Incredible powerful owl encounter in the heart of Sydney

Marcio is an avid birder, conservationist and birdlife photographer from Brazil who has seen and photographed incredible birds from across the planet. 

For a joint event showcasing the 'Wild Wonders of Mosman' and the extraordinary efforts of local people and groups to conserve and restore marine life and bushland habitat in this harbour suburb in the heart of Sydney. 

Marcio had already put together an incredible film with a suite of birds from Mosman, and Marcio and Phill had arrived the day before the event to collect more photography of birds for the film. 

"But I've got one big problem, Phill" said Marcio, as they reviewed the draft film over coffee, "I've never seen the Powerful Owl. This is the apex predator. It's the largest owl in Australia, but I've not got any photography or footage of the owl." 

The powerful Owl is the largest species of Owl in Australia, and is found through parts of eastern and south-eastern Australia. They reportedly eat an average of nearly one possum per day! 

The Owl had been reported to have been seen in the suburbs of Mosman, with local bird experts noting that two families frequented the area. 

Phill and Marcio saw it as a long shot that they might encounter one in their short bird photography time before the event. 

But a fortuitous tip-off intervened. As part of their conservation work during the Sydney visit, they interviewed Clare Taylor, CEO of the Mosman Environment Foundation (MEF), about MEF's critical work catalysing and empowering conservation efforts. At the end of the interview, Clare mentioned that she knew a local who had seen a powerful Owl earlier that week sleeping in a tree outside their window. 

Texts were exchanged, an Uber was quickly caught, and a generous local invited Marcio and Phill into their lounge-room, where, just outside the window, a family of four majestic powerful Owls were seen perched in the tree. 

The editing work furiously occurred up until the hour before the event, where 100 people were packed into the Mosman library to hear of the extraordinary efforts of the Mosman Environmental Foundation, the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, and the Wyargine Aquatic Reserve Friends 

Phill spoke of the critical importance of conserving nature in our cities and connecting people with a love of nature in our cities for biodiversity within the cities themselves, but also for the crucial role that people in cities will make in deciding the future. 

Marcio's beautiful film birds of mosman featuring the beautiful powerful owls they had just encountered the night before, then crystallised what is at stake for all of us.