Latest news with #owl
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Springwatch viewers furiously slam show as they demand bosses warn them before grisly scenes
SPRINGWATCH viewers have slammed the show and demanded bosses warn them before grisly scenes. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan updated fans on a short-eared owl's next - which was first shown last week. 4 4 4 However, the BBC show faced viewer backlash following scenes of one animal's demise. Chris explained: "There were six youngsters in the nest" and added: "Last night there were only two left in the nest." The other four had spread out in a bid to avoid capture by predators. Meanwhile, Michaela admitted the team was "really surprised" upon telling viewers how one chick ate its sibling. This occurred after "nights of hunger" and the younger chick became "weak and defenceless". Viewers were horrified by the disturbing scenes and soon shared their reactions on social media. One wrote: "Baby owl eating its sibling alive ffs. Give us a 5-minute warning next time." Another penned: "Ffs that was didn't die and get eaten, it was pulled apart alive poor thing." A third chimed in: "Oh no, the owl chick eating its sibling whilst still alive. Horrible." While a fourth commented: "Oh my was grim, poor baby." Michaela Strachan looks worlds away from Springwatch as she celebrates family wedding Earlier this year, Michaela, 59, opened up about an off-screen row with Chris, 64. Admitting they are sometimes opposites in their presenting styles, Michaela said in an interview with The Times: 'He has all the facts, whereas I love the stories surrounding a particular nest. "Last year I had to really fight my corner — a buzzard pecked its sibling to death and chucked it out of the nest onto the ground. "Chris and the team wanted to put a camera on all the beasts that were eating it. Everything you need to know about Springwatch Springwatch began in 2005 and showcases British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom It's presented by Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan, Iolo Williams and Megan McCubbin Chris and Michaela joined the show from 2009 and 2011 onwards, respectively Just like last year, the long-running series is broadcasting live from RSPB Arne in Dorset A total of 19 series have aired to date, with the 20th edition now on air on BBC Two The show's popularity over the years spawned spin-offs Autumnwatch and Winterwatch Autumnwatch began as a one-off, but was expanded into its own series from 2006 to 2022 Last year, the Beeb cancelled Autumnwatch citing budget concerns and having a smaller audience than its counterparts The original presenting line-up for Springwatch included comedian and conservationist Bill Oddie, television presenter Kate Humble and naturalist Simon King Bill, known for his work with The Goodies, exited the programme in 2008, followed by Simon in 2010 and Kate in 2011 "He was saying, 'It's really interesting.' I said, 'Yes, but it's a step too far. Our audience has invested in that little chick, we don't need to see it now being decimated with a slow-mo camera.' "In the end we didn't have room for the footage." Michaela added: "You've got to keep it a little bit positive.' Springwatch airs on BBC Two and iPlayer. 4
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Voices: On discovering the real sex of my owl, I began to hatch a plan
THE EGG Lists of concerns that concern me, litter my head on waking, Shuffling their order of importance and urgency. Some things remain undone And it becomes their natural state over time, as they fossilize. Notes of ideas for books from 2010 are heaped in my study as evidence Of my ideas back then. Paintings remain unhung, Being constantly pushed aside by the here and now actions I make daily. And then there's the egg in the incubator: It may have an owl in it. For six years its mother kept her secret So well that I called her Oscar. Her certificate did not sex her. Out of three, she broke two: I feel fated to hatch one If it doesn't die in the shell as a swirling mess of Eurasian owl abstractions And the beginnings of soft bone, or collapse after hatching Like a deflating toy, unable to retain air, tired of life before living it. And then all the urgencies, demands, and other obligations, The arrangements, invitations and social gatherings, Will cease to matter as I devote my waking hours To the upkeep of this one perfect being, whose needs Will outstrip everything as it doubles in size every three days, Becoming beak and claws, with eyes as big as gobstoppers And the cry of an owl child.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Deliberate fires in Cleadon Park mean baby owl cannot be released
A baby owl rescued by an animal charity will have to live without its parents after volunteers found children setting fires near where it was owlet was discovered covered in tree sap a week ago and had been attacked by crows before volunteers at Pawz for Thought found it and nursed it back to when they attempted to return the bird to its nest in Cleadon Park, South Tyneside, they found children setting fires under nearby trees and Ebdale, founder of the charity, said the fires meant the owl had lost its home and "the chance of growing up with his parents". Pawz for Thought's facilities in Sunderland are not equipped to care for the owlet so it is being transferred to another charity, which is better tailored to its needs."He now has to go and live with three other owls up in Blyth," said Ms Ebdale."We dare not put him back there." Once the owl is fully grown it will be rereleased into the wild."Birds do more than just feed their young," Ms Ebdale explained."They teach them and nurture them. We can't replicate that but what we can do is grow them to the point where they are fit enough to fly off." Ms Ebdale said there were increasing numbers of fires being set, which damage habitats for animals."This is going on all over the country - it's just awful," she said."We've got precious little left as it is and it's all just being destroyed. There are no safe places any more." Both Northumbria Police and the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said they did not receive a report of a fire in Cleadon Park on Wednesday, so did not attend the scene. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Review of The Search for India's Rarest Birds
Rarity is a magnet,' writes ornithologist Aasheesh Pittie in The Search for India's Rarest Birds, 'for both charlatans and connoisseurs.' What makes a bird rare? Why do we covet the thing that is rare? These are some of the questions this engaging book tries to unpack as it draws portraits of birds that are rare and possibly extinct (such as the bird on the cover, the Jerdon's courser, and the Pink-headed duck), or are rare but relatively abundant in their habitats (Nicobar scops owl, Mrs. Hume's pheasant). What makes this book, edited by Shashank Dalvi and Anita Mani, different is that it approaches the subject of rarity and vulnerability not through tedium and doom, but through a sense of wonder and exploration. The 12 chapters have a selection of birds that have been chosen through different forms of observation: the Pink-headed duck chapter by Pittie talks about how the bird was formally described based on a painting of Indian specimens; art led to science. Ornithologist Pamela Rasmussen studiedtaxidermiedforest owletsin the U.K. and the U.S.;shepursuedthe birdin the forests of Maharashtra; and a strangetaxidermiedmodel led tothe rediscovery ofthe real bird. End is priceless 'Twitchers [birdwatchers who collect sightings of rare birds] are a possessed soul – we act first and think later,' writes birder Atul Jain. 'Having an understanding partner who gives you a hard time for every single crazy, last-minute trip but always relents in the end is priceless,' he writes. Jain's chapter is like a manual for how to set about a network for birding — how to prepare logistically and mentally for finding a rarity. 'Waiting, sweating' In his chapter on Nicobar scops owl, wildlife biologist Dalvi introduces the reader to a similar premise – a lot of the work for birding starts before the actual fact. 'For years I had been chatting about my birding plans with one of my close friends James Eaton, because quite simply, that is what birders do.' He adds: one has to do homework, hard work and have a good prediction of habitat and timing. In another chapter set in the Nicobar islands, journalist Radhika Raj writes evocatively on the Nicobar megapode, an endangered bird that builds huge mounds where it lays eggs. Found only in India, the megapode has huge feet that check the temperature of the mound. This wasn't an easy bird to see, especially as the group got attacked by sandflies. There was lots of 'waiting, sweating and nothing'. Things changed though, as she saw it on the very last day of a three-week wait. 'The seemingly ordinaryjungli murgi… won us over.' When I opened this book, I expected to find historical records of white men and their shikar in South Asia. It is enriching to find instead a book that is modern. Most importantly, though the birds are coveted, they are not trophies — each piece wraps fondness and field work for the avian object of affection in a manner that suggests care, not conquest. This gives hope that we are a long way away from the days of hunting birds so they could be stuffed and laid in drawing rooms. You might come away learning some bird and birder idiosyncrasies in this book; you may even come away fledging from a reader to a birder. The Search for India's Rarest Birds Edited by Shashank Dalvi, Anita Mani Indian Pitta/Juggernaut ₹499 The reviewer is a conservation biologist and author of Wild and Wilful-Tales of 15 Iconic Indian species
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Free Bird: Flaco The Owl's Dreams Take Flight By Christine Mott & Ofra Layla Isler — Review
This delightful children's book tells the story of Flaco the owl's last year of life, living as a wild owl in New York City's Central Park, and reveals the deeper meaning of what it means to live free. As a New Yorker, I am well aware of – and proud of – its long history of celebrity birds. There was 'Barry' a female Barred Owl who lived in Central Park; 'Rocky', the Northern Saw-whet Owl rescued from her imprisonment inside the Rockefeller Christmas tree (read more here); Palemale, a red-tailed hawk who nested on a Fifth Avenue balcony overlooking Central Park for more than 20 years; George, a male red-winged blackbird who charmed a newly-unemployed and despairing man to start birding and to write a book about him, and then there's Flaco. Unlike these other celebrity birds, who were wild native species, Flaco was different. Flaco was an adult male Eurasian Eagle-Owl, one of the largest owl species in the world (hence, the species' name) that is widespread across Europe and Asia. Flaco was born in captivity in a North Carolina bird park before he was transferred to the Central Park Zoo where he lived in a tiny bus-stop sized enclosure for 12 years – until a mysterious someone cut his cage open in the middle of a February night, allowing him to escape. This is when Flaco the owl's adventures as a free bird began. In the illustrated children's book, Free Bird: Flaco the Owl's Dreams Take Flight (Lantern Publishing and Media, 2025), award-winning author, Wall Street trained-attorney and animal rights advocate Christine Mott, tells the inspiring true story of Flaco the owl as he dreams of flying free only to have the opportunity to escape his tiny zoo cage suddenly materialize. We the readers follow Flaco as he evades capture by zoo staff and police, as he builds strength and develops flying skills by navigating the vast canyons of Manhattan, learns how to hunt and to make a life for himself in Central Park, and makes thousands of admiring human friends along the way. Written for children between 4 and 8 years old, this book captures how we all have dreams – whether you're a child or a nonhuman animal – and how important it is to fulfill these dreams. Both children and adults will cheer for Flaco as he chases adventure and follows his dreams. As such, this book is a wonderful addition to a classroom discussion, a library story time or a bedtime story. The book not only shares Flaco's story, but it provides an opportunity for children to see the world through the eyes of an owl, thereby awakening them to the idea of conserving wild creatures who share their world with us and encouraging them to develop empathy for wildlife (particularly for birds). The book also uses Flaco's story to teach children to find their own inner strength and to reach for their own dreams, regardless of how challenging or impossible those dreams may seem to be. Free Bird is illustrated by Ofra Layla Isler, founder of Art in Rescue, which uses hand drawn art to honor the work of animal rescue. Half of the author's royalties generated by the sale of Free Bird are donated to the Wild Bird Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that rehabilitates sick, injured and orphaned wildlife and releases them back into the wilds of New York City. (Full disclosure: I've financially supported The Wild Bird Fund since shortly after its inception). Such charitable support makes this lovely book a though-provoking children's story as well as a meaningful way to contribute to urban wildlife conservation. For the adults who read this book aloud to children, you will find a brief listing of owl facts in the back of the book to teach you a few things too. I highly recommended this book for young animal lovers, nature enthusiasts, and for anyone who believes in sharing the power of pursuing one's dreams with children. © Copyright by GrrlScientist | hosted by Forbes | Socials: Bluesky | CounterSocial | Gab | LinkedIn | Mastodon Science | Spoutible | SubStack | Threads | Tribel | Tumblr | Twitter
