Aurora fail … not totally

After admiring some of the amazing images of the recent aurora australis I headed out last night in the hope of capturing some shots of this extraordinary phenomenon.

Upon my arrival at the chosen spot I could hear an Eastern Barn Owl calling close by and directly behind me (north) from its perch in a massive River Red Gum. Cursing my failure to bring the necessary gear I hurried home to rectify the situation and returned … the owl was continuing to call repeatedly from the same perch.

As I fumbled with camera, tripod and flash another individual arrived, rodent in its beak, passed it to the calling bird which then disappeared into a nearby hollow. What to make of all this?

The bird pictured below was the recipient of the rodent. I think it’s an adult female – somewhat boldly marked underneath and no real sign of juvenile down, although perhaps some vestiges on the back? Was the adult female passing the kill to juveniles?

It reappeared some minutes later and flew to another perch higher in the tree, continuing to call enthusiastically. When I returned a couple of hours later there were no owls to be seen – just some soft hissing calls from the hollow.

The last image is my aurora fail … missed by 24 hours it seems!

Eastern Barn Owl, Green Gully, 12th May 2024

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Looking south at the remnants of an aurora!

A powerful hawk-owl

At this time of year our local hawk-owls are entering their breeding period and this is when you are more likely to hear them calling.

Recently I’ve had numerous local reports of calling Barking Owls and Powerful Owls – last night I heard both species calling in town, along with our smallest local hawk-owl, the Southern Boobook.

The sequence below, taken mid-afternoon yesterday, features a Powerful Owl roosting on an exposed limb of a veteran River Red Gum. This is somewhat unusual as owls are often pestered by small birds when in the open, which is one reason they often select a spot inside the canopy of a dark-foliaged tree such as a Blackwood to spend the daylight hours.

The last two profile images clearly illustrate why the owls belonging to the genus Ninox are known as hawk-owls.

Powerful Owl, Green Gully Creek, 4th May 2024

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Stubble burns and raptors … some observations

Stubble burning is a vexed subject, even in the farming community.

While numerous studies indicate that the economic benefits of stubble burning are short-lived and outweighed by longer-term financial and ecological costs, it continues across large areas of cropping country, albeit at lower levels than much of last century. While retention of stubble has increased in recent decades it is by no means the norm and autumn burning has seemingly become more popular during the recent run of wetter than average seasons.

It is not my intention here to delve further into what is a complex story …

Stubble fires are a magnet for raptors – the first whisps of smoke will attract a a variety of species, often in large numbers.

My observations on the Moolort Plains over many years suggest that four species are especially associated with stubble burns – Black Kite, Whistling Kite, Brown Falcon and the Black Falcon, the latter a threatened species in Victoria. While the kites and Brown Falcon profit from the many large insects (grasshoppers, crickets etc.) that are dislocated by the burn, Black Falcons are mainly focused on small to medium sized grassland birds such as pipits, quail and larks.

The burn shown in this sequence of images was dominated by Black Kites with smaller numbers of the other three raptors mentioned above. There were two Black Falcons, possibly three – not an insignificant number for such a rare (and beautiful) raptor.

The behaviour of the birds before, during and after a stubble burn are certainly interesting. Black Kites will happily fly close to and through the fire front, landing briefly to take insects on smoldering ground. The Whistling Kites tend to float above the fire, descending when conditions are calmer. Black Falcons likewise can be seen soaring, often dropping to a lower level when actively hunting. On a number of occasions during this burn I observed Black Falcons making fast, low level passes in pursuit of prey, one cameo involved two individuals with a second apparently chasing the other which had successfully snared a luckless bird.

Moolort Plains stubble burn with Black Kites, Picnic Point, 12th April 2024

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Brown Falcon over stubble burn

Black Kite

Black Falcon

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Black Kite with grasshopper prey

Brown Falcon on still burning stubble

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Black Falcon

Plains silhouettes

Observations of these two species have been few and far between in recent times. I’ve crossed paths with a handful of Spotted Harriers in the past year, but nary a single Black Falcon in that time.

Both are ‘plains country’ raptors with distinctive silhouettes that show off some useful diagnostic features.

The Spotted Harrier has deeply fingered wing-tips, more pronounced than the Swamp Harrier, while the general shape of the wings is squarer and broader. While hunting low over open country the wings are up-swept and the tail appears wedge-shaped, whereas that of the Swamp Harrier is squarer.

Spotted Harrier, Moolort Plains, 8th April 2024

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The Black Falcon in flight is hard to mistake for its close relative, the ‘pedestrian’ Brown Falcon. While not as rapid as the Peregrine Falcon, it is fast and powerful, especially in level flight in pursuit of small to mid-sized birds. In silhouette the Black Falcon has a long tail, typically ending in a point – the third image below shows a classic soaring profile – fanned tail with sharply pointed wings. The bird pictured below was seen hunting over recently burnt stubble, fending off a pair of Nankeen Kestrels upset at its presence.

Black Falcon

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Step by cautious step

The Southern Boobook was enjoying the post-dawn sunshine, perched at the darkened ‘entrance’ of an old tank stand. Not sure how my eye was drawn to the bird when I first spotted it, some fifty metres distant. It was scanning the ground intently, in front of its lookout – I suspect it was hoping for another mouse before ‘bed’.

The beautiful creature tolerated me as I made a careful approach until I was almost within touching distance.

Southern Boobook, Newstead, 30th March 2024

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I returned later in the day. The owl was gone, but had left behind a worn primary feather. A close up view of the feather shows fringes, like the teeth of a comb. This adaptation softens the flow of air over the feathers when the owl is in flight, helping absorb noise that might alert potential prey.

Southern Boobook – worn primary feather

Up close

Goshawk 1 … rosella 0!

I didn’t see this coming, neither did the Eastern Rosella drinking beside the bush dam on South German Track.

The Brown Goshawk was, I suspect, secretly perched nearby and descended on its unfortunate victim. The second image shows the raptor mantling its prey, a common technique for which a range of explanations are offered.

Moments after the kill the goshawk crouched low with its wings spread, ‘mantling’ its prey. The main reason used to explain this behaviour is that it obscures the prey and reduces the chances of another predator arriving to steal the meal. The appearance of the bird with its wings spread also makes it appear larger and more intimidating. I wonder also if in some cases it prevents a wounded bird from escaping.

Events such as this have an element of sadness but this is how nature is ‘designed’ to work.

Brown Goshawk with its kill – an Eastern Rosella, South German Track, 7th March 2024

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Remembering to look skywards

It’s impossible to be looking in two places at once but I’m often reminded of the value of ‘shifting the gaze’ when searching high and low for birds.

Watching these Australasian Darters I was oblivious to the magnificent White-bellied Sea-Eagle circling directly above me. Luckily I eventually looked up and there it was!

Australasian Darter (female), Joyce’s Creek, 7th February 2024

Australasian Darter (male)

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

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Spotted … near Picnic Point

Two of our less common raptors have been even scarcer over the past year or so.

The Spotted Harrier and the Black Falcon, both very different looking birds occupy similar habitat – open country of cropland and grassland. Their foraging habits though are quite different, with the harrier floating low in search of ground birds such as quail, and often seen flying ‘patterns’ over stubble at this time of year.

I had seen this bird the previous evening, but at a distance was unsure of its identity – it was most certainly a harrier but lacked the contrasting colours and markings of an adult Spotted Harrier. Closer views last evening confirmed it as an immature Spotted Harrier, rather than a Swamp Harrier – the unbarred tips of the primaries a distinguishing feature. As I watched this bird both Brown Quail and Stubble Quail were calling nearby.

No Black Falcons last evening, but I’d bet on seeing one over the next few weeks.

Spotted Harrier (immature), Picnic Point on the Moolort Plains, 2nd February 2024

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Outstanding result

There are several pair of Barking Owls in the district and this season appears to be have been a good one in terms of breeding success.

A clutch in this species is either two or three eggs, with the eggs incubated for around 28 days and then another 45 days from hatching to fledging. This trio of youngsters successfully fledged around the 5th October, an outstanding result.

Barking Owl (adult male), Newstead area, 3rd October 2023

Barking Owl (adult male) … having a stretch

Juvenile at entrance to the nest hollow, 5th October 2023

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Triplets!

Juvenile Barking Owl, 8th October 2023

Barking Owl (adult female), 10th October 2023

Another beauty

Such a delight to again get up close to an Eastern Barn Owl.

This bird, possibly a male, is one of a pair that has been roosting in a spruce tree at Sandon in recent days. Most owl species will often use the dark spaces in the foliage of native and introduced species to avoid the attention of small birds that typically harass them whenever they venture into the open.

I suspect the Barn Owl pair may have a hollow in some nearby veteran River Red Gums for nesting, although competition with Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Long-billed Corellas is intense at present.

Eastern Barn Owl at its daytime roost, Sandon, 25th August 2023

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Just prior to its dusk departure