Cathedrals in the sky: an heroic investigation of Masked Owl nest tree requirements

Already well known in WA for his ground-breaking studies of Wedge-tailed Eagles, Simon Cherriman‘s research reached a national audience in the recently screened third episode of the ABC’s Australian Wildlife Odyssey. While Simon and family holidayed in Margaret River in February, he gave a presentation and a workshop to packed audiences based on his new book ‘Hollowed Out? A Story of Tree-Hollows, Habitat Loss and How Nest-Boxes can Help Wildlife in South-Western Australia’: a must for all wildlife lovers that is  available at the Margaret River Bookshop.

As ‘recreation’ Simon also found the time to investigate the hollows of five of our Masked Owl nest trees.  Our research has for the first time described the nest of the SW WA Masked Owl population but it is only through Simon’s skill and knowledge that we now know the vital internal characteristics of their nest chambers.  It turns out that our Masked Owls need hollows that Simon described as ‘cathedrals’ high in the trunks of ancient karris, marris and tuarts.  In his experience there is no overlap between the well-known limiting nest hollow requirements of our endangered Black Cockatoos and those of the ‘Mowls’, which are an order of magnitude larger again!