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I needed to go out to the quarry this afternoon to try and find a suitable rock on which to mount a memorial plaque. It was quite a nice afternoon, with the near winter sun shining down through quite spectacular cirrus cloud formations. As I drove out through the dairying country on my way to the foothills I glanced up and saw two Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring overhead, and above them was another smaller raptor also circling. I couldn’t identify it without stopping, but it could have been either a Brown Falcon or Brown Goshawk. Along the track on the outskirts of the bush I drove through the usual flocks of Eastern Rosellas, they really are a bird of the wooded roadsides. I spotted several likely rocks before I drove on up to the ridge top and stopped for a look around. As soon as I got out of the vehicle I again looked up to see just above the treetops, two more Wedge-tails flying unhurriedly over me, with just a brief glance down at the earth-bound human below. I had a great look at them at relatively close quarters, one was quite dark, the other was a lighter bird, four eagles in fifteen minutes, good going.
One sandstone rock looked to be the ideal candidate, three feet long, eighteen inches wide, with a split running right through giving two suitable slabs with flat faces. Leaving it for another day when I could rustle up help to load it, I decided to make a detour on the way home to the fern gully where I saw a pair of Powerful Owls soon after the bushfires eighteen months ago.
It was very quiet by the creek, with only the sound of a spinebill’s wings and the distant calls of a lyrebird disturbing the stillness. A sambar deer track made it easy to get down to the creek near the Blue Oliveberry tree I’d seen them in before, I then only had to walk ten yards before I could look up into the tree, and to my delight there they were sitting quietly looking at me.
It was a perfect re-run of my first sighting, with the paler bird, possibly the female, holding what looked to be a dead magpie in her talons. As is so often the case I was photographing up into the light which made things difficult, especially focus at full zoom, but they were very cooperative and I managed some reasonable shots before I left them in peace. Impressive birds.

powerful owl

owl with prey

8 Responses to “Afternoon of the big birds.”

  1. Jenny says:

    Duncan, congratulations! What a brilliant find! The Powerful Owl should be in my area. Alas, I may never see one in my lifetime as their habitat has been so sorely destroyed. The speckled breast leads me to think it may be a male, but - heck - what would I know? I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing one in the flesh.

    Watch over them. They certainly need it!

  2. Duncan says:

    Jenny, seeing a Powerful Owl like this is one of the greatest birding thrills you can have to my way of thinking. They have such presence.

  3. miss jane says:

    What is there to say?
    Magnificent clarity.
    I can see every feather of both birds.
    Well done.

    p.s. On the day you took the lovely photo of the sulphur crested cocky at Victoria Park, I was there
    later and saw hanging in branches over the pond an adult cocky regurgitating in its bubs mouth.
    She/he missed the mouth a bit and went back and wiped the mouth,then I saw the family of 3 fly off.

    pps. What is anthropormorphism?

  4. Duncan says:

    I had to work at it Miss Jane, focus was hard to come by.
    Anthropomomorphism is attributing human qualities or form, to animals, the gods, etc. Quite a common thing when you think about it, I reckon my son’s whippet is half human!

  5. Troy Mullens says:

    Reasonable shots indeed. These are terrific photographs. I would do cart-wheels for photos like these.

    Great post.

    Great Work all around.
    thanks for the visit,
    Troy

  6. Duncan says:

    We’re always trying to do better Troy. You and Martha are hot stuff behind the lens too you know, that profile shot of the ground squirrel for example is a ripper.

  7. Dave says:

    That one with the magpie sure has the mean eye look for you. They are a very impressive bird.

  8. Duncan says:

    Reckon you’re right Dave, there’s quite a difference in expression between the two.