Tawny owls of Ostoja

The birds I both hoped and didn’t hope to see

I don’t see much owls where I live. Even in the suburbs, where there’s a significant diversity of bird species, owls seem to be missing.

It probably has to do with the fact that forests here were quite young — they were planted in the 1960s to do something with terrible winds blowing through unused fields. So trees here aren’t wide and old enough to have holes that would fit a family of owls.

While volunteering at Ostoja I have a chance to be close to birds that I haven’t had before. Never in my life I will be able to feed a murre, which are birds fond of the oceans and are mostly spotted while out in the water.

But this closeness means that the bird I’m so glad to see was either injured, separated from its parents, or just taken out from the wild by someone who thought the bird needed special care. And while it may be a nicer experience than slowly dying on the side of the road, I’m an equivalent of a dentists for those animals, not a private chef.

But hopefully I’ll get to be forgotten quite fast once the bird is out in the world, and doesn’t need support from some stupid human to bring some food.

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