Philippine Grass Owl

Description:

Here's a story of a brave mother that would risk her life to protect her offspring. Last December 15, while on the the job site, something's caught my father's attention. Its a Philippine Crested Serpent Eagle flying nearby and hovering just about 15 feet over a grassy cliff. All of a sudden an owl burst out of a thick patch of grass from below and attacks the eagle. While the aerial battle is going on, a couple of swifts joined in and helped the owl. When finally the eagle retreats and flew away and being still chased by the swifts, the owl just fell down as if dead. My father then took his camera and checked the site where the owl fell down. When he found the owl, it shows no sign of injury, maybe she was just exhausted and was not able to fly for several minutes so my father got the chance to get close and take some pictures. After a while my father overheard a loud hissing sound so he checked and found the owl's nest with its four owlets. He then took a picture of the owlets for me. Maybe the eagle heard it too from the distance and its also the reason why an owl dares to attack a fierce eagle to protect her owlets.

Habitat:

High elevation grassland with scattered patches group of trees.