Powerful Owls return to nesting site.

Bit of an update about the Powerful Owl family we have been watching.

Some readers of this forum might remember that we watched a pair of adult owls raise a single chick

at the first site and had their "last supper" there on the 24th November 2013.

After quite some searching we found the family about 800 metres away, in a tidal mangrove swamp,

on the 23rd February.

We have gone there each day since to check their progress. Junior has grown into a handsome adult and is showing quite a bit more confidence but still looks to his parents when he becomes anxious.

Dad hasn't been in the swamp since the 31st March and Junior and Mum have roosted close to each other seeming a bit rattled by the currawongs relentless swooping upon them.

Today, which was the 43rd day since we rediscovered them, we searched the mangroves for a very long time but could find no owls.

On a bit of a hunch (or desperation perhaps) we went back the the original nesting site and, hidden very, very well in a figtree, were two owls huddled together.

We are 90% sure by their body language that it is Junior and his Mum but we could see no sign of Dad. Over the next few days we will watch both the nesting site and the mangroves and let you know how things turn out.

Here is a link to a very short video of an owl taking off

...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOsaxhEZgDA

Cheers,

Antonia