Police in Herzliya were stumped this week when they began receiving calls from residents in the city complaining about sirens disturbing their sleep at night. After investigating the section of town where most of the calls originated, authorities couldn’t find anything.
Luckily, one of the policemen followed his intuition and contacted Herzliya resident Shlomit Lifshitz, founder of the Israeli Center for Yardbirds, whose goal is to raise awareness about the variety of wild birds in Israel’s cities.
It didn’t take long for Lifshitz to solve the mystery.
“I immediately and happily identified the little Eurasian Scops Owl,” she told Israel Radio, “a nocturnal predator that nests here, and its mating calls sound similar to a car siren.”
The Eurasian Scops Owl, also known as a screech owl, winters in Africa, and during the mating season it migrates to southern Europe, the Middle East, and central Asia.
“It’s a small bird,” Lifshitz pointed out, “but with a very strong voice…it really makes it hard for people to sleep, because the call carries on all night during the mating season.”
A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
