Protect the Dark Knight !

Huh? Doesn't the Dark knight, Batman, protect Gotham? Why would he need protection?

Actually, capturing this spotted owlet on camera, in a Batman like pose made me smile but at the same time, made me reflect on the need to protect the species...

Dark knight? 😀
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I kind of caught this owlet by surprise at night while scanning the trees with my flashlight in a nocturnal photography session. He almost stopped and became defensive in mid-air. Almost reminded me of Batman's 'Striking terror in hearts' pose...

Image source

Though the owlet seems to be in a fierce pose, owls in general are actually very shy birds. They rarely even get seen.

There are almost 200 species of owls around the world. For many of the 200 species, the population in dwindling. The reason for this is mostly loss of habitat due to encroachment of humans in the habitat of owls. For owls that coexist with humans, such as barn owl, also the existence is becoming progressively more difficult.

So what you would ask? Why would we bother to protect these nocturnal creatures? They are fearsome and many bad omens are associated with them anyway, you would say...

Well, Owls are actually BENEFICIAL - not only to the ecosystem but for humans as well. Here is why

Why are owls beneficial for humans

Pests such as rodents, voles and mice, which trouble us are natural prey of owls. The nocturnal pests, which, if not controlled, have the capability to over run whole townships and spread terrible diseases like plague, can either be controlled through natural means or with use of poisons etc,

Using poisons to kill pests has a long lasting harmful effect on ecosystem and also on humans. These poisons seep into the ground and in the ground water. Ultimately, they harm us through the water we drink or through food grown using this poisoned water.

On the other hand, if we protect owls and allow them to hunt naturally, they will always control the pest population by catching mice, rodents etc. as prey. I have seen a barn owl with a rat kill with my own eyes. Here is the pic..

Owls = natural pest control😀
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What can we do to protect owls

While we can not really go out picketing or tree-hugging for protecting the owls physically from encroachment on their habitat, there are several simple things we CAN do to protect them...

• Install Chimney caps - This will help smaller owls from getting in and getting trapped

• Do not use rat poison - A rat who has just swallowed it is likely to end up in the stomach of an owl and kill it.

• Take down nets when not in use - Soccer nets, fishing nets etc. trap owls and they are likely to starve if not rescued.

• **Prevent owls flying into windows - ** Put up curtains, stickers - anything that makes the window visible so that owls do not inadvertently fly into windows and hurt themselves.

• Spread awareness about owls - Dispel myths about owls and make people like owls. Put on I love owl bumper stickers, show cute pictures of owls and anything that makes people attracted to cute owls. See the pic below for example - who can resist those large innocent eyes!
  

  
  Cute owl - who can resist those large innocent eyes
  My own click

• Keep cats indoors - Cats tend to catch owls if they are found roosting during daytime. Prevent this by keeping pet cats indoors

• Volunteer and donate - Donate money or time to owl conservation related causes. This helps enthusiasts to protect the owls better

If we all pitch in, we can help to conserve many species on earth. Let us do what we can.

Finally, here is another cute pic of a scops owl that can be used to share awareness.

I am so cute! Scope owl
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I would love to hear your views on owls and their conservation. I request you to comment freely. I also request you to reblog and help in spreading the message on owl conservation.

Cheers everyone - Have a great day!