Good point. While I once whistled in a grey goshawk, diurnal raptors
generally don't hang around for people to gawk at them.
As for the possibility of the bird being an escapee, how many owls are
held in captivity? I know places like zoos and wildlife sanctuaries
keep owls, but are there many in private hands?
Regards, Laurie.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2007, at 07:26 PM, David Stowe wrote:
I have seen a Barking Owl pursuing a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo!
I think we should be careful not to dismiss Amy's suggestion of an
Owl. Plenty of people doubted Chris's report of a Barking Owl in
suburban Sydney!
Also surely Owl's are fairly easy to distinguish from a raptor like a
Goshawk even for non-birders??
I would have also thought that an Owl would be much more likely to
stay still in one spot under an awning than a Goshawk. Most Owls I
have seen are quite still if they are roosting and allow close
proximity of people whereas Goshawks etc rarely stay still and fly off
very readily when people are present.
Let's hope some photos can be seen soon!
Thanks Amy for sharing your sighting.
Cheers
Dave
On 11/09/2007, at 5:38 PM, John Leonard wrote:
Recently whilst being guided about in FNQ by Del Richards he informed
me
that recent studies in the Mt Molloy area have shown that Rufous Owls
there
eat Blue-winged Kookaburras.
John Leonard
On 9/11/07, L&L Knight <> wrote:
Perhaps it is a foreign owl that's hitched a lift from Asia?
Following on from Kurtis' point, owls tend to eat mammals rather than
birds, whereas Goshawks tend to eat birds. I think it would be a bit
unusual for an owl to take a magpie.
Regards, Laurie.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2007, at 09:41 AM,
<> wrote:
Dear All,
I had an amazing experience on Friday. (7th Sept.) I was walking
down
the
street in Bridgetown (in south west WA) when something overhead
caught
my
attetion. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw the biggest
owl
I
have ever seen! I was seeing it from behind, as it was sitting on
top
of a
sign outside a shop, and that sign was hanging from the rafters
under
the
verandah. When I walked around to see the front of it, another
surprise!
It was holding a dead magpie in it's claws! Every now and then
he/she
would take a bite out of it, although it was eating very slowly. The
owner
of the shop said that it had been there since 8am and it was
11.30am by
the time I saw it.
I have no experience of owls and neither did any of the many other
people
that stood watching. I also did not have my camera, but many other
people
did so I am going to try to get a copy from someone. No-one knew
what
kind
of owl it was, but we all had the chance to observe it for a long
time, so
it was etched into my brain. When I got back home to my daughters
house, I
pulled out my ID books, and the only owl it could have been is the
Rufous
Owl! My daughter agreed wholeheartedly!
I know, I know, you don't get Rufous Owls in the south west of WA,
but
I
was talking to a local later on in the day and he said that about
eight of
them have been seen. Which of course could be the same bird eight
times!
So obviously an escapee, but an amazing sight nonetheless.
It was one of the best birding experiences I have had in my short
career
of birdwatching.
Bye for now,
Amy Flatt - Happy Bird Watcher!
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