Dr Penny Olsen 'The Norfolk Island Morepork: rebuilding a population from the last survivor’ - POSTPONED

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Thursday, 3 February 2022 - 12:30pm
Morepork Owl - picture supplied by Parks Australia
Morepork Owl - picture supplied by Parks Australia

Penny, is an Honorary Professor in Division of Ecology and Evolution, ANU.  In 1986 she organised a group to visit Norfolk Island and conduct a search for the Morepork. But what do you do with only one owl?  A recovery program began and today a small population persists.

Abstract

The Norfolk Island owl is a member of the group of smallish owls referred to as boobooks or moreporks. In 1986, concerned that the owl had not been seen for some years, I organised a group of friends to visit the island and conduct a search. We discovered that only one individual remained. What do you do with one owl? There were many decisions to be made and not a few hurdles to jump, but a recovery program began.  Today, thanks to ongoing conservation efforts, a small population persists

Biography

Penny Olsen is an Hon. Prof. in the Division of Ecology and Evolution at the Australian National University After a career as a research scientist, she now mostly writes about natural history subjects.

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