Hi Lorne
Over the years there have been a number of records for Barking Owls in the
Sydney area, apart from Stannix Park, and since 1980 these include:
23/6/1983 1 Castle Hill
-/12/83 2 Berowra Creek, Hornsby Heights
4/8/1990 HC Patricia Street, Eastwood (by Ernie Hoskin)
15/6/1996 1 Seven Hills
29/10/96 Seen Patricia St. Eastwood by Ernie Hoskin
however this is not many records so that there is good reason to be
sceptical. Recently a bush regenerator working in Wambina NR Matcham (NSW
Central Coast) told me that she had seen two Sooty Owls in the Reserve. One
of my colleagues who although not a birdwatcher, has good identication
skills for wildlife generally went to check. He reported back to me that the
birds were in fact Barking Owls! Having not seen (but heard) a Barking Owl
on the Central Coast, I suffered many leeches and a mad scramble down a very
steep hillside to see these Barking Owls only to be presented with a pair of
very obliging Boobook Owls! So my advice is, unless the observer is a
recognised & capable birdwatcher, don't trust your neighbours ID abilities,
go and see for yourself.
Alan Morris
lorne wrote:
> A guy I live near in Pymble says he saw a Barking Owl last night
> (4.5.99) at about 8:30pm. This is, apparently, his third or fourth
> sighting in the last five months.
>
> I went out looking for it for forty minutes after 9pm, making the
> dog-like 'wok wok' call, but came up with nothing.
>
> I'm a little doubtful of his claim. He may have seen a Boobook. Yet,
> he's serious re. owls and wouldn't say any old thing, and the habitat is
> sort of right for them... spacious, open woodland with big tall timber
> for hollows, big olympic pool... we get rats quite regularly.
>
> Anyway, can anyone tell me how regularly Barking Owls have been seen in
> suburban Sydney????? I think they are rare/uncommon in Sydney, only
> being seen out at Stannix Park, and that pair vanished a while ago.
>
> Thanks all, have a decent day.
>
> LGJ.
> To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
>
> Include ONLY "unsubscribe birding-aus" in the message body (without the
> quotes)
To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
Include ONLY "unsubscribe birding-aus" in the message body (without the
quotes)
|
