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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺

@doktrnick.bsky.social

5.3K followers 1K following 1.4K posts

Owlcaholic; Bird photography and drawing; Owl Club; Powerful Owl Project; Bird banding; also biomaths, machine learning, bio-imaging; Brisbane, Australia

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · Nov 13

Young Powerful Owlet falls asleep while intently watching some ducks. This is my favourite Owlet movie ever. We always finish our Powerful Owl talks with it zzzzzzzz
#birds #brisbane

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 7h

Last round of voting (for the Emu-wren 😉). Get in before Bird of the Year closes:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 23h

Being at #6 it looks like the Emu-wren should survive the cull tonight, but be sure and vote for Bird of the Year if you haven't already today, and make sure you vote tomorrow as it'll be down to the final 10.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

I quite like my new fountain pen for quick sketching. This was a Powerful Owlet I helped rescue off a busy path a couple of years ago. A bit like Donna in David Tennant era Dr Who, it didn't think much of being rescued.
Every drawing is practice for the next.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

There are too many birds in need of help, that's for sure.

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

I love the Spotted Pardalote as well, such beautiful birds. Any day you see one is a good one. But this week I'm team Emu-wren 🙂

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

Note vote counts reset every night, so you can place a new vote every day.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

The Emu-wren has started the day quite well at #5. Like @hugepossum.bsky.social I'm hoping it can maintain its place in the top 5 today & tomorrow, it needs all the help it can get what with being threatened by space launches etc.
Vote for Bird of the Year here:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

How ironic. I can now hear a #notanowl calling as I type this in my pyjamas. Still it's better than the goddamn Koel at 3am.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly #notanowl. I've had neighbours dragging me out onto the street in my pyjamas at 9 at night to identify the "owl" on the telephone wires. I have no patience for them.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 1d

The count as of a minute ago. Good luck!

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

With the Powerful Owl now out, I'm going for the Southern Emu-wren. It needs protection from habitat destruction (I'm looking at you rocket launch site). It'd be great if it could survive the next couple of days of voting and finish in the top 5. Vote here:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

I'm going for the Emuwren. It's suffering very badly from habitat destruction and it'll disappear if nothing is done.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

Male Powerful Owl in a Brisbane conservation park.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

Female Powerful Owl in a Brisbane conservation park. Two guys with 2 dogs walked right under her but didn't notice her and her partner on the same branch.
#brisbane #birds #wildoz

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

Bird Bums of Brisbane LXXII
The Female Forest Kingfisher
Gold Creek Reservoir
Yesterday

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 2d

Bird Bums of Brisbane LXXII
The Female Forest Kingfisher
Gold Creek Reservoir
Yesterday

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 3d

What a magnificent Coucal.

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

You're very lucky. Best I get on my street is a Tawny Frogmouth.

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

Maybe they are trying to make friends with them by voting for them.

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

This is the voting link. But be sure and vote 1 Powerful Owls every day as the bottom 5 are eliminated and counting resets to 0 every night.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

www.theguardian.com

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

You'll need to ask Sean Dooley about the choice of birds.

This is the link, but save your vote for tomorrow when the counting will have reset and the bottom 5 eliminated.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

www.theguardian.com

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

I'm sorry for your loss of the cassowary, a magnificent bird. But I'm happy you're coming over to team Powerful Owl.

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

The Powerful Owl is still hanging on there in the Bird of the Year voting, and should make the cut later tonight when the bottom 5 are removed, and the counts are reset to 0. Hopefully those currently voting for the Brush Turkey etc will move their support to POwls 🙂

Powerful Owlet and female Powerful Owl looking at each other quizzically.

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Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 4d

Cheers, Liv!

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 5d

Yes, we do wonder if they think it might be a bird of prey in flight. We guess they learn it's not a threat & so ignore it. The POwls we monitor get the same about us ... initially they may be concerned, but after a while they learn we wont bother them ... they'll give is a quick look & fall asleep.