Rainy day, so a quick Grey Fantail sketch. Every drawing is practice for the next.
We've just realised what we though was the male guarding the nest was in fact the female. You can see her front is really worn from being pecked by the Owlet. That she is no longer in the hollow during the day suggests the Owlet really is quite a way along it's development. This is a weird season.
Male Powerful Owl guarding the nearby nest hollow while displaying a bird this morning in suburban Brisbane.
Lachlan McNamara on Aust Bird Id noted that you can see this type of feather in my pic, and that feather is a Crested Pigeon. So it would appear that's what it is.
Female Powerful Owl having a quick peak out of the nest hollow this evening. Her brood patch where she has lost feathers on her chest to keep the eggs warm is showing quite strongly.
#brisbane #birds #wildoz
If anybody can id the bird, I'd appreciate it as bird prey for Powerful Owls is relatively rare (~5% in one paper from down south, and I'd say I'd seen much less than that in Brissie).
A little later the female Powerful Owl came fully out of the hollow and caught up with her partner for a few minutes before going back into the hollow.
The first Powerful Owlet of the season! When @lucyparkerpaul.bsky.social and I first heard the Owlet trilling from the hollow we were so not expecting it we thought "What's that sound that sounds like an Owlet trilling?". It'll likely be another month and a half before it comes out of the hollow.
New Powerful Owl nest hollow! It was great fun owl detecting this one. We'd heard a male calling 2 nights ago in the area. Today we scouted & found a tree we liked, then discovered 3 sets of scat nearby. At dusk a male called to the south, then flew in to investigate the hollow as a female watched.
