Sometimes the quickest way to meet someone new is to point out something you two have in common. “I love your shoes. I have a pair just like those in blue,” “You like Pokemon? So do I,” or “We pretty much have the same tattoo. Wicked!” are all great ways to break the ice. Who knows? Maybe by saying something like the latter, you’ll end up being very good friends with the person. It happens more than you would think!
A Belgian man by the name of Jos Baart could have told you that one. A couple of months ago, he heard loud noises coming from outside the third story of his apartment window, thinking it was pigeons making all the ruckus. Upon a closer look, he realized they weren’t pigeons at all. Instead, it was a Eurasian eagle owl, who happened to be raising three sweet owl babies right outside his window. About four months later, Baart realized that the owls had something in common with him: they loved to watch television!
Probably most of us have witnessed our cat or dog staring at the screen for a few brief moments. However, in Baart’s case, the adorable owl family would watch TV with him for literally hours on end. Something was sure enticing them! Either way, Baart enjoyed that he could relate to the fluffy, nocturnal birds in some shape or form. Too cute!
While it has been months since the nesting began, the mother is still a bit untrusting of Baart, which is completely understandable. However, over time, she and her owlets are really warming up to their apartment mate.
Baart’s hoping that the nesting session will be a success and that the owls will return again next year. They’ve been such a joy to have around.
“Yeah, bring them on!” he said eagerly. “As long as they’re not pigeons.”
You can take what you want from this story, but I think it’s neat that species so different from one another can find some sort of commonality. The way I see it is, no matter how different each of us are from one another, or how different we may be from other species, there’s always something that can bring us together. It can be as simple as a shared hobby, a personal belief, how we were raised, what we struggle with, or our goals in life.
Meet Baart and his fluffy owl friends below.
