Spotted Owlet

Spotted Owlet Athene brama was seen in a small roost or nest site inside the temple roof. It was early afternoon in the heat of a sunny day and the Owl was awake looking at us and presumably felt well protected while a number of us photographed it. I found this particularly tricky and had to find a camera setting which gave correct exposure on the bird which required significant over exposure of the temple itself. In the event and for the more technically minded, I settled on the following camera settings: 1/100th of a second; ISO 100; f5.6 and spot metering at 400 mm. focal length.

Spotted Owlet is one of my favourite small owls having come across it for the first time in Nepal in 1993 knowing very little about birds at the time. I was spending time with my daughter who was carrying out research on the local textile industry as part of a University project. We decided to escape the heat and dust of Kathmandu by going to Pokhara, at that time a small attractive town with a wonderful lakeside view and an even more beautiful view of Annapurna, one of the world’s highest mountains. I was awoken at night by an unknown creature on our balcony making frightening screeching and wailing noises. I had no idea what it was at the time and it was several years later when I heard and recognised the same call that I was able to identify it as a Spotted Owlet.

Spotted Owlet is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from mainland India to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks or buildings. The species shows great variation including clinal variation in size and forms a superspecies with the very similar Little Owl Athene noctua.

Reference: Wikipedia