An encounter with a wedge-tailed eagle filled me with awe and a sense of danger

Over the past few years, my amateur bird watching has escalated into more of an obsession, one that occasionally pulls me out to more remote areas of Australia. Several months ago on one such trip, I had cause to think about what drew me to birds. On that particular day, I was walking in the Warrumbungles in New South Wales, trekking up a slope toward Mt Exmouth. I rounded a corner to spot an enormous wedge-tailed eagle perched on the ridge above me. It was an adult, with dark, near-black plumage, boxy shoulders and an immense beak. Its sheer mass was striking.

I looked at the eagle. And the eagle looked at me. Then, finding my sweaty human form unimpressive, it turned its head to inspect the view instead.

Read the full story by author and illustrator Georgia Angus on The Guardian website.

( The Guardian/BirdLife Australia 2021 bird of the year poll begins on Monday 27 September 2021. )

 and   @birdsinbackyards
                 Subscribe to me on YouTube