video from EagleOwl321 in YouTube

16 September 2011

“City eagle-owl-boy’s flight tour”

Peregrine fans know the excitement of waiting and watching for a nestling to make its first flight.  In Helsinki, Finland last April fans of the Eurasian eagle owl experienced the same excitement and a successful rescue.

The Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo or Huuhkaja in Finnish), ranges from Norway to China and is similar to our great horned owl though much larger.  The eagle owl’s wingspan is 4.5 to 6.5 feet and it weighs 3.3 to 10 pounds (females are largest) compared to a 5 ft wingspan and average 3.1-pound weight for our great horned owl.  These birds are huge!

Until recently eagle owls lived only in the countryside in Finland but in 2005 the burgeoning rabbit population attracted them to Helsinki.  Slowly their numbers increased but there was no nest in the city until a pair chose the roof of the Forum Shopping center this spring, a site easily monitored from the building across the street.   Everyone was excited to see the Helsinki city nest because the eagle owl is a national sports symbol in Finland (see below).

By the 20th of April 2011 the nestlings were roaming the roof and ready to fledge.  One of them attempted a short airborne hop but he miscalculated and it became his first city tour, complete with a rescue by the fire department from the top of the “Southern Fried Chicken” sign where you see him perched above.

The video is a compilation of his adventure from the roof to the rescue net.  I love how the fireman waves at him and points to the sky as if to say, “Look up there.  Don’t look at my net.”

The owlet was returned to his nest and later fledged successfully.

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Helsinki’s most famous eagle owl visited a football match (soccer game) at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in June 2007. Later nicknamed “Bubi” this wild bird became a national sports symbol.

On 6 June 2007 the Euro 2008 Finland-vs-Belgium qualifying match was being held at the stadium when an eagle owl landed on the field and flew to the goal posts. The game was suspended during the owl’s visit while the crowd cheered “Huuhkaja!” (Finnish common name for the owl). Finland won the game 2-0, the owl was nicknamed Bubi and “Helsinki Citizen of the Year,” and  Finland’s soccer team was nicknamed the “Eurasian Eagle Owls.” See a video of Bubi’s game-time visit here.  (Bubi is not one of the parents of this owlet; Bubi’s territory is at the stadium.)