Powerful Owls have been active in my neighbourhood many years as evidenced
by possum viscera beneath trees in our backyard and the observation of an
owl taking a possum off a cable in front of our house.
Recently neighbours have seen evidence that the owls are breeding with a
"fluffy baby" seen with the adult pair in an Atlantic Cedar last year.
Another neighbour observed a Powerful Owl eating "a possum a night for a
week" on his side fence two months ago. Last week a Powerful Owl was
perched on a tomato stake in his garden.
David Bain, Birdlife Powerful Owl Project Officer, has advised that the
presence of a fluffy juvenile suggests that the nesting hollow is within a
kilometre of the Atlantic Cedar. He recommends locating the nesting hollow
and protecting it and the surrounding vegetation within at least 100m from
the hollow.
The neighbourhood is effectively a "suburban woodland" with garden
plantings of exotic trees dating back to circa 1920 and native trees dating
to the 1970s. A nearby cemetery has exotic trees that probably date to
1910 and the park opposite my house has native trees from several plantings
from the 1920s to the present. It is possible that some of the trees in
the park and in the grounds of the local school (and some in gardens) may
be remnant vegetation. In this environment, it is possible that suitable
nest hollows could be formed after around 70 years. However, there no
obvious candidates.
Any suggestions for identifying potential nesting sites would be most
welcome.
Cheers
David
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