Interaction between Sooty and Masked Owls

As Trevor Quested mentioned in his post about our visit to Gloucester Tops,
we had Masked and Sooty Owls in the one spot at virtually the same time.
The Sooty Owls had been completely silent until we played a Masked Owl
tape, at which time they started calling.  The Masked Owl was silent
throughout.

It is interesting to consider what this says about the relationship between
these species.  We were surprised to see two large Tyto owls so close to
each other.  I imagine that they compete for the same prey.  Does the fact
that the Sooties called suggest they are normally the more aggressive
species, and would seek to excluse Masked Owls from their territory?

In the past I have seen Boobooks in exactly the same spot too.   On
Saturday night we could hear them nearby.  I guess we heard a total of
about ten to fifteen Boobooks in various spots.

Murray Lord
Sydney