Come and learn about owls - it will be a hoot!

The Powerful Owl is Australia’s biggest owl, and one of our biggest nocturnal predators. Powerful Owls may be able to kill a possum in a single squeeze, but they can’t compete with the rapid clearing of their habitat. Our urban spaces may be the saving grace for Powerful Owls. They can survive within cities and, in some cases, even breed in suburban backyards. Life is tough in the suburbs for these birds though - and the most crucial part of their year is fast approaching. With Autumn now upon us, Powerful Owls are getting cozy and the females will soon be bunkering down in their tree hollows incubating the next generation of Powls.

This also means that for Powerful Owl Project staff and volunteers it is time to get out there and keep an eye on our amazing urban owl residents. If you have ever wanted to learn more about these birds and contribute to conservation in your local area, now is the time!

Citizen scientists are the most important asset of the Powerful Owl Project. Volunteers of all ages are engaged and trained to collect ecological data and without them, we simply wouldn't be able to help these amazing birds. Last year alone, our volunteers contributed over 9000 hours to the project. 

The Powerful Owl Projects in both SE Qld and Sydney are hosting a series of workshops in the coming weeks to train up our new volunteers for the 2021 breeding season. 

SE QLD

These sessions involve both a workshop and field component. You will get an outline of project what the project hopes to achieve in the coming years.  They will also provide an introduction to nocturnal birds, and some mammals as well as an overview of the acoustic monitoring component of the project being led by QUT. 

Each workshop will run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm with a 10-minute break before the optional final session (the sign up process for joining the project as a volunteer).

A field visit will follow each workshop from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  You will learn how to use the Birdata app as well as some other tools you can use in the field.  The walks will be 1 to 2 km in length along existing trails and will be using red spotlights and our ears to see what we can find.  

2021 Workshop and field visit schedule (click on links to RSVP)

Gold Coast: Austinville 13 March 2021    Workshop    Field visit 

Sunshine Coast: Yandina 20 March, 2021    Workshop     Field visit 

Brisbane: Kenmore Hills, 28 March 2021     Workshop     Field visit  *Note: this session is full

Sydney

The first of our Sydney training sessions is booked for the 16th of March at 6:30pm (till 8pm). Due to current restrictions, this event is an online training session. It will cover nocturnal bird identification, explore what we know about Sydney's Powerful Owls and how to survey owls safely and ethically.
We will also talk about some of the other components of the project including our rodenticide work, genetic investigations and new work looking into tree hollow microclimates.

Spots are limited to 30 people. Please email powerfulowl@birdlife.org.au to secure a place. If there is demand, more training sessions will be added.