Tawny owls are medium-sized nocturnal birds of prey similar to owls, very common on the Iberian Peninsula, which usually nest in the hollows of trees, which is why, with the aim of increasing and preserving the biodiversity of the fauna in the area of Mijas, the municipal Department for the Environment has joined the Aluco project. This is a solidarity initiative through which nesting boxes are installed in various areas of the municipality to encourage nesting and subsequent reproduction. According to the councillor for the Environment, Arancha López (Cs), "with this initiative, we are going to help even more of them to nest". In this way, she added, "we are also contributing to the natural cycle of these birds, which are responsible for controlling rodent plagues as they feed on them". 
During these days they are being installed in different locations in the municipality. The department's technician, Francisco Pérez, said: "we thought that carrying out this initiative in the municipality was very beneficial, above all to increase biodiversity, so we are acting in various locations in Mijas". Also, as in recent years there have been many very virulent fires, "this type of actions help to provide new nesting areas and thus facilitate further reproduction", added Perez. 

 

To make this possible, a tree-climbing technique is used, which is being carried out by the founders of the project, among them Antonio Javier Plaza, co-founder of Aluco. As Plaza stated, "it is an initiative to provide wooden nesting boxes to make up for the lack of resting and nesting places for a series of birds that are in decline". It is a project that was born in 2019 and with which they also recycle, as the boxes are made from recycled wood, that is, wood from construction pallets or structures that end up in containers but are in good condition and are suitable for reuse. Following the installation of the boxes, the tawny owls are monitored, which consists in controlling the number of offspring and scientific ringing. To conclude, López explained that "it is essential that the Administrations support these initiatives in order to maintain our biodiversity and local fauna".

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