*A Powerful Owl, doing its best to keep the local population of possums under control*

MY PAL ALAN MCBRIDE always used to joke that he’d still got it, well I am happy to report that he still has! I spent a great couple of days birding around Alan’s newish local patch of Melbourne before my recent Birdquest tour downunder mostly in search of a day roosting Powerful Owl for the incoming group. Well, it took us longer than anticipated but almost 20,000 steps later we found one, with a little help from another friend Field Guides’ Chris Benesh. Using eBird can sometimes be frustrating as recent waypoints are not always accurate and sightings are not up-to-date enough, so it is often a good idea to go and take a look first. One site we visited was a nest hole, which had been vacated in the previous week and was now occupied by a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, another day roosting spot had simply been deserted. So it was a relief when we set eyes on this massive creature peering down at us in a public park in downtown Melbourne, early office workers passing by under it, morning coffee in hand. It ultimately stayed put for the group and almost as good was the excellent Garden View Cafe right next to the park! We love a good pie shop! A tour of Alan’s local patch, the Western Water Treatment Plant at Werribee was also very worthwhile, producing some ace views of trickier species like Musk Duck and Baillon’s and Australian Crakes. This spot also has a great cafe within easy reach, no wonder Alan spends so much time here. There are kilometres of drivable tracks around pools, many of which are filled with birds. What a brilliant place! We stopped at another excellent bakery, Oaks in Anglesey on our way to Point Roadknight, where by chance we bumped into Chris, Jesse Fagan and their Field Guides group, watching Hooded Plovers and Pacific Gulls, it’s a small birding world indeed. Thanks Alan!

STILL GOT IT