword. If someone cares about something, they are more likely to take steps to protect it,” Isaac says. “It is good that people care about them, but we do have to limit our impact to the environment that they’re relying on, and also try not to cause those shifts in behaviour.”
Owls are helping winemakers stay away from pesticides.
