[UNCLASSIFIED]SootyOwls and Honeyeaters

We spent the weekend in the Jervis Bay area and on the Friday night we camped near Bendeela dam (Kangaroo Valley) and in the morning drove up to a section of Morton NP. We had exciting views of 7 different honeyeaters in the same flowering eucalypt - Yellow tufted, yellow faced, white cheeked, white naped, New Holland, scarlet and spinebill.

In Booderee NP we ventured out for some spotlighting, after remembering some advice from Stuart Harris about a Sooty Owl he had seen in the Steamers Beach car park. Not thinking we would be as lucky, but hopeful none the less, we cruised down the track spotlighting as we went. We stopped the car at a spot were we could hear a couple of Boobooks calling and while we were looking for them we heard the distinct falling bomb whistle of a Sooty Owl. Well, this got us pretty excited and after playing their call we had 2 of them in trees somewhere right above us..... But, blowed if we could see them!!! We spent about 10 mins searching energetically with the spotlight, all the time they were doing their cricket like call and we couldn't find them. Frustration factor was pretty high! 

We assumed in the end that they mustn't have any eye shine. Does anyone know?

Thanks for the tip, Stuart!

Kathy and John

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