Of possible interest (forwarded from a Pestnet posting),
Robin Hide
Jewiah National Fund
http://www.kkl-jnf.org/about-kkl-jnf/green-israel-news/october-2016/long-eared-owl-biological-pest-controller/
Long-eared Owl as a Biological Pest Controller
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 1:04 PM
A new ornithological study in KKL-JNF forests
A study being conducted by the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is investigating how the long-eared owl (Asio otus) can be used as a biological
pest control agent.
Watch video (English subtitles)
Dr. Motti Charter and Professor Ido Itzhaki of Haifa University, together with Professor Ran Natan of the Hebrew University, are investigating the ability of long-eared owls, many of
whom live in KKL-JNF forests, to act as biological control agents. The research is being carried out with the support of
Kanfei KaKaL (“KKL-JNF Wings”), the unit within the organization that deals with ornithology.
The research seeks to examine whether or not the introduction of nesting baskets is likely to encourage long-eared owls, which usually make use of nests abandoned by hooded crows (Corvus
cornix), to nest in forest fringes that border on farmland. To this end, ninety-six nesting baskets were last year placed in trees in the Jezreel Valley, Ramat Menashe and the Hula Valley.
During the last nesting season long-eared owls nested in seven of these baskets, common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) nested in twenty-three of them, and mallards (Anas
platyrhynchos) made use of two.
Future stages of the study will closely monitor the hunting habits of the long-eared owl in areas of farmland. The birds will be fitted with GPS tracking devices, and their feeding habits will be monitored by means of cameras placed close
to their nests and by analysis of undigested morsels of food (regurgitated pellets) collected from the nests’ vicinity.
The research is currently in its initial stages, and updates on its development and findings will be reported in the future.
