Grass Owl rises from the ricegrass

Super start to 2014 as Eastern Grass-Owl (Tyto longimembris) flushes from swamp ricegrass at the western end of the main Tyto Wetlands lagoon.

The extended dry period since one downpour in mid-November has been good for the owls, snug in their ricegrass roosts by day and flying out to find prey by night.

It's almost certainly coincidental - though a little intriguing - that owl sightings have increased lately as ground snake sightings in Tyto have, since 2009, fallen markedly.