OK, here's the scenario
Leanne and I were picking our way down a rainforest gully when we
flushed a pale looking owl from [what I think was] the stem end of a
piccabeen frond. I had time to say [deleted] 'that's an owl' before it
flew down the gully.
Sizewise, it was comparable to a tawny frogmouth, and from what I could
see of it as it was flying through the canopy reminded me a bit of a
night heron. I didn't get to see it through the knockerlockers, and
when I flushed it a second time while creeping down the gully it flew
of high and out of sight [couldn't see it land].
The bottom line is that seen from the front, my impression was of a
white/grey bird and I did find a feather and some mouse-sized bone
fragments below its perch. The feather looks like a chest feather. It
is a bit over 4 cm long. The first 2.5 cm is a very downy white with a
bit of a grey fringe. The last 2 cm is a mid-grey. Most of the grey
section is fairly continuous, but the barb tips [last 2-3 mm] are all
distinct.
The rainforest habitat might suggest a sooty, but the bird seemed a bit
pale, and I don't think sooties roost out in the open [don't know if
they eat mice]. The paleness of the bird and the mouse bones suggest a
barn owl, but I'm not sure if you get barn owls in rainforest gullies.
I believe you might get pale morph masked owls in SE Qld, but do they
hang out in rainforest gullies?
Regards, Laurie.
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