Owls!!

Tell tale signs on this hollow that a powerful owl chick is inside.
And two Kookaburras perched in the perfect vantage point to look into the hollow. They have been aggressively chasing away other birds and I fear they are planning to kill the chick.

The very stressed father. He shuffles up and down the branch to keep an eye on any dogs that come near the hollow.
And a more relaxed mother. She's perched where he has been shuffling up and down the past few days, obvious signs of talon damage to the branch.

Choderboy wrote in post #18678282
The very stressed father. He shuffles up and down the branch to keep an eye on any dogs that come near the hollow.
And a more relaxed mother. She's perched where he has been shuffling up and down the past few days, obvious signs of talon damage to the branch.

Nature in its natural form.
I'd be wanting to help out and send those varmints packing. Not sure I could sit and watch anything untowards for those beautiful owls.

I know those beaks are fierce. We had a Kookaburra for ages would bang on the window and I was worried it would break the glass.

One thing in the Owls favour is that the hollow tree is deciduous so the Kookas won't be able to hide.

I would have imagined those owls would deal with the Kookaburras. Talons like they have would swoop in and cart them off.
Doesn't it work like that?

No. Powerful owls kill Possums that outweigh them and kill them fast. They rip the head off and when the skull comes back out later in a pellet it's in pieces. But they don't 'shape up' to the Possum. They fly up from behind, silently and take the Possum by surprise.
Even if they miss on the first attempt the following attacks are the same.
My theory is that apex predators are highly skilled killers but lack the thinking of many animals.

A study recently showed that Crows choose a larger reward that they would receive the following day or even following week rather than a smaller instant reward around 80% of the time. I think adolescent humans would score lower than that.

So the Kooka could fly up and perch next to an adult Powerful owl who would be annoyed but probably not perceive a threat. The Kooka could then 'sucker punch' the owl in the form of a beak to the eye. I suspect a Kooka did that to the one eyed male I have posted. He lost a chick last year who was on the lip of the hollow preparing to fledge when a Kooka came from behind and struck the chick at the base of the skull, killing the chick.

Ravens:

http://time.com …ns-planning-intelligence/

That is fascinating reading. Thanks
Here the Currawongs are known thieves and bushwalkers are wise not to leave a pack anywhere the birds can get a hold of. They know how to undo zips for egs.
I once watched one open a lunch box and make away with a boiled egg wrapped in foil. They then unpacked the egg.

Think it must be time for some photo evidence but I can't supply that.

I saw a local Raven with a golf ball a few years ago. I thought to myself "stupid Crow, thinks it has an egg". That was before I knew that there are no Crows in Sydney, they are all Ravens. I also did not know that Ravens take golf balls, break them open and unwind the internal bands to use as nest material.

To stay on Owl topic, from Wikipedia page on Powerful owls:

Also, they are often victim to and occasionally even injured by heavy mobbing by larger passerines such as currawongs, magpies, and crows and ravens. In one case, a pair of Australian ravens (Corvus coronoides) attacked and killed a powerful owl, likely to defend themselves and their nest.[22]

McNABBI, E. G., KAVANAGH, R. P., & CRAIG, S. A. (2007). FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE POWERFUL OWL Ninox strenua lN SOUTH-EASTERN AUSTRALIA.

Squa7ch2112 wrote in post #18679341

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by Squa7ch2112 originally in forum: Birds

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by Squa7ch2112 originally in forum: Birds

The memories. Glad my wife convinced me to keep that lens. I used to say it was so sharp I had to carry bandages in my bag. Haven't used it since getting a 100-400 II.

digital paradise wrote in post #18679367
The memories. Glad my wife convinced me to keep that lens. I used to say it was so sharp I had to carry bandages in my bag. Haven't used it since getting a 100-400 II.

Loved it while I still had it, just didn't have enough reach for me.

The one-eyed male Powerful owls chick sees its first human. I was not scary enough to stop it venturing onto the lip of the hollow which made me very nervous as that was when the Kookaburra made it's deadly strike on last years chick. Mum came over and did not leave until it was back in the hollow.

Dad seemed very relaxed, perched about 5 metres away from me. Barely had his one eye on me.

by now he knows ur not a threat