SANParks.org Forums

Only recently discovered the joys of birding and not knowing so much...can anyone please tell me.

The African Scops-Owl, are they commonly spotted in the KNP or can it be classified as a nice sighting..

I just think their too adorable.

Unfortunately it is quite common, but to see them is not as easy. If you know their call then it would be better to track them down.

Best place for me to see them is in Satara near the reception office in those trees near the parking areas. You'll distinctly hear the frog-like pruuuppp - pruuuppp - pruuuppp.

Letaba is great for Scops Owls but as Wildtuinman says, not easy to see. Try to locate them by their calls at night but even then they are like ventriloquists, they can be quite difficult to pinpoint but when you eventually manage you will see why they are so difficult to see.

If you call at Afsaal, ask about their scops owl, it sleeps there in one of the trees.

The little scops owl I took a pic of at Mooiplaas was sitting right above me. I would never have seen it if the attendant at the picnic spot didn't show me where it was. An older couple who were keen birders came over to have a look and the guy pushed away the branches so I could take the pic.

Heard them at night at Satara end April 05 while we were there.

Also there was one we saw in a tree at Afsaal picnic area April - I think it was Freda who said it was there a couple of months ago as well.

WTM's friend at Satara

Afsaal Scopsie.

vs

Satara Scopsie

We saw the Scops at Afsaal during our recent trip and they are true masters of camouflage, it took me an awful long time to actually get to "see" it as I was looking at what I thought was a lump on the branch, and that through binoculars.
We heard them calling on our night drive as well.

Satara, August 2006

You cant miss it at Afsaal

This is how they call sounds like:

MP3 [quicktime]





[edit by gwen]

This one was seen in a tree next to our bungalow, C64, in Satara in March 2006

One of the best places in the KNP to see this small, secretive owl is Letaba’s camping site! How? Procedure: At night (in the Letaba camping site), wait and listen for a peculiar frog croak…except this sound comes form a tree! No, its not a tree frog, go look! (Take a torch.) Then, spot the small Scops owl!

Satara aint bad either. We had the privilege of having TWO roost in front of our hut A24, late September. Masters of disguise to the extent that my wife could not see them until I changed her position relative to the Scops owl so that it was silhouetted against the sky. Saw them three days running roosting on exactly the same branches.