Leaving the nest is never easy. For an Athena’s owl, the first year is a tricky one: it will only have a one-in-six chance of surviving to its first reproduction. This is what the Swiss Ornithological Institute found out when it fitted nearly 300 young owls with transmitters in nearby Ludwigsburg, Germany. The aim of the study was to find out what happens to the owls once they leave the parental territory, and to follow their first flutters as they become independent.
The first few weeks after fledging are particularly delicate. Analyses show that mortality is at its highest during this period. Young Athena’s owls are totally inexperienced and are easy prey for martens or other nocturnal birds of prey. For those that escape this critical phase, a harsh, snowy winter can prove disastrous.
Habitat quality is also a determining factor. Data indicate that two-thirds of owls using a suitable biotope offering sufficient food survive the first three months, while this proportion falls to less than half in "poor" environments.
The species was present throughout the Plateau until the 1950s. Today, there are only around 150 breeding pairs in Switzerland. To help the species, we need to promote extensive farming, high-stem orchards and small structures such as wood and stone piles. BirdLife Switzerland and its member organizations have been successfully involved in a conservation program for the little owl for decades. At the same time, the Swiss Ornithological Institute runs a number of projects to promote extensive farming.
Who still remembers the mysterious voice that used to call out to us in the middle of the night? Like other insectivores that have fallen victim to the disappearance of the bocage landscape, the owl has quietly disappeared, to the almost total indifference of civilized man, who only judges the value of the na...
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