By Tyler Wright
Hills residents should be on the lookout for Powerful Owls on their properties and surrounds as the bird’s mating season begins.
Clare Worsnop, President of the Mount Evelyn Environment Protection and Progress Association (MEEPPA), said the Powerful Owl enters into mating mode from about the beginning of April – and mates for life.
At the moment, the male owl makes a particular call to encourage his female companion to breed.
“He will also be taking her to different hollows to show her the hollows and then she gets to choose whether she likes it or not; and then he has to prepare it for her,” Clare said.
“So once Mrs. Owl goes into the hollow Mr. Owl has to do all the hunting and looking after her. And he’ll be doing that now to show her that he’s a good hunter. And he’s a good partner, and everything is going well.”
MEEPPA monitors owls from Mt Evelyn, Warrandyte, Montrose, Silvan and throughout the Hills – a “stronghold” for the species as they thrive in forested areas on the East Coast of Australia.
“Now it’s a matter of monitoring them quietly so that they don’t get disturbed. And we can see if they actually do use those hollows – And then we can watch the progress and listen for the progress of the babies, then see them coming out. in August, or September, we’ll start seeing baby owls,” Clare said.
She said reports of Powerful Owl sightings are welcomed as it allows the association to learn more about the birds and add information to their database. Particularly in regards to what happens if one bird out of a life pairing dies.
“There was a pair in Butterfield Reserve last year, and two of us were out and saw this bird fall from the tree. We picked it up, and it obviously had some kind of head injury… we took it to a carer and then it went to Healesville Sanctuary but it had a neurological disorder – and probably had trauma from being hit by something.”
“We now know the partner of that bird has taken on a new partner so it’s very exciting for us to keep an eye on those two to to see how successful they are and how the new Mrs Owl progresses,” she said.
Fiona, resident of The Patch, spotted a Powerful Owl in her backyard last week, and “couldn’t believe” it was staring right back at her.
“He then casually flew into my maple tree and continued to majestically pose for another photo. It had massive talons and very bright eyes. We are blessed to have such wonderful & rare wildlife here in the hills,” she said.
Cockatoo resident Tania Hammond-Ayers also said she has noticed an increase in owl activity throughout the area in the past six months.
“I find they mainly come on a clear night when the moon is bright, they sit patiently waiting for their prey.”
A concern for the threatened species, Clare Worsnop said, is the loss of big hollow trees used for their habitat.
“A lot of those are the ones that got blown down in the mega storms lucidly over the last year. But also, they’re the ones that people chopped down because they’ve got a hollow and they might be dangerous – and they forget that they’re very important habitat tree”
Cars, foxes, feral cats and rat poison are common threats to Powerful Owls, and Clare advises being mindful of the quantity of rat poison you administer.
“[Rats] are easy prey for a bird or any animal to catch – but if they eat that, they also ingest the poison and then they die too”
On the apex predator’s list of prey are also tree-dwelling mammals like possums.
“Lights left on all night affect the ability of the birds to be able to hunt. Because if you’ve got a bright light, the possums that live in the tree knew they’re going to come out and sit on a branch and say, ‘Hey, Mr. Owl, come and catch me if you can, and I’m ready for eating,’” Clare said.
“They’re not going to come out till later. So that’s going to mean there’s less hunting time for the birds.”
“If you keep your pets contained, then you’re helping not just your pet to stay healthy and safe, but also the wildlife to stay healthy and safe as well.”
