A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
A Wise Old Owl
- Anon
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| Athena the Spotted owlet Athene brama | Maharajgunj, Kathmandu | 10:00 am May 6 2015 |
...and yes I named her just now after checking the scientific name ;). I'm assuming she's a she. Her roost is an electric pole behind my home where she has been living for some years now. After several failed attempt to get a good photo (thanks to her super sensitive sight and hearing) I finally managed to get this shot with my 250mm canon zoom lens.
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| Ever so alert my little neighbour observes my behaviour from the safety of her urban home | 12:48 pm May 8 2015 |
Edit: May 21, 2015
After several observation during the past week I found out that Athena is raising a family. I noticed four different individuals in a single sighting (though I strongly suspect there is a fifth one). It seems like Athena and her mate are raising 2-3 fledglings.
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| Suspecting no foul play this curious fledgling allowed me within few meters of itself...the edge of my roof | 12:51 pm May 21 2015 |
a) May 17 - Saw an owlet chasing a mongoose (probably Indian grey mongoose) out of their territory. The frightened mongoose was running and hiding all the way as the owlet swept threateningly close to the ground to warn the trespasser.
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b) May 21 - Athena and her mate chased three common mynas that were flocking close to their nest.
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| .....later discovered the common myna nest on the top floor | May 22 2015 |
c) May 21 - A red-vented bulbul was sharing the branch in which Athena was perching and she was cool with it.
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| ...it's cool bro | 4:32 pm |
d) May 21 - Athena brought a fresh kill for her young fledgling which was on ground hiding behind a drainage pipe (see photo). Though I could not identify the prey species it appears to be a small/young bird.
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| peek-a-boo | 4:48 pm |
1. House crow
2. House sparrow
3. Common myna
4. Jungle myna
5. Rock pigeon
6. Oriental magpie robin (Male and Female)
7. Spotted dove (Pair)
8. Cattle egret (seasonal migration for breeding)
9. Black-crowned night heron (seasonal migration for breeding)
10. Red-vented bulbul
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| Home territory |
http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Athene&species=brama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_owlet
http://www.thejaps.org.pk/docs/18_1_2008/07-732-Mahmood-Final.pdf
http://www.zoosprint.org/zooprintjournal/2003/august/1163-1165.pdf
"Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?"....:)
ReplyDeletehey! glad to see you here :) . I got a question for you. Are you familiar with the courtship behaviour of spotted owlets? I've been seeing another one in the area...it could've arrived a bit earlier but I've been noticing this second owlet during this past week. It seems like a female/male is here to court my neighbour. How do they usually behave....do the males travel to female territory or is it the other way around?
Deletehaha...nice observation buddy! BTW, how does an owl chase a mongoose during the day? Does it have the proper vision during the daytime/or is it because of its sharp hearing ?
ReplyDeleteHey bro. Nice to hear from you. Hope you're doing well. :)
DeleteI'm not certain how well the spotted owlet sees in bright light condition but they do see to some certain degree. And due to front facing eyes they have binocular vision and can perceive depth. And you're right, in addition to their vision their extraordinary hearing plays a vital role in observing movements. I've copied some info regarding owl vision below. :)
1. http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=Owl+Physiology&title=Vision
"The retina of an owl's eye has an abundance of light-sensitive, rod-shaped cells appropriately called "rod" cells. Although these cells are very sensitive to light and movement, they do not react well to colour. Cells that do react to colour are called "cone" cells (shaped like a cone), and an Owl's eye possesses few of these, so most Owls see in limited colour or in monochrome.
Since Owls have extraordinary night vision, it is often thought that they are blind in strong light. This is not true, because their pupils have a wide range of adjustment, allowing the right amount of light to strike the retina. Some species of Owls can actually see better than humans in bright light."
2. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/spring/OwlFacts.html
"Owls can see in the daytime. Their pupils don't get as small as ours in bright light, so to block out the extra light, they often close their eyes half-way or more. They may look sleepy or even half asleep when really they are wide awake and alert.
Vision cells (called rods and cones) are in the retina of all animals. But birds and primates (including humans) have a special area in the retina called the fovea where these vision cells are especially concentrated. In hawks and owls, the fovea is on the upper part of the retina, so things below the owl appear exceptionally clear. This helps them hunt on the ground. When owls close their eyes half way, they block out the sky and some of the sunlight, but can still see the ground below perfectly."