Not a very clear view of the Powerful Owl, but he is such an impressive bird we thought we'd post him here.
Last season we had a pair of powerful owls and a chick hanging out in this same tree, so we're guessing (and hoping) that the adults have returned to nest again.
Hi Edward,
Thanks for posting this photo. How wonderful to have a Powerful Owl in your yard! And nesting! You might have mentioned in another post - Where are you located?
I'm in Brisbane (quite close to the city) and recently heard my first Southern Boobook. I'm tempted to go wandering the streets at night searching for it.
Andy.
Hi Andy
We are near Kilmore, Victoria - about 75km north of Melbourne.
Good luck searching for the Boobook! Be sure to get some great photos.
Hi Edward, what a great photo!! Have you found the Southern Boobook yet? What beautiful birds they are,a few nights ago I had one sitting in a tree outside my bedroom window. It was talking to a mate in the distance, allmost for 1 hour. I couldn't sleep, but didn't mind one bit. Keep looking,I can't take any photos, my camera is not good in the dark, but I go outside with a torch to look at them. Marie-Louise (Araminta)
M-L
How fantastic to have one Powerful Owl in your own backyard, let alone a breeding pair!
Andy, I'm just a few kms over the hill from you IIRC. I seem to hear them relatively often here on a quite night, perhaps once a month and more so as summer comes on. The sound carries so well on a quiet night that I imagine they are probably somewhere up around Toohey Mtn, a km or more from here. Good luck on the hunt.
I have seen an owl of sorts in my yard at least once, as I disturbed it sitting on my fence one night. It was either a Southern Boobook or a Tawny Frogmouth, but I couldn't tell - it just glided off so silently into the dark.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
I have never seen any owls at night... would love to see some.
By the way Edward.. I couldn't help but try to improve this shot as it wasn't doing your photo justice, hope you don't mind
Here it is with a quick tone adjustment
Hope you like it
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hi Timmo,
I live in Red Hill, very close to the city. But I work at Mt Gravatt which is near Toohey Forest. Yes I imagine there would be a few around Mt Gravatt. Maybe I should start working late again in order to see one!
Andy.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your interest and comments.
Some exciting news today - we have seen the pair of owls sitting high up in the trees. Hopefully they have a nest nearby. Does anyone know about their breeding habits? Would the mother leave the nest if they have chick(s)?
Some not so great shots of them follow - the leaves and branches always get in the way.
Birdie - feel free to clean them up again if you can!
Here they are front on:
and from behind...with their heads turned around to keep an eye on us
Good morning Edward,wow,I have been looking at your great photos,can't take my eyes off.I am sooo envious!!You are so lucky. Can't say the same for myself,remember the Southern Boobook in the tree outside my window? There has to be a young bird,my husband and I heard juveniles contact begging.I went outside (in my nighty),with a torch,but the foliage is so dense,I could not find them. I'm most upset.But I'm very happy for you! Waiting for more fantastic photos. keep safe
M-L
Hi Araminta
Glad you enjoyed the photos. Went in search of them again today but could not find them.
Keep searching for those Boobooks. It is worth it! We found our owls after spotting their pellets on the ground - obviously a favourite roosting spot.
Here is another shot of the powerful owl with his prey - an unfortunate magpie.
Hi Edward, wow...how lucky you must feel?? How lucky the owl must feel,the prey is as big as him. I was almost lucky last night, I had just gone to bed,when I heard the Boobook in the tree.Dressed in my nighty,(the things you do), torch in hand,I ran outside.In the rain,I could not find it.The tree it was in,was to high.After standing in the rain for some time, a second owl called in the bush,and...I saw the bird fly away.What can you do,I went back to bed.But,at least I saw it!!...one day...?
M-L
You are so so lucky! I had the good fortune to see a powerful owl a few yers ago, on a night walk in Blackbutt Reserve in Newcastle. Your photos make me want to go again!
Thanks for your comments and interest guys. Yes we are very lucky to be able to see the powerful owl - they can be a bit difficult to find, but it helps that they tend to hang around in a couple of favourite trees.
Araminta - glad you at least got a glimpse of the boobook. Keep looking...hopefully you will get a good view of him soon!
Wow Edward...they are amazing.... you are so lucky to be able to see them. I had never thought of them attacking anything as big as a maggie...
Sunshine Coast Queensland
We don't actually have many pigeons and doves on our property. We get the very occasional crested and bronzewing, but they are uncommon. The magpies tend to sleep on the branches on the edge of our forest - so I guess they are easy prey. They also go for our sugar gliders and ringtails, both have healthy populations on our property and probably the main reason the owls come.
Powerful Owls will eat many things. Their primary diet consists of mammals such as Ringtail Possums, Sugar Gliders, Flying Foxes and the like. They will also take Brushtail Possums, rabbits, cats and of course many roosting birds as well. I am sure that scientists who undertake research on these nocturnal birds (eg. Dr. Rod Kavanagh, who IMHO is the Australian authority on owls) have evidence and knowledge of many prey items.
Edward
Powerful Owls (and other members of the Ninox genus such as Boobook, Barking and Rufous Owl) nest pretty much at the same time each year. You could set your calendar by them! Well, the intention is there but that does not necessarily mean that they will nest or will succeed at nesting. A local pair in the lower Blue Mountains did not manage anything this year even though a mate of mine has spent months researching them and finally found what we thought were the nest hollow. There was nothing, no owlets, no trilling (begging for food), just the adults hanging around.
Courtship begins around autumn and if you notice a pair roosting together in the day then the chance of nesting looks very promising. I remember spotlighting outings in the NW of Sydney by myself or with a friend in March/April this year and we were often sitting in the dark along a creek listening to the incredibly romantic hooting duets of the resident male and female for ages. By late May or early June the female will normally be sitting on eggs deep in her favorite hollow, which they may reuse for years! When the female is incubating and while she is in the hollow when the owlets are still too young to fly, the male will roost nearby and at nightfall usually call to her and fly in for a visit. If he has the remains of food, he will bring this to her. BTW, if you notice a Powerful Owl with prey during the day, he/she has most likely caught that just before daybreak and will hang on to it until dusk, when the meal will be shared with the mate or finished alone.
By late September owlets should be ready to fledge. Our lower mountains pair has always fledged by September 21 according to my mate who has visited the site for forty years.
Enjoy your owl encounters. If you want to read about Australian owls, I would highly recommend you buy a copy of Owls, Frogmouths and Nightjars of Australia by David Hollands. It is a wealth of information and makes fantastic reading! It is around $60.00 hardcover, but worth every cent. For me anyway as I am obsessed by owls and raptors. :)
Thanks Windhover for all the interesting info. We shall keep watching them. But given the time of year, from what you are saying they probably haven't been breeding. Last season we didn't see the youngster till early Jan.
Windhover, would there be owls about in every environment? It may sound like a silly question but I mean do they prefer certain types of trees and if you went spotlighting say in a suburb like mine, which is full of stands of bush, would you have a chance of seeing some kind of owl? or are they rarities in the suburbs? ( not a powerful owl but a lesser kind maybe)
Do they eat bats as we have heaps and heaps of them. The baby bats come out at early dusk and they look like butterflies especially with the full moon!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Birdie I think the main food for owls is mice. They listen for the rustling in the undergrowth. Owls are reasonably common in the countryside west of the ranges but I think cars kill them in the suburbs. I sometimes hear mopoke owls and see barn owls which are very pale so they stand out. We also hear barking owls which do an amazing scream that sounds like a woman being murdered, mainly in late summer. My wife gets upset when she hears it, wants me to go and investigate.
I've certainly seen Southern Boobooks, Tawny Frogmouths (not exactly an owl) and heard Barking Owls in the suburbs here in Brissie. I think it mostly tends to be Tawny Frogmouths that get squashed on the roads for some reason.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Thanks Windhover, the best information about owls,I had in a long time.I bought a CD with different owl-calls, and I have discovered, we have Powerful Owls,and many Boobooks, I have heard the Boobooks contact bebbing,but I have only seen them fly away,even with a torch,they were hard to spot in the trees.I said before, we had a sick Frogmouth sitting infront of the house one day, I took it to the vet, but it couldn't be saved,it had a big lump on his breast.(cancer)Even if you can't see them, it's fascinating to recognize their calls. Owls are my favorit birds!! (I know a frogmouth is not an owl,we don't have to start again!) Windhover,what do you think happened to those brown falcon chicks? (acoppin?)
M-L
This seems like a good place to post this pic.... taken at the Australia Zoo raptor enclosure. I wasn't sure what it was till I just looked it up and I think it is a Boobook?
I can tell you that those eyes when they swivelled onto me made me feel like a possum in the headlights at night !! Unbelievably piercing.
I did see an owl here a bout a year ago in the headlights at night sitting on a power pole. I think it was a masked or a barn owl...very white . Have never had the good fortune to spot one since but I don't go out at night much.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Edward
You probably haven't seen the owlets, but that does not mean they are not around. :)
Greg
Different species of owls have different prey preferences. If they all ate mice, there would not be such great diversity. The one that loves mice is the humble Eastern Barn Owl. And you are right, they will listen out for the noises the mice make in the undergrowth. I watched some Eastern Barn Owls hunt around September last year, it's incredible how they just suddenly drop into the grass. They can hunt in total darkness (all Tytonid owls, that is the Barn Owl group, Barn, Masked, Sooty, Grass and Lesser Sooty Owls). Boobooks will eat mice, but also insects, small birds and other animals small enough to be killed. etc, etc.....
Birdie
Of course you would (could) have owls in your neighbourhood. It's just that noisy cities/towns are not conducive to hearing their presence at night plus many are shy and will most likely hear/see you before you even get near them. You may have Boobooks or Eastern Barn Owls in the area. You probably saw an Eastern Barn Owl in your headlights. Your photo is of a Barking Owl (Ninox connivens), not a Boobook. :(
Araminta,
No idea mate. :( I wish they did the right thing.... that's all.
Thanks Akos
I should mention that I live in a very unusual suburb.... very heavily treed, with very little traffic around my local streets and a huge wildlife presence given its proximity to human habitation. It is kind of like a wildlife corridor ( we still get the odd wallaby and echidna in and around the stream that runs off the huge hill behind us) I am presently getting into BOP generally , but for the moment I had better restrict it to daytime stuff. However as the summer warms up then I might walk around the neighbourhood with my very powerful spotlight and see what I can turn up! We are also only a few hundred metres as the crow flies from a fairly large sanctuary park so we get a lot of visitors from that direction.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
In my street there is a resident Powerful Owl, usually sighted around 1930 hours onwards. I got within five feet of this bird about a fortnight ago on a wet night, around 2000 hours in our local cemetery which has heavy tree coverage. A majestic bird with a calm demeanour. Just the other night I spotted this bird again sitting on top of the stop sign at the end of the street around 2030 hours, again, I got fairly close again.
Yes, Windhover. We are hoping that we just haven't managed to see any owlets, but they might actually be hidden from view. We do have trouble spotting the powerful owl, and when we do, he/she is always sitting high above us quietly watching.
Birdie, that's a great shot of the barking owl. Such a beautiful bird. Good luck on the hunt for any local owls. We find that we have seen more by day than night. The good thing is once you find them during the day, they tend to stay reasonably still (although usually perched high above).
We have seen owls in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. At one stage there was a powerful owl in the city centre (Flagstaff Gardens) but not sure if he is still seen there.
Hi Raven - welcome! Would love to see some photos if you manage to get close to your powerful owl. Where abouts are you located?
Glad to see there is so much interest in owls out there. We are always excited to spot them...no matter how many times we see them.
Powerful Owls and Boobooks are generally calm during the day and may be jumpier at night under a spotlight, at least from my experience with Boobooks. All my POs I photographed in the day pretty much. My mate who does research on Barking Owls said that during daylight they are really nervous and shy, but after nightfall all that changes and they can be rather aggressive. A note though that Ninox genus owls can be very, very aggressive when nesting and also don't like disturbance, hence why it's best to leave them well alone at these times.
The last thing you want is a talon in the eye, and believe me, they can get ya! :) The only time we went to check out a possible nest site in the Blue Mountains, we both wore safety glasses and hard hats.
In case any of you are interested; here are two links to a few owl images I made in the last two years, with all around Sydney!
If there is a C at the end of the title, it means the owl was a captive bird. Fortunately the vast majority weren't.
HAWK OWLS
http://amatteroflight.com/gallery2/v/ausbirds/hawkowls/
BARN OWLS
http://amatteroflight.com/gallery2/v/ausbirds/barnowls/
Hi Windhover,
Thanks for recommending David Hollands's book about owls. I have just acquired his "Eagles, Hawks, and Falcons of Australia", and it is amazing. (It's the 2nd edition, with all the updates and incredible photos.) I find the essays to be very helpful in providing info that assists with identification in the field.
Diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey are the next things on my list to learn more about / see more of, so hearing recommendations for books is great. I have also just acquired Stephen Debus's book about nightbirds, but would also be keen to get Hollands's book. So it's good to know that it's recommended.
Thanks,
Andy.
Windhover,
Thanks for the links to your photos. They are impressive.
We were out at dusk a couple of days ago, and after standing around for a couple of minutes we noticed that the pair of powerful owls were sitting in a tree right next to us, just a few feet above us, quietly watching. We moved back to give them a bit more space as we were so close. Thankfully they did not seem worried by us - it is likely they see us very regularly when we don't even know they are around.
This was certainly the best view we've had of them so far. We didn't have a camera close to hand and would have been reluctant to spotlight them anyway as they were so close.
We'll keep observing them at a safe distance :-)
And we're on the lookout for the Boobooks - have heard a couple of them around lately, but are yet to spot them.
Do we get Tawny Owls in Australia?
Samford Valley Qld.
No Tawny Owls here. We only get the following owl species in Australia.
Ninox strenua (Powerful Owl)
Ninox rufa (Rufous Owl)
Ninox connivens (Barking Owl)
Ninox boobook (Southern Boobook) prev. N. novaeseelandiae (I think from memory)
Ninox natalis (Christmas Island Hawk Owl) - obviously not on mainland of Aust.
Tyto javanica (Eastern Barn Owl) prev. T. alba
Tyto novaehollandiae (Masked Owl) has several subspecies
Tyto capensis (Grass Owl) prev. T. longimembris
Tyto tenebricosa (Sooty Owl) with the Lesser Sooty Owl as its apparent subspecies prev. T. multipunctata
Some magnificent photographs there Windhover, especially the ones of the Barn Owl, gorgeous birds.
I've always had a fascination with owls.
I had an encounter (closer than intended) with a Tawny Owl as a teenager. I was walking through some woods in the UK late one night and started mimicking the calling of a Tawny Owl. It interpreted my calling as another Tawny Owl in its territory and swooped down, ever so silently, grabbed me with it's talons on the back of the head and sent me packing with blood running down the back of my neck.
It wasn't till later that I read that they become very territorial during the breeding season.
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks for the kind words Reflex. :)
I have read that a Tawny Owl (pretty sure it was that) blinded (in one eye) the famous wildlife photographer Sir Eric Hosking in the UK. Many owls can be quite fierce in the "right" time of their breeding cycle. Powerful Owls are an example, especially with young at nest. They have been known to attack people and chase them through the forest. I have certainly been very careful around a nest site in September when a friend and I were checking a pair in the Blue Mountains and we wore hard hats and safety glasses! But generally, I leave them well alone as they are quite vulnerable at this stage of their life cycle.
You're right about Sir Eric Hosking. I just Googled him and this paragraph came up..
He believed that bird photographers should have a deep understanding and knowledge of their subjects, and concern for their welfare. Indeed, after being attacked by an owl—his favourite subject—and losing an eye, he blamed his own lack of understanding for the accident. He photographed over 2,000 species and had an archive of over 250,000 black?and?white negatives and 100,000 colour transparencies.
Pretty much along the lines of your previous post.
Samford Valley Qld.
This last week l was very privileged and grateful to have a visit from a Powerful Owl. He sat in the Oak Tree 2m from the house calling, then went quiet. About ten minutes later there was a large thump on the verandah and a 'death squark' from the very annoying possum who had taken up residence in the roof!
I almost wish for a replacement possum just to have the Powerful Owl return. Well...maybe not! I like my sleep more than possums.
Hi All
A special thanks from me to edward for kicking off this thread with those amazing photos - WOW!
Also my thanks to all other contributors and especially Windhover for the gallery and his/her exceptional input!
It's great to know that there are people out (like me) who admire and care about our precious wildlife.
I live in Sydney, north side and would really appreciate the opportunity to see one of these amazing birds in the wild. When I think about, it any owl or bird of prey would be of interest!
As I am knew to this site pls feel free to direct me to any clubs or associations or fellow twitters who can help in my quest? Travel is no problem.
PS about six moths ago there was a photo in the Nth Shore Times (ie local rag) of a powerful owl sitting in a tree with a brush turkey in its talon! I was gob smacked and it was then that I decided I had to see this bird for myself!
Regards
Muz
Great thread to read through. Thanks for the photos Edward and the info Windhover. It would be very easy to become addicted to BOP, but even easier to fall in love with owls! LOVE them!
Cheers for the info and enjoyable read,
Scott.
PS - I heard my first Boobook (or night bird of any kind) 2 weeks ago at home in Hobart. So happy to hear him / her :)
thanks for your comments guys.
if you like powerful owls, I've just updated the 'Baby owl' thread which is more recent.
http://birdsinbackyards.net/forum/messages.cfm?threadid=BA5FDD30-BAAF-4FE9-0D5E3EAEEE9EFBAE
I saw a Powerful Owl yesterday morning in my backyard here in North Narrabeen on Sydneys northern beaches. He watched me as I mowed the lawn and wasnt at all disturbed by the sound of the whippersnipper or a group of noisy miners that chirped around him th ewhole time. It was 11.00am in the morning! I have heard the male call earlier in the year and was stoked to see him just sitting there staring at me - massive bird!!
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Hi spanna
Thanks for the post! Regard yourself as very lucky indeed! I live in Roseville and would happily travel to Nth Narrabeen to see the bird if it ever happens to reappear - day or night - I'm that keen!
If your comfortable, e-mail me direct on (muzdwyer@gmail.com) and I will return your mail with my mobile number - leave it with you.
Muz
Hi spanna
Thanks for the post! Regard yourself as very lucky indeed! I live in Roseville and would happily travel to Nth Narrabeen to see the bird if it ever happens to reappear - day or night - I'm that keen!
If your comfortable, e-mail me direct on (muzdwyer@gmail.com) and I will return your mail with my mobile number - leave it with you.
Muz
Hi spanna
Thanks for the post! Regard yourself as very lucky indeed! I live in Roseville and would happily travel to Nth Narrabeen to see the bird if it ever happens to reappear - day or night - I'm that keen!
If your comfortable, e-mail me direct on (muzdwyer@gmail.com) and I will return your mail with my mobile number - leave it with you.
Muz
Hi All
Some sad news. Yep, I have finally seen my first Powerful Owl but unfortunately it wasn't quite the experience I imagined.
Turned out onto Archibold Rd, Lindfield not more than 30 seconds from my girlfriends place on Sunday night and there in front of me were the remains of a ring tail possum and an Owl - must just happened. Put the hazard lights on, got out to have a look and confirmed the worst. No mistaking the yellow talons and feather pattern, it was definitely a Powerful Owl. I moved them both off the road and put them under a bush as it was very late, then went back yesterday arvo after work and buried them so no other animals (eg dogs or cats) would get them.
The only consolation is that the bird would have died instantly, its head was crushed by the vehicle that hit it - such a shame!
Look after that baby edward!
Muz
A sad encounter Muz, but thanks for removing the remains and later burying them - I do the same when it is safe to do so, even feral animals, as I don't want other animals killed if they feed off roadkill.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."