After Bullarto Reservoir, Gayle and Trevor and I headed west into parts of the Wombat Forest I had not been for years. The gullies found by Trevor are simply magnificent.

Under this magnificent Mountain Gum we found our first signs of Powerful Owl activity: white paint which is the droppings, and regurgitated pellets.

In this gully we found over seven pellets – usually under large gums, but sometimes under a Blackwood.
Unfortunately, the main mission is to find an active breeding site – with an occupied hollow, plenty of pellets, and bits and pieces of gliders and other prey items discarded below.
A raptor enthusiast once told me these prey remains are known as ‘orts’. A quick check online reveals that this is from the Middle English word orte meaning food left by animals!
Regardless of archaic words or not, Trevor and Gayle will keep looking for a nest site, as a breeding record is the only kind of record that seems to have enough heft at present to alter the burn plans.
The next Wombat Forestcare picnic, later this month, will be at this lovely dam: