There’s a saying that life is full of surprises, and even mother nature can throw in a few shocking moments here and there.
That’s exactly what happened to Jos Baart, an elderly Belgian man.
The man lives in a third-story apartment and has a planter on his balcony, but one day, there was a lot more to see than just plants.
It all started when Jos started hearing some weird sounds from the outdoor planter, but he didn’t think much of it at first.
In fact, the man suspected that it was just a couple of pigeons who were looking for a place to hide, but when he took a closer look, he definitely saw something that he never expected.
His planter was suddenly inhabited by no less than four huge owls.
In fact, it just so happened that they are one of the largest species of owls known.
The Eurasian eagle-owl.
Not exactly a common occurrence in Belgium, but they suddenly made this planter one of their habitats anyway.
There was a mother owl who decided to lay three eggs – once those three chicks finally hatched, Jos couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.
Of course, Jos made sure not to scare them in any way, and just let them do their thing while he waited for some expert advice.
He even ended up on national television, as the owl chicks were included in the nature show “Vroege Vogels”, which translates to Early Birds.
“We could hardly believe it when we got a message from Jos Baart telling us that Europe’s biggest owl, the Eurasian eagle-owl, had made a nest in a planter in front of his window. Not only that, she had also hatched three giant chicks!” the television show posted on their Twitter account.
And we must say, the footage is definitely television-worthy.
We can see how the three rather large owl chicks are stoically focussed on Jos’ television screen through the window!
Suddenly, Jos has found himself a couple of new tv buddies, and they seem particularly interested in whatever is displaying on the large screen.
They’re all standing next to each other and it’s about the cutest thing you’ll see all day.
In contrast to the baby chicks, the mother owl isn’t particularly friendly and keeps a close eye on everything from behind.
Jos doesn’t always see her, but he knows that she’s around.
“She has a good view of the nest from there,” Jos explains in a short clip of the television show that was shared on Twitter. “She can stay there for six to eight hours at a stretch.”
At first, the man wasn’t particularly happy with the developments in his planter, but he’s grown to like them and they’re even buddies now.
When the owls will leave one day, Jos hopes that they’ll return the following year.
“I thought, damn, those pigeons again,” he mentioned.
When he saw the mama owl and realized they weren’t pigeons, Jos was pretty shocked that this happened at his apartment, but doesn’t mind at all.
“You can see how relaxed they are,” Jos says in the show. “They’re not scared at all. For me, it’s like watching a movie 24-7.”
They’re not sure if these owls will stay at Jos’ apartment for a long time, but he loves having them around and says it’s entertaining.
The Eurasian eagle owl, which is also referred to as a Bubo Bubo owl, is likely the largest owl in existence.
Just to give you a good indication, their wingspan can reach lengths up to almost five feet long. Their average lifespan in the wild is about twenty years.
Seeing these owls in Europe is not a common occurrence, especially in areas where it’s relatively heavily populated.
Photographing them is difficult, but these adorable chicks were more than happy to smile for the camera.
Be sure to check out Jos’s clip below!
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We could hardly believe it when we got a message from Jos Baart telling us that Europe's biggest owl, the Eurasian eagle-owl, had made a nest in a planter in front of his window. Not only that, she had also hatched three giant chicks!#vroegevogels #springwatch #owl pic.twitter.com/gz1odkFLYC
— Vroege Vogels (@VroegeVogels) May 18, 2020
