169 : Spotted Eagle-Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl - Bubo Africanus

A Kopje is I think a large mass of rocks rising out of the Savanah. Where we were staying in the Northern Serengetti it was actually gently rolling country with little valleys with brooks dottted along their length with small copisces. The small streams all wend there way down to the Mara river which was stunning. Large boulders, sandy banks, shady areas but all topped off by this huge sky - like a Suffolk sky - except in Africa - its an African sky isn't it but I think Constable would have liked it. There was one area which was quite raised with little complexes and outcrops of rock and boulders - a little bit hilly. It was dotted with single beautiful trees like the ones you see Leopards lolling about in on the television (...or on holiday). This hilly upland reminded me of the Cotswolds in a strange way. We had a couple of drives around it and it turned up different things everytime we ventured into it.

The second drive up in the "Kopjes" we came round the corner of one large outcrop and then Barraka abruptly stopped the car. Now on occasion I might spot the odd bird - Mrs C had a blinding spot that will have to have a post all of its own one morning - to order almost. I have to say though that the guys who do this day in and day out get onto things that you just cannot see for looking. I am sure as its their local patch they will be used to what birds with a very local range hang out where and that they might even have favourite spots or trees etc. That must be true for lions and leopards and so on. Reading in I know that Eagle Owls hold territories that they defend vigorously from other owls - to the death at times so this spot was probably owl HQ.

As the car stopped Barraka pointed out this magnificent Spotted Eagle-Owl sunning itself out on a shelf of a rock. You would think with the thing stood still that I could have got a crisper shot as the bird is a full 50 cm tall and was perhaps only 20 metres away. I really do need to have a chat to someone who has been taking pictures of birds for years. It was in the full sun and it was bright which might suggest that you turn down the stops - but I tried it every which way (I had two dozen shots no better).

This is one of the smaller Eagle Owl species - I remember scare stories about European Eagle-Owls escaping in the UK and snatching up dogs and cats ! This species however prefers small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs - even insects. These are widespread birds across Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsular.

Seeing an owl you always feel lucky and I think apart from the smaller diurnal hunting owls such as Little Owls or the Spotted Owlet I saw in India this year all of my owl sightings in life have been of been of owls roosting in the day like this Brown Fish Owl in Sri Lanka. There are some beautiful owls in the world but short of learning night photography techniques or buying some very specialist equipment I am going have to keep scanning those trees and rocks for roosting spots. There is another issue - I am not going to spend hours in jungles in the night wandering around with a torch. Guys actually do this and I read a book recently where one birder tells another that he will be releived when he has seen his last owl because he sh*t scared in the rain forest at night. Too right !! Its bit more scary than an episode of scooby doo blundering into a tree snake in the dark. We'll have to cross that bridge (trying not to fall in a ditch) when we get to it. For now I am enjoying in a most lazy way expert guides pointing out owls in full daylight that perch nicely and can be photgraphed from the comfort of a big Toyota Safari truck.

I have one more owl up my sleeve from my recent holiday in Tanzania - and he or she is a corker. Before moving on from this owl I think he deserves a good look.

The furry feet, ear tufts and eye colour are all very fine. I am wondering now whether that red patch on the rock is a blood stain from its last small victim, dismembered on this kitchen table with the owl just dozing off after. Look at those eyes - I had a debate with my children as to how owls became associated with wisdom and so on. Man must have anthropomorphacised (you can check the spelling on that !) owls for eons and surely when choosing creatures for Gods (like the Egyptians or ancient Greeks) the very look of the bird must have been taken into account. You cannot discount that "knowing look" - of course the eyes are big to see in the dark ! A blackbird has little beady eyes without the same depth and consquently wise look about them as all they need to do at night is hide from Eagle-owls ! At some point a Neanderthal or an early modern man came back to his cave and said to his wife - "I am sure that that owl was looking at me - he gave me a funny look - as if he knew something I didn't -  best keep the fire burning this evening love as there is mischief about". Who knows. They are wise looking though. If Mrs Cave dweller then got taken off by a sabre tooth tiger while having a pee outside the cave early the next morning then that might have set the ball rolling for owls and wiseness. I dare you to look into this owls eyes discount the fact that he knows something you do not.

After being bothered by my camera for a couple of minutes while we chatted with Barraka about all things Eagle Owl (the philosophical debate about why Athene is the god of wisdom and all things owls came later) he looped down off the shelf and flew up behind some hanging down branches. If he had been tucked in there we never would have spotted him or her (who knows). But then he kenw we were just about to come round the corner and was feeling generous. This is one of my birds of the holiday I guess.

Spotted Eagle Owl, Bubo Africanus

Northern Serengetti, near the Mara River, Tanzania

24 July 2012