Wednesday, 15 February 2023

Wild Bird Wednesday 551 - Wedge-tailed Eagle

Not has many pictures as normal for this week's WBW - in fact just three.

These are the first pictures I have managed to get of a Wedged-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) on the ground - or in this case a post.  All my other pictures have been of birds a very long way up in the sky.

The Wedged-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey, and is more or less the third largest eagle in the world.  This bird landed briefly on a fence post in the open fields that surround Werribee Sewage Works.

I grabbed my camera and took a burst of about 10 images, and then the bird flew off - more or less at ground level - away from me and my camera.  I suspect that the eagle was looking for rabbits - but I may well be wrong.  This eagle can be found over much of Australia - and can even be seen about an hours drive from central Melbourne.

A large brown-to-black bird , it has a maximum reported wingspan of 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) and a length of up to 1.06 m (3 ft 6 in).




I have included 'the bad hair day' picture because I like it! 

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10 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Magnificence - and what a treat to be on the spot for that visitation! YAM xx

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  2. What a great capture of a magnificent bird!

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  3. That's really exciting! Thank you!

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  4. Wonderful captures Stewart. Thanks for hosting and I hope you have a great week ahead

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  5. To musiały być niezwykłe emocje. Każde spotkanie z ptakiem drapieżnym robi wrażenie. Są nieufne i płochliwe. Zdjęcia udane, gratuluję obserwacji. Co za spotkanie!

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  6. Such a majestic predator bird!

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  7. Great shots of an impressive creature!

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  8. Quite a large and imposing bird. Glad it stopped by for a few nice shots

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  9. Hello Stewart :=) Magnificent bird of prey. I had never heard of the Wedge-tailed Eagle. Glad you were on the spot at just the right time, I like the bad hair day image .:=)

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  10. A common bird but one I did not see in Australia on my trip. That's just the way it is. One should indeed enjoy all the birds!
    Kind regards

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