owl!

[leelastarsky]

Last night (c10pm), something 'exciting' was happening around at the supermarket next door to us. Still have no idea what it was, but there were at least 5 firetrucks, 3 police cars and 1 police wagon/van. And those were the ones we could see from the pipe track, which runs between us and the shopping centre. There could have been more. Lots of flashing lights and siren after siren. Anyway, curious as to what was going down, 11yo daughter, 14yo son and I started to walk around to see what was happening and, as we walked through the reserve at the top of our court, I noticed a shape on a low branch beside us... A
tawny frogmouth!


So 14yo son ran back for the camera and came back with Dad, 9yo son and 16yo son as well. The owl didn't seem bothered by us at all, and would launch off the branch to try and catch moths (I presume - he was definitely hunting something airborn) and come back to the same tree, if not the same branch.


I've never seen one so lively! (probably because I've only ever seen them 'pretending to be a branch' in the daytime at the zoo!) So that was VERY exciting.





Isn't he cool?! :~D

Comments

[netbyrd.livejournal.com]

You should post this in the birding community, or would you possibly allow me to link? THese are some really nice shots. He almost looks like he's deciding what his best side is for you to photograph!

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Link away! I'll unlock the post. :~)

[netbyrd.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot. I think they'd like to see that.

[netbyrd.livejournal.com]

So they say it's not an owl or in that family. It's closely related to nightjars, I guess. I didn't even catch that, though I probably should have because of the wide mouth like that.

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

You're right, they're not owls - that's a common misconception because they're active at night. And we exacerbate it by calling them owls. :~P But it's a hard habit to break.