We have been watching a pair of P_owls in the Sutherland Shire lately and a few weeks ago noticed the male had a closed left eye.
After about 10 days he re-opened it but it seems that it is permantly damaged. Since then we have seen him with only two small birds...most likely nestling currawongs... instead of the usual ringtail possums.
We suspect that he is struggling to catch his normal meals and is instead robbing nests of their contents at night.
His damaged eye could be from flying into a branch or perhaps from an adult currawong who, in company, attack the P_owls relentlessly during the day.
There is also a video of the P_owl eating the small bird but it is not for the squeamish.
Cheers,
A.
Thanks for sharing some great photos.
Shame about the injury looks pretty nasty
Dont take life too seriously, it never ends well
Ouch, that eye looks very sore.
Choosypix, you'll have had many, many encounters with these Powerful Owls over a considerable period. Do you think they've become, as Henry Higgins would have said, accustomed to your face & are seeing you as non-threatening?
Great pics. I hope that Powerful Owl survives
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Great shots choosypix! Hope the male learns to cope with his injury.
Many thanks for your comments laza, Devster, Woko, HelloBirdy and alcatraz.
This is about the time that these owls move to their summer area so we don't see them as often.
We have found that if you sit quietly they soon go back to sleep.
The biggest impact on their lives is other birds attacking them...currawongs are by far the worst offenders but noisy miners, wattlebirds, ravens and even kookaburras also take the time to harass them. Probably a payback for the owls eating their comanions!