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Powerful Owl dozing in the treetops
It’s a while since I’ve spotted a Powerful Owl. A few days ago, I saw the tell tale dark blob high in the branches of the forest. Using my camera’s zoom, I could identify the bird. The only view I had is from behind, with the bird’s head turned slightly towards me and one eye partly open:
It’s always a privilege to see these impressive birds. Powerful Owls can weigh well over 2 kilograms, and reach up to 65 centimetres in height. They hunt at night and roost quietly during the day. Their prey consists of small creatures such as possums.
Common name: Powerful Owl
Scientific name: Ninox strenua
Approximate length: 65 cm
Date spotted: 7 November 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia. Approximate map reference: 33°46’55.8″S 151°15’12.1″E
Wakeful Southern Boobook at Manly Dam
A little Southern Boobook was wide awake when I walked beneath its tree this morning. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these owls, though I’ve heard them hoot during the night hours.
I sat down on the ground and watched the bird for a while. It wasn’t disturbed by my presence, and grew quite sleepy, as you can see in the next video. At the end of the video I zoomed out so that you can see a bit of the bush surrounding the bird:
Southern Boobooks are quite small, at around 30cm in length from head to tail. Compare that to the Powerful Owl, which is around 65cm.
Here’s a still photo of the bird, showing a deep yellow eye and fluffy white feathers above its beak:
Southern Boobooks are quite common. They feed mostly on insects and spiders, but they do take the occasional small bird or animal too. Here’s a closeup of the owl’s face:
Common name: Southern Boobook
Scientific name: Ninox novaeseelandiae
Approximate length: 30cm
Date spotted: 20 March 2019 (late summer)
Location: Manly Dam National Reserve, near Sydney: 33°46’30.0″S 151°15’09.2″E
Juvenile Powerful Owl with two adults
Today I went back to a spot in the bush where I’ve seen a Powerful Owl a few times. This time, there were three owls, one of them a juvenile: white and fluffy, with dark patches around its eyes. It heard me, and checked me out:
It’s hard to get a good day’s sleep when you’re an owl. Listen to all the noise they have to put up with from the other birds:
Here’s a still photo of the three owls:
And here’s a rear view of the juvenile:
Common name: Powerful Owl
Scientific name: Ninox strenua
Approximate length: 65 cm
Date spotted: 6 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’51.0″S 151°14’52.1″E
Sydney Birder 