Have you ever wonder what would happen if a couple of ravens attacked a P_owl fledgling while the Mum was watching?
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Cheeky Buggers. What were they trying to gain by picking on the fledglings?
Great parenting :)
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
The ending you were hoping for:">http://
Dave
Sydney
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12185187@N00/
That is gold, Dave!
Great shots especially among all the branches
Dont take life too seriously, it never ends well
Many thanks for all the comments.
They are not great photos but we think they show something that isn't often seen.
The adult P_owls were quietly sitting about 1.5 metres from the lone fledgling when a pair of ravens began 'monstering' the young one. Junior began trilling and the mum flew close to him. The ravens persisted and finally the mum became infuriated and tried to grab one of the ravens.
The battle went on for nearly ten minutes. It was complete pandemonium...the ravens were calling loudly, the mother owl was bleating and to add to the noise a flock of cockies came over and circled above squawking and screeching.
The mother launched herself at the ravens multiple times but they were far more agile and each time evaded her grasp.
When she concentrated on one the other attacked her from behind . When she turned her attention to the second the first one attacked her.
Meanwhile the dad inched closer to Junior and watched carefully but took no part in the battle.
We don't know if the ravens intended to harm the fledgling or were just trying to drive the owls away but today there is no sign of the owls in their customary roosts.
The fledgling P_owl seems to have suffered no harm from the ravens...but Mum and Dad are staying much closer to Junior.
Here is Dad instructing Junior in personal grooming.
It is surprising how big Junior is, seeing how he is only 3 weeks out of the nest.
Ravens are pretty smart birds, aren't they? What on Earth possessed them to attack a powerful owl??
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
From Wikipedia:
In one case, a pair of Australian ravens (Corvus coronoides) attacked and killed a powerful owl, likely to defend themselves and their nest.
^ McNABBI, E. G., KAVANAGH, R. P., & CRAIG, S. A. (2007). FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE POWERFUL OWL Ninox strenua lN SOUTH-EASTERN AUSTRALIA.
Dave
Sydney
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12185187@N00/