Tengrinews.kz - A video by Kazakhstani photographer Dmitry Dotsenko has been gaining attention online. He managed to capture an owl in one of Almaty’s parks.
The photographer shared the footage on his Instagram page.
“During a walk, I had a pleasant encounter – a long-eared owl perched on one of the pine branches. Its bright orange eyes, fluffy ‘ears,’ and that owl gaze looked incredibly charming. While these birds seem inconspicuous during the day, at night, they turn into real hunters. Usually, they migrate to warmer regions for the winter, but some remain in the city. In Almaty, you can spot them in parks and at the foothills of the mountains if you’re attentive and quiet enough,” Dotsenko shared.
Dmitry also emphasized that photographing the owl was a true pleasure.
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Публикация от Дмитрий Доценко / Фотограф Алматы (@dots_foto)
The post has garnered dozens of comments, with users praising the photographer’s ability to notice intriguing moments in nature.
“Can you imagine that for many city dwellers, this is the first time they can see it up close through your lens and hear its hooting?” “What a beauty hiding here,” “Wow! It’s so magnificent,” wrote commenters.
Dmitry mentioned that he recently captured the owl by chance.
"The bird didn’t fly away immediately—it allowed me to photograph it from a close distance. I think it’s because I didn’t make any sudden movements and was as careful as possible to avoid scaring it," he said.
To understand how common it is for such owls to winter in Almaty, we reached out to an expert.
"Long-eared owls typically winter in Almaty and the surrounding region, often gathering in large groups for daytime roosting," noted Vassiliy Fedorenko, an ornithologist at the Institute of Zoology.
