22 September 2007 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE MEDIA SUPPORT, JACK HOLLAND, COG'S PRESIDENT, OUR TOUR GUIDE, ANBG, MICHAEL SELIG FOR HIS SUPERB PICTURES, AND OF COURSE OUR PARTICIPANTS, FOR MAKING WCG GUIDED BIRD TOUR FUNDRAISING EVENT A SUCCESS.

Pictures of birds, unless otherwise marked, and Eastern Water Dragon, taken by Michael Selig, display bower picture taken by Nora Preston.

We were blessed with a glorious day at the ANBG on Saturday. But that wasn't the only blessing we had on the day.

To our surprise, we were very lucky to be able to site a Powerful Owl, Ninox strenua, which doesn't normally reside in the ACT, but is distributed in southeastern South Australia, to Dawson River, near Rockhampton, Qld, mostly in wet sclerophyll forest along coast hills and the Great Dividing Range.

This bird arrived into town in May, disappeared for a while after being attacked by other birds, but thankfully for us, has returned, timed beautifully for our guided bird tour fundraising event.

The Powerful Owl is feeding on Sugar Gliders, and also found a Ringtail Possum to feed on, with the remains of a whole skull being found in it's regurgitations.

At night, the Powerful Owl preys on birds and mammals. Its diet consists mainly of small to medium-sized tree-living mammals, especially the Great Glider and the Ringtail Possum, which is not common in the ACT.

The owl snatches its prey from foliage and branches in banking swoops through the forest midstage.

It also eats Sugar Gliders, and less often young Brushtail Possums. Rats, birds, and young rabbits are also taken. It tears its prey apart and eats it by the piece, usually beginning with the head which it often swallows whole.

Sometimes it will take the rear end of the animal back to its roost, carefully place it on the branch and hold it all day in its talons, then eat it before leaving the roost in the evening.

The owls need to eat the equivalent of a large possum every two to three days to survive.

Breeding occurs May to October, laying May to early June with one brood a year. Two eggs are laid 4 nights apart, pure white in colour. Their nest is 50 to 180cm deep hollow 12 to 40m above ground in the trunk of a towering eucalypt, lined with wood debris, and prepared by the male.

Among our special guest at the ANBG, we sited honeyeaters, among them the New Holland Honeyeater, wattle birds, pied currawong, male Superb Fairy Wren, White Winged Chough, Wood Ducks, Crimson Rosellas, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, King Parrot.

Although we didn't see a Spotted Pardalote, we learnt that they can nest in your compost, so before you stick your shovel into you compost to turn it, check for the Spotted Pardalote between August to January, which is their nesting time.

We didn't see any Satin Bowerbirds either, however, we did see, what Jack Holland, our tour guide, called a practice bower, known as a display bower, which is built on the ground.

The Satin Bowerbird uses this bower as a love nest, where they mate, and then the female moves onto a nest, which she builds, incubates and then rears her young on her own.

The nest is 2 to 35 m above the ground in upright branches of outer foliage, clumps of mistletoe, or aganist a trunk, well distant from display bower.

The picture shows blue objects in and around the display bower. Our Satin Bowerbirds love to collect blue objects.

Although the Eastern Water Dragon is not a bird, we couldn't resist to study it, as it sat on the rock warming itself up, and posing for us.

We certainly had a very eventful and educational day.

Thanks, have a fun day Nora
NORA PRESTON
President/Founder
WCG - WILDLIFE CARERS GROUP INC. - Founded in 2004.
PO Box 3509
WESTON CREEK ACT 2611
email: wildlife_carers_group@yahoo.com.au
www.oocities.org/wildlife_carers_group/
www.myspace.com/wcginc

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Display Bower..(22-09-07). ............ ......New Holland Honey Eater.

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.....New Holland Honey Eater................................Wood Duck..

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....................Wood Ducks...............................Spotted Pardalote (02-03-07)

Support WCG. WCG is an independent, non profit, non government community based charity providing animal/wildlife care, rescue/rehabilitation and is also an animal/wildlife welfare group, providing protection to wildlife/animals, run solely by volunteers, with no government funding, saving taxpayers money. WCG relies on donations from the public in order to carry out its work. If you would like to make a donation to WCG, please send a cheque/money order made payable to Wildlife Carers Group Inc. to PO Box 3509, Weston Creek. ACT. 2611. AUSTRALIA. or contact us by email wildlife_carers_group@yahoo.com.au or mobile: 0406 056 099 to discuss other alternatives. Thank you for all your support.

Aims and Objectives: To promote the general welfare and continued survival of native fauna and flora as an essential element of the environment, and specifically to undertake the specialised care necessary for the rehabilitation of orphaned, sick and injured native birds and other animals, to promote public awareness of the need to conserve existing wildlife species, and an understanding of their particular habitat and feeding requirements.

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