By Peter Douglas
‘Mr Owl’ and ‘Mrs Owl’ may be about to become ‘Mumma’ and ‘Pappa’ Owl in the coming weeks, according to local Powerful Owl watchers of the Mount Evelyn Recreation Reserve.
Resident watcher Clare Worsnop believes the actions of the pair suggest there are eggs inside the hollow they have called home over the past few months.
Ms Worsnop said ‘Mr Owl’ had been busy doing the hunting in the cooler months and coming back with his ‘possum pie’, while ‘Mrs Owl’ had been in the hollow and presumably tending to the eggs, which were likely to hatch in the coming weeks.
Ms Worsnop, who has been watching the local owl population for over 32 years, said watchers were hoping to see two little miracles in the warmer months.
“If they do hatch, we probably won’t see them until spring,” she said.
“The way the (older) owls are behaving would suggest we may see some young soon.”
Ms Worsnop said there were no guarantees for the offspring, though.
“There are two eggs, though it’s unusual for both to survive beyond the first 12 months,” she said.
“It’s usually one owl who goes on to find a territory and survive.”
Ms Worsnop said once the young owls lose their ‘baby trill’, their parents shoo them out of the nest and they are forced to find their own territory.
This is because the male owl does not want another rival in their territory.
The Powerful Owl is listed as endangered, with disappearing landscape in urban environments widely thought to be the cause.
Ms Worsnop said it was fine to observe the Powerful Owls in their natural habitat, but encouraged minimal human interference.
