Southern Boobook Owl
4 Comments »29th November, 2010; Category: Garden birds, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars
Southern Boobook Owl, Murray Bridge
Just as we were heading off to bed last night we heard a Southern Boobook Owl calling. It was calling persistently, even when I went up close to it with a torch. I raced back inside for the camera and managed two reasonable photos before it silently flew off again.
This owl species is wide spread throughout Australia where suitable habitat exists. Its call is familiar to many people but the bird is not as often seen. It has been quite a while since we last had one calling in our garden.
Other nocturnal species I have recorded in our garden over the years include:
- Barn Owl
- Australian Owlet-nightjar
- Spotted Nightjar
- Tawny Frogmouth
Southern Boobook Owl, Murray Bridge
Hi Trevor,
Congratulations on your birthday and for your very informative blog. I have been trying to identify a small duck in our farm dam, which has a short black beak, dark brown plumage, yellow eye and a distinctive white patch on it’s cheeks. It laid three eggs in a nest on the pump pipe in the water. Any ideas?
Thanks, Britt Gow, Science and Maths teacher at Hawkesdale P12 College.
Thanks for your kind words Britt.
The bird you are seeing sounds like an Australasian Grebe, a common water bird throughout much of Australia.
You can see a photo here:
http://www.trevorsbirding.com/australasian-grebe-lake-roberts-lameroo/
More information about the species can be found here:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Tachybaptus-novaehollandiae
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