Checked in this morning on the two Powerful Owlets whose Papa may be in care. It's been almost 3 weeks now, but they are looking well and cared for. (Big lens is still in for repair, but hopefully I'll be taking decent photos again by the middle of next week) #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Updated my business card since I'm here and and haven't been on the bird site for quite some time.

Powerful Owlets this morning in a Brisbane conservation park. Two weeks ago an adult was found suffering from poisoning (ban 2nd generation rodenticide!) about 1km away. We're not sure it's the papa of these two, but we're regularly checking in on them to see if they are OK and being fed (they are).

Finally, we managed to track down this Powerful Owl pair. There had been some random sightings in the area in crazy locations that couldn't possibly be regular roosts. But today we tracked them to a more reasonable tucked away area that is most likely their regular spot. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Big lens is still broken, but fortunately the Bush Stone-Curlews at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens are so relaxed (except about crows flying over) you can use a portrait lens.

Male Powerful Owl quick brushpen sketch. Every drawing is practice for the next.

My big lens is broken, dammit. So here's one from a while back. The Owlet was obviously aware and agitated by the presence of the python. But my goodness, it took a long time to decide to fly away, at which point we began breathing again. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Last round of voting (for the Emu-wren 😉). Get in before Bird of the Year closes: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Being at #6 it looks like the Emu-wren should survive the cull tonight, but be sure and vote for Bird of the Year if you haven't already today, and make sure you vote tomorrow as it'll be down to the final 10. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I quite like my new fountain pen for quick sketching. This was a Powerful Owlet I helped rescue off a busy path a couple of years ago. A bit like Donna in David Tennant era Dr Who, it didn't think much of being rescued. Every drawing is practice for the next.

The Emu-wren has started the day quite well at #5. Like @hugepossum.bsky.social I'm hoping it can maintain its place in the top 5 today & tomorrow, it needs all the help it can get what with being threatened by space launches etc. Vote for Bird of the Year here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

With the Powerful Owl now out, I'm going for the Southern Emu-wren. It needs protection from habitat destruction (I'm looking at you rocket launch site). It'd be great if it could survive the next couple of days of voting and finish in the top 5. Vote here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Female Powerful Owl in a Brisbane conservation park. Two guys with 2 dogs walked right under her but didn't notice her and her partner on the same branch. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Bird Bums of Brisbane LXXII The Female Forest Kingfisher Gold Creek Reservoir Yesterday

The Powerful Owl is still hanging on there in the Bird of the Year voting, and should make the cut later tonight when the bottom 5 are removed, and the counts are reset to 0. Hopefully those currently voting for the Brush Turkey etc will move their support to POwls 🙂

An airplane went over, which seemed to rattle the Powerful Owl pair a bit. That's unusual as adult POwls mostly ignore them, and this pair being in quite a people-busy conservation area are very very chill. Owlets are always fascinated by planes. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owl pair (female left) in a Brisbane conservation park this morning. Don't forget to put in your vote today for Powerful Owls for Bird of the Year: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

What's with the Tawny Frogmouth vote (see reply below) at @australia.theguardian.com ??? It's not even an Owl! The Powerful Owlets are concerned. Vote 1 Powerful Owl! Cast your vote here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Got my Bird of the Year web scraping code running again ... it looks like the Powerful Owl should survive today's vote as it's 15th in the tally. Phew!

It's time to vote for Australia's best bird! Vote 1 Powerful Owl! [ @australia.theguardian.com seems to have chosen a particularly unflattering POwl picture, so here's a better one] www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Sleeping Powerful Owlet in a suburban Brisbane park at dusk yesterday. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet being bothered by a Magpie-lark this morning. There were also Bluefaced Honeyeaters and Noisy Miners, but the Owlet wasn't really that bothered. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Kookaburra in a Brisbane park this morning

Powerful Owl family in a Brisbane conservation park this morning, adult female with a possum. The last time this pair bred was two years ago, so it was good to see them with an Owlet. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

The recently rescued/released Powerful Owlet at sunset a few days ago. It ended up taking a bit of a tumble to the ground, but seemed to be OK. And the next morning is was some 30m up in a gum tree, so it must have been fine. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet in a Brisbane conservation park #Brisbane #Birds #wildoz

Another Powerful Owlet I saw early yesterday morning in a Brisbane Conservation Reserve. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet a bit after sunrise this morning. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Either the rescued/released Powerful Owlet or its sibling the day after the release. I think it may be the rescued/released Owlet as it was trilling a lot, which is quite unusual for during the day. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

I like a town where you can go to Woolworths to pick a few things, then photograph a Platypus from the other side of the car park. Five stars. #wildoz

Checking on the newly-released Powerful Owlet the next day, we found it & its sibling about 12m up near the top of a tree. This was the best news as they were together, and it meant it was able to fly reasonably. A parent was 5m away holding their dinner for that tonight. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Last night, @lucyparkerpaul.bsky.social, @cesar-on-safari.bsky.social , Barb and I released the rescued Powerful Owlet (it had been away for 10 days). It seemed to go very well. It and its sibling seemed excited to see each other and trilled a lot. 1/2 #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Last week a badly injured Powerful Owlet was rescued, so @lucyparkerpaul.bsky.social & I went & found the parents so that if it recovered it could be released. Hearing today the Owlet was doing well, I went to see if they were still there & found this adult with a bat. Fingers crossed for the Owlet.

A couple of quick Powerful Owlet sketches. Every drawing is practice for the next.

Two new Powerful Owlets! (not the ones shown). We couldn't find the POwls where they nested before, so we widened the search. About 1km away on a creek we found some possible scat, then feathers, then pellets. Then just on dusk we heard trilling, then saw 2 beautiful Owlets. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

A very chill Australian Boobook Owl yesterday. We didn't find the Powerful Owls we were looking for, though there were a lot of POwl pellets and scat about 50m upstream and 100m downstream of this little Boobook. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

This morning we found one of the Powerful Owls we heard calling when I fell into the pond the other night. Also a lot of scat roughly where we heard one calling. There was a good looking tree hollow about 100m away, though they don't seem to be breeding this year. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet watching me. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Sleeping Powerful Owlet in suburban Brisbane. You can see some of its adult breast feathers are beginning to grow through the floof. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

A Powerful Owlet concerned about a nearby Kookaburra in a suburban Brisbane nature reserve yesterday. #brisbane #birds #iwldoz

A Papa Powerful Owl sleeping with his Owlet. #Brisbane #birds #wildoz

I may have fallen into a small pond in the dark and smelt bad in the car on the way back, but we did find a new Powerful Owl pair*, so it was all more than worthwhile. * Not the one shown here, it was too dark for photos. #Brisbane #birds #wildoz

The papa of the Powerful Owlet was fast asleep about 30m down the creek. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet in a suburban Brisbane nature reserve this morning. It's mama was about 5m away in another tree. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owls are listed vulnerable & aren't doing so well due to habitat loss & other factors. Birdlife Oz @birdlifeoz.bsky.social are running a campaign to help them (using 📷 by @lucyparkerpaul.bsky.social & myself 🙂). If you'd like to support POwls, click the link birdlife.org.au/campaign/don...

The Powerful Owlet and its parent seemed to decide to ignore the mobbing and go to sleep. #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Powerful Owlet being mobbed by a Blue-faced Honeyeater this morning in a Brisbane nature reserve. Does the BFH not see those talons and beak? They've got some moxie those BFHs. There were also Noisy Miners and Pied Currawongs getting in on it.

Found a Powerful Owl feather and the remains of a bat within about 5m of the tree I think may be the nest hollow for the new Powerful Owls. Now I'm almost certain it is the nest tree.

Finally tracked this Owlet down. A new Powerful Owlet in a Brisbane Reserve not previously known to contain Powerful Owls. I think I may also have the nest hollow nailed as well. Interestingly, Noisy Miners started mobbing the hollow while I was watching. Perhaps they remember when Owls were in it?

Sleeping Powerful Owlet sketch. Every drawing is practice for the next.