Powerful Owl on the Prowl

[lyn2233]

Last night about 11.15pm there was this almighty screeching and screaming outside, we raced out our neighbours came out of there houses and in our tree right next to my aviary with my finches was this Powerful Owl he was huge. The screaming was coming from what we thought was a possum as they eat about 300 a year and April is the month they are on the prowl for prey. We scared it off and turns out it was trying to kill a bat quite a big one. Poor thing must have a few bites as the next day there was blood on the ground. It flew off to our neighbours fence looking at his silhouette he was a very BIG owl. We had one here a couple of years ago out the back.

[jusdeb]

If I didnt have aviaries Id say send it up here .... the bats here fly so close to the house and land in our trees ....huge buggers and is one critter that does give me the heebie geebies .

[mickw]

Listen late at night & you'll hear them calling......very long ranging, relatively deep "hoo.....hooo"

Good catch.....had one hear one night........was sitting in the lounge room watching telly when I just got this sense of someone running down the side of the house (socio-economics of my neighbourhood are a bit dodgy!).....then the neighbours dog went off, then every dog in the street started up......I steeled myself with baseball bat in hand, ready to take on the villain as I switched on the floodlight on the back porch.........there, on top of the netball hoop, a very startled Powerful Owl.........they are huuuuuuuge..........we get Powerfuls, Sootys, Masked and Barkings here......aswell as the ubiquitous Boobooks

I've been meaning to play some calls to get them in to do a bit of a clean-up..............fluffy cats are roughly the same size as Ringtails/Brushys & Gretaer Gliders

[Jayburd]

wow... I saw one once, massive creatures

[Myzomela]

There's a photo in the local paper this week of a powerful owl with a brush turkey in its talons.
It apparently sat in this lady's back yard until dusk, when it flew off, turkey in tow...
The photo was apparently taken in the lady's backyard in Pymble.

[Jayburd]

bloody heck!

[VR1Ton]

Been one here for nearly 3 weeks, lost 4 half grown chickens, picks them off from their roost in the orange tree, then lands on the dog pen post, dogs come out & bark, has dropped 3 of the chicks in the pen & I blamed the dogs for the first 2 till I saw the owl actually going through the motion. Still better a chook than one of the birds, but they generally don't hang around that long here to worry me.

[BENSONSAN]

Yea ive seen erm before there an amazing bird! Will take out currawongs aswell ive been told. Also roosting sulphur cresteds. Very cool bird. Hey lynn i think your finches are safe wouldnt touch the sides for him hehe

[lyn2233]

Yeah Ben, My finches would'nt even be an appetiser for him.