Powerful owls prey on possums, and even koalas, but local bird watchers are excited by the discovery of new pairs in South Australia.

Volunteers have found new pairs of powerful owls in South Australia's south-east, where the species is rarely seen.What's next? The Friends of Bool and Hacks Lagoons has turned the recordings into a " sound bath ", to grow appreciation in local bird diversity.

Sounds from Australia's largest owl, which preys on possums and koalas, have been recorded on South Australia's Limestone Coast, and released as part of a bird "sound bath". The Friends of Bool and Hacks Lagoons group has recorded audio of powerful owls at two separate locations -- Glenroy and Nangwarry -- as part of an "extensive" acoustic monitoring project across nearly 150 sites in the region. FHBL president Bradley Clarke-Wood said the group had not initially expected to hear powerful owls, and were mostly interested in listening for the locally endangered red-tailed black cockatoo."We were beyond excited because we detected Australia's largest nocturnal predator," he said. "It maintains balance within our local environment and it's just an incredibly special bird to have in our backyard."Powerful owls, considered an endangered species under South Australian law, are large predators with an average wingspan of 1.2 metres. "They're a massive bird and they stealthily move through our forests at night without a sound," Mr Clarke-Wood said. "While they do control possum populations, they also like to tackle koalas when they can, and they take other sorts of mammals when possible."Local bird watcher Bob Green has seen powerful owls around the region on rare occasions. "They're about the length of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo, but pretty much twice the weight, weighing somewhere around 1.5 kilograms," he said."Quite often they'll start calling from where they're roosting before they head off to hunt during the night."While FHBL would monitor for owls in other locations, Mr Clarke-Wood said he does not believe it's a "population boom" for the owls."With that understanding we're able to conserve them better, and implement decisions that mean better outcomes for this species long term."SA's south-east is a popular location for birdwatching, including the Bool Lagoon."Anywhere where they're found is great news, particularly if we can find that there is a pair present somewhere and there's additional breeding going on," he said. "Who knows whether the numbers may increase over time from what is still a very uncommon bird in the south-east."The powerful owls' "hoo-hoo" call is among many recorded during the project that have been combined to make a sound bath of calls and songs from local birds, including rufous whistlers and tawny-crowned honeyeaters."It's just a nice way for people to engage with this data without any sort of broader expectations," Mr Clarke-Wood said.Mr Clarke-Wood said he hoped the recordings would give the wider public an appreciation for the bird diversity in the region. "We're able to put this out a bit further so that others can access this data, and they can hear how impressive and diverse our local environment is," he said.Email address

Sound Bath Friends Of Bool And Hacks Lagoons Bradley Clarke-Wood Bob Green Birds Birding Owls Bool And Hacks Lagoons

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