[pre]I don't have photos (battery went flat when I tried to zoom) but hopefully can get a shot in a few days.
This last week or so I've seen two birds, looking almost identical except one is missing tail feathers.
They look for all purposes like Wedge Tailed Eagles. I found a picture on the net that almost very perfectly looks like the ones I saw:
[/pre]
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1165/526359091_0fe360e6ae.jpg?v=0
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1104/526291064_c2e74cf3fe.jpg?v=0
[pre]
The only difference is that these ones had more brown on the wings. I couldn't approximate their size but they are big, and I realise that because of the dark colouring they are probably quite old.
What has me stumped is the sound coming from the one with the tail injury. I've only ever heard wedgies make a shrill call when flying.
This guy was making a squawking sound. I kid you not. He was also reasonably friendly and when he noticed me (or possibly my cat) he sat and watch us for a while and returned the squawking sound I tried to mimic. The second one didn't make any sound.
The other thing that I found was weird was that they were walking from branch to branch and across the top of large bushes along the creek banks. Whereas I thought eagles normally liked to perch high up.
Any ideas?[/pre]
***getting use to the formatting :P
I've repasted the text so it doesn't go off screen:***
]I don't have photos (battery went flat when I tried to zoom) but hopefully can get a shot in a few days.
This last week or so I've seen two birds, looking almost identical except one is missing tail feathers.
They look for all purposes like Wedge Tailed Eagles. I found a picture on the net that almost very perfectly looks like the ones I saw:
*images went here*
The only difference is that these ones had more brown on the wings. I couldn't approximate their size but they are big, and I realise that because of the dark colouring they are probably quite old.
What has me stumped is the sound coming from the one with the tail injury. I've only ever heard wedgies make a shrill call when flying.
This guy was making a squawking sound. I kid you not. He was also reasonably friendly and when he noticed me (or possibly my cat) he sat and watch us for a while and returned the squawking sound I tried to mimic. The second one didn't make any sound.
The other thing that I found was weird was that they were walking from branch to branch and across the top of large bushes along the creek banks. Whereas I thought eagles normally liked to perch high up.
Any ideas?
Hi Sierran Yes definitely wedgies...where are the pics taken they often look different darker or lighter depending on enviro very coool to get pics im jealous cheers
jef
no no, those are not my pics.
they are ones i found on the net that most like the birds i saw.
the birds were outside my house, suburban Brisbane. middle of the day, reasonably hot. the area is a few square kms of bushland surrounded by suburbia, with a catchment creek running through it. they came within about 5 metres of my back fence.
do you know if its normal for wedgies to make squawking noises?
i realise its a bit early for breeding season but i'm hoping the fact that i saw two of them together means they might settle down for the season. certainly plenty of prey for them where i live.
Hi Sierran....I dont now if anything is normal with birds after the kookaburras ....and im still jealous seeing wedgies that close is great get them batteries charged and get some pics....sqawking could be distress or a warning at a guess but someone will know ,,,cheers and good luck with the pics
jef
Hello Sierran
I don't mean to be a party-pooper, and I realise you could not take your own photos. However, you really ought not post photos downloaded from the web, (unless you know they are "public domain" photos).
Technically, it is a breach of copyright, not just by you, but by the BiBY site (AusMuseum) - as they host the site you have used to publish someone else's photos.
Some people are very possessive about copyright issues, and it is not as if the copyright owner cannot find out. Google Image searches very quickly reveal image duplications - same photos on different sites are really obvious.
Your story is interesting, but the words tell us what you want us to know. The images add little to your story, if you know what I mean. Most people know what a Wedgie looks like, and you have described the birds well.
The BiBY Bird finder has an extensive article on Wedgies.
Re the colouring, it says: "Young Wedge-tailed Eagles are mid brown in colour with reddish-brown heads and wings. They become progressively blacker for at least the first ten years of their lives; adults are mostly dark blackish-brown."
So your birds are most likely to be youngsters.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=67
I hope that helps with your inquiry.
And I do hope you can get your own photos , and I look forward to seeing them.
Denis Wilson
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Hi Dennis thats all very interesting BUT how do you know wether theyre public domain photos or not and arent they relevant to the question being asked or are the rules more important than the answer???
jef
Jef
Denis is right people do get upset if photos are published with out permission. For the sort of use we see here most people will be only to willing to allow use, but you do need to ask.
Flicka has the copyright status for all picture shown, most are © ‘all rights reserved’, ask before using, some will be © ‘limited use’ normally via a Creative Commons agreement check out the agreement before using and other will be © ‘no know copyright’ use with care, I’d possibly check out the origin before doing so. Flicka has good links to explanations of these options.
Here is a Townsville Wedgie Taken from my front garden
Ed Townsville NQ
Thanks Ed, for the moral support.
I was reluctant to raise the point, but felt somebody ought do so.
Hopefully Sierran will not object.
Glad you have explained the copyright terminology.
Personally, I rate all my photos as Creative Commons - use with attribution. In other words, I don't mind if someone wants to use it, but please acknowledge that it was me behind the camera.
The Internet has all but destroyed copyright, unless someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect their images on a website. Others use a kind of watermark, but I have not ever found that necessary. But people who are specialists, and pay a fortune for their equipment, and put in years of work building their knowledge (like some of my Orchid colleagues) do deserve recognition. For others it is a money issue, as taking bird photos is a legitimate occupation. No names, but there are a a few people out there actually trying to make a living out of what we do, and share here for free.
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Hi Denis thanx to you and ed for copyright info and apology to you as my post sounded a bit rude...not intended,I do get a bit excitable especially about wedge-tails..We saw 23 in one trip driving from Emerald to Adelaide and 14 of those after Broken Hill and managed to photgraph none....and ed gets em in the front yard so thanx and cheers
jef
Thanks for mentioning it Denis. It's a very good point to know.
.
I would imagine that any of the photo's that we post here are covered by copyright, irregardless of whether it says so or not. And should not be used/copied or downloaded without our explicit written permission.