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The vulnerable bats of Biak-na-Bato

"The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Central Luzon (DENR-CL) announced in October the arrest of four alleged wildlife poachers, who were caught with 6,200 wrinkle-lipped bats (Chaerephon plicatus) they took from Bahay Paniki Cave inside the Biak-na-Bato National Park (BNBNP) in San Miguel, Bulacan, one of the oldest protected areas (PAs) in the country."

The winds of change

Despite unresolved issues, Durban is still going ahead with its wind turbine project - slap bang in the middle of the Beachfront

Durban is getting three new wind turbines just in time for the UN climate change conference – despite the unresolved rumpus over turbine blades slicing up a major bat colony on the Bluff.

But the latest project – slap bang on the Durban beachfront – is unlikely to threaten any bats or birds. And the turbines are a lot smaller. So small, in fact, that the miniature model turbines have been installed at Minitown.

The World’s Largest Mammal Migration Is Taking Place in Zambia Right Now

''Each year, millions of straw-colored fruit bats descend on Kasanka National Park for a few months, and scientists are working to understand their mysterious journey'' - Smithsonian Magazine

Think Fast! Bats Make Decisions In Mere Milliseconds

Bats are among nature's quickest thinkers, capable of making actual split-second decisions. Using echolocation, or ultrasonic squeaks to locate prey, bats interpret the returning echo to decide when and how to attack, or even to call off the attempt — all within milliseconds, as researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered.

Thousands of bats drop dead from trees in NSW heatwave

Thousands of bats have dropped dead in the heat, falling from the trees as scorching summer conditions blasted south-eastern Australia over the weekend.

Thousands of owls are killed on Diwali annually.

"It’s a sad irony that come Diwali and while Goddess Laxmi is widely worshipped and the faithful believe that Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) enters their house on the day of Diwali, her vehicle the Owl is sacrificed in thousands that day due to occult practices. Age-old myths and superstitions surrounding owl sacrifice lead to a virtual drop in the owl population of the country."

Three baby owls discovered in box

Comaro Chronicle: Oakdene residents Dennis and Melanie Preston were absolutely amazed when the owl box they’d had put onto the side of their home six years ago, was, in fact, housing an owl and her three babies.

Three baby owls make Robin Hills their home

Randburg Sun: ROBIN HILLS – Three newborn owlets were ringed with tags on 9 October.

Three children dead after eating rat poison

An inquest docket has been registered for further investigation following the deaths of three children who died after allegedly eating rat poison.

Three dead squirrels and a packet of rat poison found nearby to a Barn Owl nestbox.

"The extent to which SGARs have contaminated small-mammal predators is shocking. The Rat Poison Rodenticide Neosorexa On Farmproportion of Barn Owls contaminated reached its highest level in 2015, an alarming 94%. The latest (2019) figure is 87%. ;"

Three Spotted Eagle Owlets in Waterkloof!

It is important to ensure your owl boxes are serviced every year before the owl breeding season. This is to ensure that the box in your tree is an owl box suitable for the female owl to lay her eggs and raise her young.
 
      
 
These beautiful pictures were sent to us from one of our owl box clients in Pretoria. We regularly receive mail and calls from despondent owl box owners who have waited years for owls without success. Very often they have purchased owl boxes from nurseries, from owl organisations or they have had one made by a well-meaning friend. The unfortunate truth is that many of these owl boxes have no possibility for owl occupation. They are not owl boxes at all. They are in reality, just a box in a tree.
 
EcoSolutions Urban Ecology visits estates and golf courses who have installed owl boxes that have zero potential of ever being an owl home. We can't guarantee that if you put up an EcoSolutions Urban Ecology owl box you will experience the joy of owls in your garden. However, with over 100 occupied owl boxes in Gauteng alone, we can guarantee that the owl box in your tree maximises every potential for owls and is a viable owl breeding site. We can also guarantee that its annual service and maintenance ensures that it remains so.
 
Send us a message, drop us a mail or give us a call, perhaps we can help? 
 
011 791 7326 || 072 365 9777 || info@ecosolutions.co.za
 
If you have friends or you live in an estate with unoccupied owl boxes, please share this post and suggest that they connect with us. 

Time to give a hoot about owls

Germiston City News: Owlproject.org promotes an age-old form of pest control.

Regenerative Agriculture to secure a sustainable future in the EU

''We are facing an environmental crisis and must act immediately to avert it. Regenerative agriculture could be one of the answers.''

Two new species of dog-face bat discovered!

Flitting swiftly through the darkness above the tropical forest canopy in Central and South America, a group of cute little bats with dog-like faces have long been hiding a big secret. Now, their secret is out.

Use Caution When Using Rodenticides Around Pets, Kids

The laws regarding rodenticides have changed, and people should be aware that new poison product lines could pose an increased risk to children and pets.

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Vehicles, lack of hunting and nesting sites threaten urban Barn Owls: Report

VANCOUVER — One of Canada's largest populations of barn owls may be more aptly named bridge or overpass owls because they're losing normal roosting spaces and struggling to adapt to urbanisation, a new study says.