Owls in India (12 January-01 February 2023)

For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by owls and have long felt that if I've seen an owl it has probably been a good day.

A recent Covid-postponed trip to India provided an opportunity for me to see some more and it turned into quite an owl fest with, depending on taxonomy, 14 or 15 species seen of which 11 or 12 were new for me. Thanks to our excellent guide Jijo Mathew it was my best ever trip for owls by a long way. l even managed to photograph them all although some pics are pretty dodgy. I'll blog more details of the trip in due course but in the meantime here are the owls:

Forest Owlet at Tansa, Maharashtra on 13 January. Another had been a lifer the previous day but this image is much better 

Jungle Owlet at Mahuli, Maharashtra on 14 January

Walden's Scops Owl at Chiriya Tapu, Andamans on 15 January. Currently considered part of Oriental Scops Owl although considered by many to be a different species. A lifer for me either way as at this stage I had only heard Oriental Scops.

Hume's Hawk Owl at Chiriya Tapu, Andamans on 15 January (lifer)

Andaman Masked Owl in Port Blair, Andamans on 16 January (lifer)

Andaman Scops Owl at Lowharbarrak on 17 January (lifer)

Andaman Hawk Owl at Chiriya Tapu, Andamans on 19 January (this bird or its mate had been a lifer on 15th but I failed to focus on it before it flew off).

Mottled Owl at Thattekkad, Kerala on 22 January. This species had been a lifer at Tansa on 12 January but wasn't photographable

a more rufous race Jungle Owlet, Kerala at Thattekkad on 23 January.

winking Sri Lanka Bay Owl at Thattekkad, Kerala on 24 January. We had been shown a wetter, less photogenic individual in a different part of the forest on 21 January.

grey morph Oriental Scops Owl at Periyar, Kerala on 25 January (we'd seen an orangy individual in dayling at Thattekkah two day earlier but I was too slow for photos)

Indian Scops Owl at Periyar, Kerala on 26 January

Brown Hawk Owl at Olive Brook, Munnar, Kerala on 28 January

Spot-bellied Eagle Owl at Chinnar Tiger Reserve, Kerala on 29 January (we'd spotlighted one from Birds Murmur Lodge at Thattekkad but it had been on the opposite side of the river so views at Chennar were much improved)

Brown Fish Owl at Chinnar Tiger Reserve, Kerala on 29 January (lifer) 

Spotted Owlet at Jungle Hut, Tamil Nadu on 31 January.

Indian Eagle Owl outside Mysuru, Karnataka on 01 Feburary (lifer, although I'd heard a couple in 1982). Incompetence on my partmeant this was the best image I obtained.