As the ninth anniversary of Black Saturday approaches next Wednesday, February 7, the Powerful Owl shows that nature around Kinglake is continuing to do what it does best. Recover, regenerate and flourish.
Parks Victoria ranger Tony Fitzgerald, a long-term ranger of Kinglake National Park were excited late last year during some surveying work to find a Powerful Owl in the Wallaby Creek section of Kinglake National Park.
This is the first confirmed sighting of one of these owls since the fires in 2009.
“After a big fire, the habitat changes and we are continuing to see these changes nine years down the track.
“This journey of recovery will continue for many years to come. Parks Victoria will work to support the recovery of our environment as a whole, and certain species in particular,” Fitzgerald said.
Powerful owls are top level predators, so for them to return to the area, it means a whole lot of other positive things are going on as well.
Vegetation is maturing and diversifying and possums are returning in good numbers as they feed on the plants as flora and fauna return and rejuvenate in the Kinglake National Park and the Kinglake Ranges.
Possums are one of the Powerful Owl’s main sources of food, so as the possums thrive, the owls return.
