Tuesday, January 17, 2012

On the wing, and under it

One of fluctuating hundreds of Wandering Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna arcuata) on the main lagoon these days takes a turn near the Tyto lookout. Plenty of Plumed Whistlers too, but usually clustered on grassy banks of new lagoons near the info centre.

Young White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) about to make brief touchdown near the lookout. Interesting that one- to two-year? bird caused no alarm among the many birds on the water, very different from reaction mature eagles usually provoke. But perhaps there’s something about eagles’ in-flight behaviour that signals either malign or benign intent.     

Nothing much malign about Spotted (Turtle-) Dove (Streptopelia chinensis), showing delicate colouring on rail in the morning sun. Not universally loved because regarded as pushy import (1860-1920), at least the mostly suburban species no longer is tagged an STD.    
Click pix to enlarge  

2 comments:

Snail said...

The sea-eagles at Hastie's Swamp don't always cause a panic response among the ducks, so maybe there's a hunting and non-hunting style? (Or --- more likely --- I haven't been paying attention.)

Tyto Tony said...

Whatever our states of attention, it's life or death for ducks, so probably eagles' intent is readable: if only we read Eaglish!

Head up for dragonfly, head off for fish head . . .

One moment it's dragonfly trying to dance on White-bellied Sea-Eagle's head, the next it's all go for fisher's discarded fis...