Powerful by name and nature, the Powerful Owl has a wingspan of up to one and a half metres, and as it is rarely seen, it is regarded as one of the most charismatic of our native nocturnal birds.

In the Winburndale Ranges it has also been considered a relatively rare bird, as up until now there have been very few records of its presence.

However, preliminary observations by Charles Sturt University researcher and winner of the 2001 Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award from Birds Australia, Brian Stone, has shown there are more than first originally thought.

Mr Stone has been studying the abundance and habitat requirements of the Powerful Owl and other nocturnal birds such as the Tawny Frogmouth, Southern Boobook, Australian Owlet Nightjar and mammals such as the Greater Glider.

In his area of study, Mr Stone, a PhD student and part-time lecturer in the Environmental Studies Unit, said he has had no trouble locating the Powerful Owl.

He included the Powerful Owl in his study as it is the most likely to be seriously disadvantaged by forest clearing and ill-conceived land management practices, and hopes his work will lead to longer term strategic planning that will assist in landscape ecology and conservation issues.

The 2001 Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award will assist Mr Stone to complete the field study of these birds and their habitats and purchase essential monitoring equipment.

Birds Australia is the largest bird conservation group in Australia comprising both amateur bird-watchers and professional ornithologists.