If I told you, we have an unpaid pest controller in our colony who works silently every evening, from Dusk to Dawn, you would probably not believe me. But the truth, in this case, is stranger than fiction. And the cleaner is none other than the majestic ghost of the nights – Barn Owl. Why ghost, you might ask. Because if you watch a large pale-looking Owl glide by you at night, you’ll hardly notice any sound, no fluttering, no flapping. Just a set of large pale whitish wings gliding away, without a murmur, like a proverbial ghost.
India’s mainland has 30 species of small, medium and large owls while the islands of Andaman & Nicobar have 4 specific species that don’t occur anywhere else. Those are called endemic species. We have the rare good fortune of having 3 species of Owls within Malibu Towne.
The largest owls in our colony are Barn Owls, who are perhaps the oldest residents of this place. They were here even before all the humans moved in. By owl world standards, it’s a medium-sized owl with a beautiful heart-shaped facial disc that can rotate as much as 270°. Their calls are an eerie screech almost as if they are crying in pain. But don’t worry, that’s a night siren for us that all is well. Owls are nocturnal creatures, so they hunt at night for insects, small mammals & rodents. One family of hungry Barn Owls can consume more than 3,000 rodents in a nesting season.
The other 2 types of owls we have in our colony are of smaller variety – The more easily seen “Spotted Owlet” and the more easily heard but infrequently seen “Indian Scops Owl”.
Spotted Owlets are small, with round heads, grey-brown spotted body and are very active at dusk time, uttering a “chirurr-chirurr-chirurr” laugh. Listen to it near the BSNL park or other thickly wooded patches. Indian Scops Owl on the other hand is a gorgeous-looking bird with ear-like hair tufts on its head. Mind you, these are not its ears, which are placed on the sides of the head. It’s call is as if someone just drank a bottle of Vodka and cannot control the hiccups. During the day it loves to sit at the middle branches of large shady trees, close to the trunk. Look it up near the large Mulberry, Saptparni or dense Ashoka trees near Pine Drive 25.
Owls have inspired awe & fear in equal measure since time immemorial and in different cultures. They have a special place, sometimes as a harbinger of good fortune, like a Vahan (mount) for Lakshmi but also denigrated in light banter as, Ullu ka/da pattha to denote a simpleton. During Diwali season, unfortunately, a lot of owls are captured and sacrificed by ill-informed folks. Nothing could be more unfortunate. Owls are not only wise but also an extremely useful ally to human beings. Blessed are the places where they dwell & Blessed are we who live in such a place.
Hotspots to look for owls. Look for them at dusk and pre-dawn
1. Peripheral trees in Central Park
2. PD 25
3. BSNL park
4. Club road
