Annabel Hoskings makes a point about the status of Barking Owls in here
area.
I am also of the opinion that Barking Owls are (still) relatively common in
many parts of NSW, certainly more so in northern Australia. However, there
are apparently less than 100 in Victoria. This is a sorry tale that is
repeated for so many woodland birds in Vic. I am starting to get a little
depressed working on woodland birds in this state, and I've only been here
6 months. Glad I'm not in South Australia - three woodland species extinct!
So many of the common birds in the Capertee Valley are struggling down
south. I suspect this will slowly spread northward. They are already
seeing the signs of decay in the ACT.
We can only hope that large scale revegetative work like that happening in
the Lurg area (for Regent Honeyeaters/Grey-crowned Babblers et al.) and, to
a lesser extent, the Capertee Valley and the efforts of NSW National Parks
and Wildlife Service to attempt to put into place a reasonable reserve
system, both public and private, on the south-western slopes will go part
of the way in slowing this cancer.
David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
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