We had hardly stepped out of the car and set up camp, after arriving on Friday night, when we heard a Sooty Owl calling quite close to camp. Some frantic activity then ensued, with a mob of avid birdos scurrying through the bush, fording rivers, climbing embankments and leaping over fallen logs in order to try to find this elusive bird. It called frequently in quite close range and we managed to narrow down the tree it was in, but still couldn't get the spotlight on it. A couple of people eventually got a glimpse of it flying away. Bruised and battered, some of us with wet feet, we trudged back to camp elated that we had come close, but disappointed that we hadn't had a good look. We vowed to try again the next night.
Margaret McJannett and Charles Buer had organised a fantastic camping spot right beside the Buckenbowra River in Monga National Park. It was alive with birds, frogs and flowering plants. The dawn chorus rivalled the frog calls of the night before with Rose Robins, Crescent Honeyeaters, Azure Kingfishers, a Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Large-billed and Yellow-throated Scrub Wrens all seen within 30 metres of camp. We did a number of walks in the area and were impressed with the flowering plants. Highlights included acres of Clematis and Indigofera and some spectacular tree and rock orchids. Throughout the day on Saturday we discussed our strategy for spotting the Sooty Owl that night. Some thought we should sit round the fire and 'will' it to fly in and perch in the large Casuarina five metres from camp. Some thought if they drank enough they would see it for sure, maybe even two! Some thought we should stake out the tree from the previous night in the hope that it would appear out of a hollow. In the end we waited till we heard the first call just on dusk and then, being a little more alert, searched for movement and eyeshine. We got a brief view again and then we could hear it calling from the same tree as the previous night. Still, despite desperate searching with the spotlight we couldn't pick up any eyeshine! And then Charles 'legendary owl spotter' Buer got the spotlight on it, in the very top of the tree, perched on a dead branch out in the open. What fantastic views we had, made all the sweeter by the hard work in getting them.
Thanks to Margaret and Charles for a truly fabulous weekend.
— Kathy Walter