Owl found on beach

AN owl that washed up on a beach in Mijas, Malaga, was rescued from the sea, and after a week or so of recuperation, experts hope the bird will soon be able to fly to freedom.

One of the first visitors to arrive on the beach of Calahonda saw the rare sight of an eagle owl trying to get out of the sea. The bird of prey used its wings and managed to swim to the shore, wrote a news source.

By the time the Environmental rescue team arrived, the owl had reached the sand and was taking refuge under the coastal path along that stretch of the beach. “It was exhausted by the effort,” said Francis Pérez, one of the technicians who rescued the animal.

In his first assessment, it didn’t look bad, just tired and soaked. So they decided to call the Threatened Species Recovery Centre in Malaga, where it has been since July 11.

For the time being, the owl has been isolated in a four­by­four metre enclosed cage where it is fed by its keepers. As soon as it is able to hunt live prey, it will be able to share space with other birds.

Eagle owls are common in the area. “There is usually a pair per municipality,” confirms CREA. Moreover, they are a sedentary and very faithful species. They can spend up to 20 years with the same pair. It is estimated that there are around 50 pairs of eagle owls in the province of Malaga.

SPAIN’S tourism industry is on a roll! In June, more than 9.1 million international jetsetters flocked to the country. The figures released by the national government on Tuesday, July 18 revealed that Spain’s June arrivals smashed last year’s numbers by an incredible 10 per cent.

The first half of 2023 also saw the country welcome a whopping 43 million visitors, setting the bar high with an incredible 24.3 per cent surge on last year’s figures.

Brits led the charge, making up a quarter of the June arrivals with a 9.8 per cent increase in tourists. Germans also made up a significant 14.5 per cent of all passenger arrivals. Meanwhile, a notable 37 per cent increase in arrivals from Poland caught officials’ attention.

The Balearic Islands stole hearts as the top destination, attracting sun­seekers like a magnet and accounting for 22 per cent of arrivals. But Catalonia and Madrid didn’t lag behind either, each claiming around 20 per cent of arrivals during the first six months of the year.