Next time you’re hiking up one of the many Mt Cootha tracks, take a moment to look up and around, you never know what gem you might spy.
This article is a must-read for all nature enthusiasts and gives us insight into the habits of the Powerful Owl and an appreciation for the hidden treasures in our midst.
Author: Cesar Puechmarin
It’s late afternoon and I’m walking down the dusty path of Mount Coot-tha’s Slaughter Falls track in search of an almost mythical beast. The cool mountain air is gently breathing back into the forest after an oppressively hot day as the mosquitos prepare for an evening of feasting.
In a few minutes I reach Slaughter Falls. Unlike the name suggests, the falls itself is a small rock structure that can hardly boast a trickle of water. I remember one particular encounter with a couple of tourists, who whilst standing and staring directly at the falls asked me “where is the waterfall?”
As I cross the creek, a large figure in the trees catches my eye. Staring down upon me with its large yellow eyes and perched with complete authority over the forest, the dark figure of a Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) sits upon an over-hanging branch of an old eucalypt tree that has grown along the side of this cool gully.
In a few hours, this large bird will be silently gliding through the trees on the hunt for creatures like the impressive Grey-Headed Flying Fox, a local bat with large membranous wings that reach up to 1m across, or the boisterous and often endearing Brush-Tailed Possum, who has made a prosperous existence throughout our urban areas.
However, for this brief moment, the owl’s complete concentration is on me, the intruder to its resting place. I can feel my heart-rate increase as I stare at this king of the mountain.
The owl itself is an impressive 65cm tall male, making it the largest owl species in Australia. Starting with a broad head and ending in an arsenal of large black talons on its yellow feet, its chest is adorned with brown chevrons upon its cream breast.
As the apex predator of this whole region, he is half of the only breeding pair in this location on Mount Coot-tha and part of an ever decreasing number in the Brisbane Region.
The sprawling city of Brisbane lies in the shadow of Mount Coot-tha. Reaching 287 metres at the summit, Mount Coot-tha is more a hill than a mountain, and yet as the only point of elevation close to the inner-city, Mount Coot-tha remains one of the most important regions of South-East Queensland, both historically and environmentally.
This encounter with the Powerful Owl is no accident. I have stalked it to this relatively accessible site for the last few days, after having evaded me on multiple occasions. On the first day I noticed a concentration of white wash (a term used to described the accumulation of faeces left by an owl on its day-time perch) and on the next day I saw another clue in the form of a pellet, which is the indigestible matter regurgitated by the owl and often containing fur and bones from their unfortunate victims.
Even though the birds can range for over 12km, it appears as though they will often return to the same roosting sites, and in the case of these owls, will often use the same hollow to bear their young year after year.
The young themselves (which often look larger than their parents due to their thick white downy feathers) are ghost white, gradually growing darker and then leaving to find their own territory, which unfortunately for them is growing slim in suitability.
The Powerful Owl is considered vulnerable to extinction in Queensland with only a few being found in the Mount Coot-tha region, and due to their obligatory large territory, the more we destroy habitat, the less owls will thrive.
Like many frequenters of the mountain, I have been visiting this particular bird and its mate for a couple of years, during which I have observed them raise their young and have seen them devouring their hard earned prey.
Not only are these birds important ecologically, they have also become a totemic emblem for the mountain and the surrounding locals.
It was because of the local community and their connection to the mountain that there was so much outrage when the Brisbane City Council announced plans for a zip-line directly through the Owl’s habitat. Thankfully, it was this same outrage and disgust that saw the eventual dismantling of this particular plan.
Not only would the zip-line have likely displaced this particular family from the home they have bred in for the last 40 years, but due to safety concerns, many of the old hollow trees imperative for breeding were planned to be removed.
This brief yet volatile brush with urbanisation was a reminder that even the areas we trust are safe are not immune to greed.
I remember one particular encounter with a local, who, when discussing the plans for the zip-line (and its impact on the Powerful Owl) didn’t believe it was a real animal. These birds are so enigmatic and rarely encountered that it’s somewhat not surprising that there is a conspiracy throughout the region that the Powerful Owl is a fabricated creature designed by pesky greenies to hinder urban development and the destruction of woodland habitat.
Rather than seeing these beautiful animals for the rare and important creatures they are, these people have relegated them to a fickle myth.
With so much senseless demolition of suitable habitat, I can’t help but wonder sadly while standing here, staring up into this regal Owl’s eyes, that someday they might be right.
About the author:
Cesar Peuchmarin is a natural-history dilettante. He is a talented film-maker keenly using his skills and knowledge to introduce people to the miracles nature has gifted us.
Cesar is part of the veterinarian team at the Samford practice.
Our thanks to Cesar for sharing his extensive knowledge and experience with us.