Something a little different for me to post to break up the landscape images is a couple of images of our recent house guests. Over the past few weeks we have been enjoying the very close quarters with 3 Owls, sometimes just a mere 4-6 feet away from us perched overhead on the sun sail over the outdoor table.
Until recently there was a noise in the backyard I though was just some bird. Each evening I’d hear this calling and thought man that bird should be sleeping already. Well not until a few weeks ago when our 3 Owls showed there full presence and started calling that I finally put 2 + 2 together and realized they had been in our yard now for at least 2 plus months. I have not seen any nest but do believe they are a breeding pair with their yearly offspring. My daughter just shy of 2 just loves them and is now always looking in the trees to spot them first. This morning for the first morning they are not to be seen, I hope they come back, but maybe there parenting duties are over and we’ll have to wait to next year … Either way it was nice to have them around for a period …
If Dave Bettini is around, Dave I would love to know a little more about these Owls and the correct name for them … Cheers Neal
Here is a couple of quick pics taken during the week. Not the most perfect shots with a couple of blown highlights in one that could be cloned out, but hey its all about the Owls … shot on my 70-200 f/2.8 lens which is for sale by the way for $1450 ….
Next up on the blog back to some landscapes and a photograph from Western Australia …
Landscape Photography 
Nice work mate!
Cheers Mark …. Sorry I did not get round to saying see ya last night, I was running a little late on another engagement and got caught up saying a few goodbyes before getting the time to say cya … Nice work last night by the way ….
No worries mate…you made the effort to come down and have a look which was much appreciated.
G’day Neil
Got the trusty feild guide in front of me. Your bird is the Southern boobook. They are pretty much found found throughout Aust and there appearers to be serval races of the boobook and yours would be race ocellata. Ocellata is found all over WA except for the driest deserts. They breed from Aug-Dec and nest in tree hollows.
They are very similar to the Barking Owl which isn’t as common. Their calls being the most obvious difference. The boobook makes something like “wok wok…….wok wok”. The barking has a very distinct :wooo whoop-whoop!” You often hear them in the Pilbara and they sound really cool!
Hope this helps mate!
Dave
Cheers Dave for all the info thats great knowledge to know … I hope they come back soon, maybe tomorrow as I think if they are not here today they ma not come back during the day because of the heat … as son as I see them I’ll give you a call so you can photograph them …
Nice mate, Owls are cool!
Check this video out, hope the link works
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/video/video.php?v=479934107975&comments
Couple of funny owls in there too
Link never work Matt, redirected straight the fb home page
this should work, bloody hilareous
Allan, Allan, Allan, no thats not Allan, Steve, Steve, Steve …. that was the funniest part …. cheers for that …