Eyes like saucers, feathers in perfect order and a look that says: “I’m keeping watch.” On Tuesday evening, just after 11 p.m., our camera by the skatepark in Bolesławiec recorded an unusual visitor — a majestic tawny owl that, like a celebrity, flew in, sat by the lens and... posed! 😍🦉

You can see the recording of this owl’s visit below — and we admit: it looks like something from a Harry Potter film. No wonder people liked it. Here are the comments from our social media profile:

  • Angelika: “Hedwig 😍 Grzegorz, look, she’s flying to me with a letter xD”
  • Piotr: “Hedwig 💫”
  • Kacper: “Cutie”
  • Ania: “Wonderful shot ❤️”
  • Monika: “Perfect for a background photo 😃”
  • Sonia: “An unexpected guest is the best 😄✋”
  • Agnieszka: “I hear it every evening; I live nearby. Sometimes it really makes itself heard 😊”
  • Oskar: “What a bastard” (Well, tawny owls leave some people speechless too 😉)

Who is this nighttime model, anyway?

The tawny owl is our most common owl, but it is absolutely not boring! It likes quiet, darkness and… urban settings. It can often be found in parks, cemeteries and even – as we can see – by viaducts and skateparks.

Mysterious hooting at night in Bolesławiec

Do you hear its characteristic hooting in the evenings? That’s him — the neighborhood’s nighttime guardian. Last year, our editorial team received reports from a reader about a bird’s nighttime hooting around the parks near the railway station and the District Court in Bolesławiec. The sounds were heard mainly after 10 p.m.

The tawny owl in the published photograph is probably responsible for those sounds. It does not like camera flashes, but our camera was too tempting not to examine up close. Maybe it was checking whether it looked better in profile? Or perhaps it was waiting for a letter from the owl post?

If you have also seen a tawny owl or heard its hooting — let us know in the comments! Or maybe it already has a name?