Rufous Owl in South West WA

["Philip Veerman" <>]

I don't think that an owl eating a magpie is at all unusual (even though it is 
not their main fare). Ninox Owls certainly eat birds. A good bit of lateral 
thinking from Kurtis to suggest it may be a Brown Goshawk. We should let her 
look at the books and respond to that suggestion. As the correspondent wrote "I 
have no experience of owls" but also slightly contradictorily "I looked up and 
saw the biggest owl I have ever seen!" As in does she or not know how to 
distinguish an owl from a goshawk. Also the time suggested (morning) and that 
it was feeding, would probably be more fitting of a diurnal raptor than an owl.

Philip