This morning at about 0300 hrs, my sleep was disturbed by a call that was unmistakable from an owl. I was instantly awake and realized that the call was from within my bedroom balcony. I tiptoed to the window and what do I see... a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) about 12 inches tall. But this was a special one, cause I was standing exactly three feet away. I could make out its facial features perfectly, the face was snowy white, the fine feathers blown-in on one part of its face by the wind.
It was a catch 22 situation, I make a move towards the camera and this fellow was a gonner, if i don't then its a sitter in my mind alone. After about 3 mins of peering at me with smart tilts of its head, it flew to an adjacent house about 45-50 feet away. I got my camera and tried all possible combination to make a shot but the lack of light and the distance ensured that all I got was worthless shots. one of them is below.
From this spot it flew on to my roof. The sight of it swooping down and then up to my roof was spell binding. I could hear its call a few more times and then it flew down to a vacant plot overgrown with weeds and never came again. I stayed awake till 5 AM armed with a torch, hoping that it would come back and let me take another shot at it, this time with the light. It never did come back.
On my return from the office, I was informed about an injured bird in a neighbouring house. It was a female Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata) (thanks to Adesh on INW for helping me with the ID), It seemed to be pretty comfortable where it was and the male was getting all worked up when i tried to get near it to see the damage. Decided to let it be and got a photo off.
From this spot it flew on to my roof. The sight of it swooping down and then up to my roof was spell binding. I could hear its call a few more times and then it flew down to a vacant plot overgrown with weeds and never came again. I stayed awake till 5 AM armed with a torch, hoping that it would come back and let me take another shot at it, this time with the light. It never did come back.On my return from the office, I was informed about an injured bird in a neighbouring house. It was a female Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata) (thanks to Adesh on INW for helping me with the ID), It seemed to be pretty comfortable where it was and the male was getting all worked up when i tried to get near it to see the damage. Decided to let it be and got a photo off.
Looking forward for some birding come Sunday morning. Can hardly wait.
Bird Humor
What do you call a very rude bird ?
A mockingbird !
Until next time...Lets bird.
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