Two large down balls with huge fire-yellow eyes look forward under a rock in the quarry. They look like rock rolls. Around them, crushers and excavators are pounding.

Berguvar has a certain preference for building nests in this kind of environment. The female has easy to fly in and feed the kids and the thunder from the constant activities in the gravel roof in Uppland does not seem to interfere.

"We are trying to adapt the work here to protect the birds," says Andreas Wikström, commodity manager in the quarry, but now we will learn to move on the kids as well.

Chlorine thick as fingers

Soon the magic-like kids will get out of the nest. Then there is a great risk that they will get in the way of work in the quarry.

The ornithologist Alar Broberg has been called here to ring the kids and at the same time teach the blast workers how to move on these downy birds with claws thick as fingers.

- You have to lift them by holding the wings, and make sure you keep track of the legs, says Alar Broberg as he raises one of the kids to Andreas Wikström.

Berguven, with its characteristic tufts on its head, is Europe's largest owl. But the strain is steadily declining, probably due to environmental toxins. An adult mountain owl has a wingspan of over 1.5 meters and can catch prey large as small dogs or cats.

The mother can attack

But the rock kid lying on his back in the lap at Alar Broberg to be ringed looks most like a stuffed animal with his big yellow eyes and long eyelashes.

"But watch out if the mother comes flying," says Alar. The female can put the claws in your head and cause serious damage.

Alar Broberg brings springs from the estate to be used for research. (see article Skansenuvarna -Few survive in the wild)

"Have a good life now," he says as he puts the kid back in the nest.