Hoo-Hooo, how do you dooo.
The above is the male's call, and the female greets with a "Hoo-hoo-hooo".
He sat sleeping in a tree, and it took a bit of time to wake this one up.
I think you know by now that this is an owl, but not any owl, as it is a Spotted eagle-owl (Bubo africanus). You can see by the "africanus" specie name that it lives in Africa.
The owner of a property called me, as he has given me permission to take photos of the birds in the big trees on the property. He told me that there was an owl in a tree at the back, and of course we rushed there.
What a special find, and my camera was very happy :)
Come and see.
Fast asleep, and a wonderful critter.
After a period of waiting, I noticed that his one eye seemed to be opening.
Yes, yes, oh yes, his eye was really opening.
And then a great bonus, as he turned to look at me with his other eye.
And then he looked with both eyes open.
I tried to get a closer shot of his eye.
This was a further shot of the tag picture.
And finally, the owl decided that I was nothing to worry about, and as he went back to sleep, I departed. On tip toe of course, so as not to wake him again.
What a delight to find something like this, as owls are scarce to get in the daylight. They are nocturnal animals that only hunt at night, and during daytime they hide so much that one can never see them. I have posted some owls in the past, and it was really so great to get one again. One can never know what a new day holds in stock for one, good or bad, but on this day, it was a great gift.
Before I forget, I heard that this owl has a partner, and the owner will call me when both of the owls are there. Just imagine how great it would be to get both of them on camera. I have tons of patience, but in this case, I cannot wait to get the call to come, as both owls would be there.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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