site.btaCharity Auction for Conservation of Boreal Owl to be Held at Plovdiv Cultural Institute

A charity auction for the conservation of the boreal owl (Aegolius funereus) will be held at Plovdiv Cultural Institute at 4 pm on February 10. The species is listed as vulnerable in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Environment and Water reported. 

To be auctioned is a painting by local artist Diana Dimova - TRAXI, who is behind the initiative with the support of the Plovdiv Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB).

The resources raised will go into conservation activities of the BSPB focused on the boreal owl, such as bird houses for nesting and photo traps in the area of the Western Rhodopes' Belocherkovski Ridge. That will held study this bird species more thoroughly, including to determine threats and elaborate a strategy for increasing the nesting success of the owls.

The boreal owl is an indicator of old forests' state as it mostly inhabits forests and feeds on rodents. The species has not been well-studied due to it being active at night and thus rarely observed.