Preliminary study on the tolerance to human disturbance of Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in an active quarry in NW Hungary

Population of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) has been increasing in Europe including Hungary. The species occupy new habitats beside its ancient territories including quarries and buildings. This may result in conflicting conservation and economic interests in active quarries. Because eagle owls are strictly protected in Hungary, human activities around known nest sites require environmental permits. We aimed to obtain information on Eagle Owl behaviour in an operating quarry by tracking an adult female to base a future species-specific guideline to issue environmental permits for mining in quarries. We used a combined GPS-GSM and VHF telemetry. We found that the tracked female did not breed in the study year but remained in her home range during the study period. By studying her seasonal and daily patterns of movements, we found that she was not disturbed by regular human activities under the nesting cliff, but she was more sensitive to unexpected non-regular disturbance. Based on the satellite-tracking data, this specimen used an approximately 18 km² home range during the study period.