Another part of the Dandenong Ranges that I have explored briefly is a section near one of the Puffing Billy Steam Train Stations – Welch Track. It is a rather steep section of the Park with a good track leading down to a rainforest gully and then merging onto other tracks. I had seen a report of a few Large Billed Scrubwrens in the area and while I looked for them I found a few other interesting birds along the way.
Crimson Rosella
Male Superb Fairy Wren
Red Browed Treecreeper – usually difficult to see as they stick to the higher canopies of very tall trees
Juvenile Powerful Owl – still with fledgling white chest feathers, and already with extremely large and lethal talons. The Powerful Owl is able to take much larger and heavier prey – a favourite being the brush tailed possum.
Even as a young Owl in daylight it had much better senses than I did – it knew when other people were coming down the track well before I did.
Welch Track Foliage and fallen tree
The Gap Year and Beyond 
Hi!
Was on Puffing Billy a couple of weeks ago!
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Hi Candia, it is a nice part of Oz and a great train-ride (black soot and all…) and quite appropriate for kids too unlike the MONA’s great wall of Tassies…it took me a few moments to realize what I was looking at….
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Was also at Mt Eliza and saw my first Superb Fairy Wren there. Saw Crested Terns on Mt Martha Beach and lots of other avian specials.
The Briars is supposed to be good for birdwatching and we went to Coolart Wetlands.
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Looking at the juvenile P_owl it seems to only been out of the nesting hollow for a couple of months. Normally they come out in August or September.
Are these recent photos or are the owls running very late?
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Hi Blackpete, thanks for the comment. The photo was taken on my last visit to Welch Track in Nov of last year.
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Thanks for the info, Malt. My wife and I watch a P_owl family and the young ones are now almost indistinguishable from the adults.
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Where abouts Blackpete?
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On the Georges River..just south of Sydney. If you google “Powerful Owl + Choosypix” you can see some of them.
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