Baby powerful owl rescued in North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, Coffs Harbour

It’s the largest owl species in the country and a breeding pair have made a home in the botanic gardens. But their offspring isn’t quite ready to fly.

A baby powerful owl at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour. The baby was found on the ground by gardens staff and WIRES nursed it back to good health.

In the perfect antidote to weeks of tense news about Covid-19, the staff at the North Coast Botanic Gardens have gone above and beyond to help a baby bird that had been left owl by himself.

Despite being the largest owl species in Australia, the powerful owl is incredibly elusive and this week staff at the botanic gardens in Coffs Harbour were surprised to find a baby powerful owl on the ground.

Unable to fly or roost, and at the mercy of spotted quolls or foxes, WIRES were called to take the fledgling overnight and give it enough food and water to get it back on its feet.

A baby powerful owl at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour.

The owl has now been put back on a branch in the tree it fell from and on Wednesday one of its parents could be seen sitting a few branches above. For a baby, it is quite a large bird, measuring well over 40cm tall and with enormous talons.

Its parents have been coming to the gardens to breed for years.

The powerful owl inhabits much of the east coast of Australia, preying on small mammals at night and roosting in shaded trees during the day.

Gardens staff have labelled the tree in which the breeding pair of powerful owls have been nesting.

What the young bird was doing on the ground is unknown but there have been suggestions from within the owl community that it may have been pushed out of the nest by overbearing parents eager to see it fly.

While some say it wasn’t ready to fly, there have also been some who think it is part of a new generation of owls who just want to spend time on their devices instead of doing physical activity.