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Breeding pair

28.09.2017

The European Hoopoe and the Scops Owl, two of flagship species of Goričko Nature Park (Slovenia), went through significant changes in recent years. Both populations have declined by more than 60 % since 2004. Due to the agricultural intensification, many elements of traditional cultural landscape of Goričko were destroyed, e.g. older solitary trees with holes, hedges or meadows which were changed into arable land. DOPPS-BirdLife Slovenia and Goričko Nature Park Public Institute have combined efforts and installed more than 200 nest boxes since 2008 in order to improve breeding habitat for the Hoopoe, Scops Owl, European Roller and some other farmland birds nesting in tree holes. During the monitoring of breeding sites this year, 10 pairs of the Hoopoe were breeding in nest boxes out of 17 recorded breeding pairs. Good news for the Hoopoe in Goričko, which has a population estimated at 20-40 pairs. Monitoring of nesting sites showed also that 21 pairs of the Scops Owl were breeding in nest boxes, which is 30 % of its population in Goričko. Birds successfully fledged from 15 of these nest boxes. In order to find out how many birds return to the sites where they were fledged, 50 young birds were also ringed. Among others ornithologists found 2 female Scops Owl, which were breeding and ringed in 2015 in nearby area. Since the Scops Owl is returning to the same breeding sites every year, conservation efforts to preserve these sites are needed.

Text by: Gregor Domanjko
Photo: Mojca Podletnik, Robi Gjergjek

Young Scops Owls in nest box