Alberta, thank you for that information, and your evocative memory of the sneeze of the owl. The mice I saw being fed to the owls were pink and hairless, which might raise a subject
that would take us deep into the technical side of dietary management for the Barking Owl. I have another snap from my zoo visit, not good for focus, but I present it unedited except for some adjustment of texture and clarity. An A. Raven has seized the
tail of a thylacine. Its motive is a matter for speculation, but perhaps the sight of this presumed extinct marsupial in A. Raven heartland stirred a Jungian memory of the time that the raven’s ancestors fed on thylacine remains in mainland Australia.
Geoffrey
From: Alberta Hayes <>
Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2024 9:33 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb <>
Cc: Canberrabirds <>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Possibly not born free
Hi chatline and Geoffrey,
The Barking Owls in question have been there for many years now. If memory serves, they were hand-raised after something happened with their nest. For one of my birthdays, a friend of mine who was a keeper had me and my grandmother accompany
her at feeding time with the owls when they were still new to the zoo and quite young. I had the ignoble experience of having one sneeze while trying to swallow half a mouse while I was hand-feeding it - quite the splattery and visceral memory!
On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 at 11:14, Geoffrey Dabb via Canberrabirds <> wrote:
At the zoo yesterday, while gathering snaps for a non-bird project, I heard clear and repeated wook-wooks above the traffic and general zoo noise. These were
from a pair of captive Barking Owls. i was told by zoo staff that this kind of excited daytime calling happened at feeding time or in response to nearby construction noise. It was just possible to get some kind of snap of the feeding through the fine mesh
of the large and well-vegetated enclosure. Many will have firm views on the confining of owls, or indeed of any animals, but if you want to familiarise yourself at close range with the sound of male and female Barking Owls this would be one place to go, provided
you have additional interests that would justify the price of admission. Owl-calling time was about 1.20 pm.
.
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