In terms of memorability and experience, seeing and recording the call of the Oriental Scops Owl comes second to the Sri Lanka Frogmouth. At the end of the day's birding on 8th March, as we came back to Backwoods Camp, Loven, our extremely knowledgable, amicable and lovable birding guide cum co-owner of Backwoods told me that he would look for the Oriental Scops Owl near the lodge's entry in another 15 minutes or so and asked me to come back.
It was already quite dark. By the time I came back near the gate it was quite dark. Lowen went looking for the bird along a jungle trail. As I tried to follow him he stopped me and asked me to wait near the gate while he would go in alone.
He came back in a few minutes. He had no news of the owl. He started playing the call of the owl from his mobile, holding his hand up. He kept on playing it a few times. We waited patiently in silence after this. After about 10 minutes or so the bird came flying from the direction in which Lowen had gone earlier.
It sat on a perch in the tree above us. And started hooting. Lowen showed the bird to us with his torch. I didn't see it too well. But I certainly heard and recorded it very clearly.
After a few minutes the bird flew away back to where it came from (presumably bored if not confused by the false alarm of a non-existent competitor), while the forest around Backwoods slipped back into the night's silence.
It was a brief encounter. But an interesting one. Made interesting perhaps because of the setting. I wish we didn't have to get it through call playback. Perhaps next time.
PS: It is curious that the bird is not listed on ebirds. I have written a mail to them. They are yet to respond though.
It was already quite dark. By the time I came back near the gate it was quite dark. Lowen went looking for the bird along a jungle trail. As I tried to follow him he stopped me and asked me to wait near the gate while he would go in alone.
He came back in a few minutes. He had no news of the owl. He started playing the call of the owl from his mobile, holding his hand up. He kept on playing it a few times. We waited patiently in silence after this. After about 10 minutes or so the bird came flying from the direction in which Lowen had gone earlier.
It sat on a perch in the tree above us. And started hooting. Lowen showed the bird to us with his torch. I didn't see it too well. But I certainly heard and recorded it very clearly.
After a few minutes the bird flew away back to where it came from (presumably bored if not confused by the false alarm of a non-existent competitor), while the forest around Backwoods slipped back into the night's silence.
It was a brief encounter. But an interesting one. Made interesting perhaps because of the setting. I wish we didn't have to get it through call playback. Perhaps next time.
PS: It is curious that the bird is not listed on ebirds. I have written a mail to them. They are yet to respond though.
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