I was surprised to hear that Barking Owls are rare in some places.
I have often heard them at night along the rivers in western NSW and on the
Cooper in SW Qld. You can't mistake the double woof-woof. After the
Barn Owl, they have been the easiest owl for me to find.
Last year I found one in the afternoon being harassed by Noisy Minors at
Gunnedah and once some years ago I rushed outside after hearing an ungodly
scream. there was nothing there, but I am sure it was a Barking Owl.
A friend of mine used to have a family of them in her hedge at Lyndhurst
NSW. She tells the story of unfortunate apostle birds who used to go into
her cocky's aviary after seed. They could never find their way out again
and during the night a Barking Owl would somehow catch them and try to pull
them through the bars. Each morning my friend would find decapitated
apostlebirds! It soon became her last evening chore to release the
apostlebirds before dusk.
Annabel Hoskins
Gunnedah Global Information Centre
(Gunnedah's Public Library)
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