Attack by a Peregrine Falcon on a Little Eagle on November 25, 1979

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

AUSTRALIAN 238 \ ARNEY: Peregrine Falcon BIRD WATCHER Attack by a Peregrine Falcon on a Little Eagle On November 25, 1979 whilst inspecting Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus eyries at Nowingi, Victoria, in company with Brian Smith, we witnessed an attack by a pair of Peregrines on a Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides. At the time I was participating in the Victorian Fisheries and Wildlife Department's Peregrine Project. Almost immediately after the Little Eagle was disturbed from its perch in a Belar Casuarina cristata it was pursued by the Falcon, closely fol lowed by her mate. Both birds made several passes at the Little Eagle, the Falcon pulling out when within two metres of its prey, and the Tiercel when approximately five metres from it. In the final attack the Falcon actually struck the Little Eagle behind the head, dislodging a few small feathers and causing it to plummet into a wheat crop some 7-10 metres below. Although we made a diligent search for 20 minutes we failed to locate the victim, but to our utter amazement it then rose from the crop in an endeavour to reach the cover of trees about 150 metres distant succeeding just in time to avoid another onslaught by the Falcon. Over the past four years there has been a close associatiOn between these birds, the Peregrines breeding in the nest occupied by the Little Eagles the previous season. At the time of this incident the Peregrine chicks were fledged and witnessed the encounter from a nearby vantage point. It is significant that the incident took place in the vicinity of the nest in which the Little Eagle had recently reared its young, for when I passed it again on August 17, 1980 the Tiercel was indulging in court ship behaviour in the presence of the Falcon perched in the particular nest tree, thus indicating a continuity of the pattern over the previous four years. There is little doubt that in November 1979 the Peregrines were already selecting their eyrie for the 1980 season. By M. J. ARNEY, P.M.B. 5, Red Cliffs, Victoria, 3496. ABW .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Canberra Bird Notes
canberra ISSN 0314-8211 bird Volume 43 Number 2 July 2018 notes Registered by Australia Post 100001304 CANBERRA ORNITHOLOGISTS GROUP, INC. PO Box 301 Civic Square ACT 2608 2017-18 Committee President Neil Hermes 0413 828 045 Vice-President Steve Read 0408 170 915 Secretary Bill Graham 0466 874 723 Treasurer Vacant 6231 0147 (h) Member Jenny Bounds Member Sue Lashko Member Lia Battisson Member David McDonald Member Paul Fennell Member A.O. (Nick) Nicholls Member Prue Watters Email Contacts General inquiries [email protected] President [email protected] Canberra Bird Notes [email protected]/[email protected] COG Database Inquiries [email protected] COG Membership [email protected] COG Web Discussion List [email protected] Conservation [email protected] Gang-gang Newsletter [email protected] GBS Coordinator [email protected] Publications for sale [email protected] Unusual bird reports [email protected] Website [email protected] Woodland Project [email protected] Other COG contacts Conservation Jenny Bounds Field Trips Sue Lashko 6251 4485 (h) COG Membership Sandra Henderson 6231 0303 (h) Canberra Bird Notes Editor Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Assistant Editor Kevin Windle 6286 8014 (h) Editor for Annual Bird Report Paul Fennell 6254 1804 (h) Newsletter Editor Sue Lashko, Gail Neumann (SL) 6251 4485 (h) Databases Jaron Bailey 0439 270 835 (a.h.) Garden Bird Survey Duncan McCaskill 6259 1843 (h) Rarities Panel Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Talks Program Organiser Jack Holland 6288 7840 (h) Records Officer Nicki Taws 6251 0303 (h) Website Julian Robinson 6239 6226 (h) Sales Kathy Walter 6241 7639 (h) Waterbird Survey Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Distribution of COG publications Dianne Davey 6254 6324 (h) COG Library Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Use the General Inquiries email to arrange access to library items or for general enquiries, or contact the Secretary on 0466 874 723.
[Show full text]
Development and Application of Survey Methods to Determine
Development and application of survey methods to determine habitat use in relation to forest management and habitat characteristics of the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) in the Upper Warren region, Western Australia by Anke Seidlitz BSc (Hons) A thesis submitted to Murdoch University to fulfil the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the discipline of Environmental and Conservation Sciences January 2021 Author’s declaration I declare that (a) the thesis is my own account of my research, except where other sources are acknowledged, (b) all co-authors, where stated and certified by my principal supervisor or executive author, have agreed that the works presented in this thesis represent substantial contributions from myself and (c) the thesis contains as its main content work that has not been previously submitted for a degree at any other university. ……………………………. Anke Seidlitz i Abstract Effective detection methods and knowledge on habitat requirements is key for successful wildlife monitoring and management. The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an endangered, Australian-endemic marsupial that has experienced major population declines since European settlement. The Upper Warren region (UWR) in south-western Australia contains one of the two remaining natural populations. A lack of effective survey methods has caused a paucity of information regarding this population. This PhD project aimed to develop robust survey methods and determine habitat requirements for the numbat in the UWR. Given the perceived advantages of camera trap technology in wildlife research, camera trap trials were conducted to optimise camera methodologies for numbat detection. Swift 3C wide-angle camera traps positioned at ~25 cm above ground increased numbat detections by 140% compared to commonly used Reconyx PC900 camera traps.
[Show full text]
Western Australia
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 16 AUGUST – 7 SPETEMBER 2003 TOUR REPORT LEADER: CHRIS DOUGHTY. Seven years of drought in Australia has finally ended, unfortunately, the drought ended when the group arrived in Albany where we experienced heavy rain and gale force winds. Although we left the rain behind in Albany, the strong winds persisted throughout the whole tour, making the birding more difficult. After a leisurely first afternoon recovering from our long-haul flights, we began our birding the next morning at Lake Monger in the pleasant suburbs of Perth. The large concentrations of waterbirds included a few pairs of the uncommon Blue-billed Duck, several bizarre Musk Ducks, including a male bird, which put on an equally bizarre courtship display, and rather more surprisingly, a small party of Short-billed Black-Cockatoos, a south-western endemic which does not normally occur in downtown Perth. Here we also encountered our first honeyeaters, including the striking White-cheeked Honeyeater. As we drove on south towards Narrogin, we came across another of the south-western endemics, a splendid, full-plumaged, male Western Rosella, perched obligingly in a dead tree by the roadside. In the afternoon, a visit to Dryandra State Forest produced three more south-western endemics: Red-capped Parrot, Rufous Treecreeper and Western Yellow Robin. However, the afternoon’s show was undoubtedly stolen by a couple of seriously endangered Numbats, which gave superb views as they foraged busily on the forest floor only metres from the bus. This once widespread marsupial ‘ground squirrel’ is now confined to Dryandra State Forest. We also enjoyed great looks at a couple of obliging Short- beaked Echidnas, with a supporting cast of several Western Grey Kangaroos.
[Show full text]
Gifted Name Aiyanna Amaryllis White Dove Angel Feather Angel Heart
Gifted Name Aiyanna Amaryllis White Dove Angel Feather Angel Heart Anointed Spirit Arbutus Flower Artic Lonewolf Askuwheteau Aura Manataka Autumn Breeze Autumn Flower Autumn Leaf Autumn Spirit Autumn Storm Beautiful "Olathe" Big Bear Blue Butterfly Blue Lily Blue Morning Glory Blue Sky Brave Flaming Turtle Brave Sparrow Bright Eagle Bright Flame Bright Hawk Bright Morning Star Bright Spirit Broken Aroox Bunny Dancing Feet Butterfly Dream Chaser Calm Storm Cat Woman Charging Spirit Chasing Dreams Chato Chipmonk Chirping Willow Chunski Cloud Walker Cooking Fork Coyote Coyote Medicine Moon Coyote Night Singer Dances Like Wind Dancing Arrow Dancing Bear Dancing Butterfly Dancing Butterfly Dancing Butterfly Dancing Dark Star Dancing Dove Dancing Eagle Dancing Eyes Dancing Fawn Dancing Feather Dancing Feather Dancing Feet Dancing Fire Dancing Firefly Dancing Flame Dancing Golden Butterfly Dancing Hawk Dancing Leaves Dancing Morning Star Dancing Star Dancing Star Dancing Sunflower Dancing Thunder Dancing White Butterfly Dancing Wild Flower Dancing Wolf Dark Cloud Dark Wolf Deep Running Water Deer Dancer Deer Heart Deer Slayer Woman Dream Walker Dream Wanderer Eagle Eye Eagle of Wisdom Eagle Spirit Eagle That Flies Eagle Watch Eagle's Daughter Woman Earth Mother Earth Spirit Earth Star Ehelekhiket (Author ‐ Writer) Ella Little Bird Eternal Blossom Eveing Star Fading Star Faith Keeper Falling Little Star Falling Rain Falling Star Fast Eagle Fast Eagle Fearless Eagle Feather of Eagle Fighting Cock Fire Star Fish Hawk Flaming Feather Flaming Hair
[Show full text]
Wave Moult of the Primaries in Accipitrid Raptors, and Its Use in Ageing Immatures
Chancellor, R. D. & B.-U. Meyburg eds. 2004 Raptors Worldwide WWGBP/MME Wave Moult of the Primaries in Accipitrid raptors, and its use in ageing immatures William S. Clark ABSTRACT Stresemann & Stresemann (1966) described wave moult in the primary remiges ('Staffelmauser' in German; also translated as 'step-wise moult') for some families of birds but not for Acccipitrid raptors, even though many of the species in this family (especially the larger ones) show it. Primaries of Accipitrid raptors are replaced from Pl (inner) sequentially outward. Waves are formed when not all of the ten primaries are replaced in any annual moult cycle. In the next annual cycle, moult begins anew at Pl as well as continuing with the next feather from where it left off in the last cycle. Two or three, occasionally four, wave fronts of new primaries can be seen in the primaries of some raptors, especially larger ones, e.g., eagles. Knowledge and understanding of wave moult can ascertain the ages of immature raptors in those species that take three or four years to attain adult plumage, as these species typically do not replace all of the primaries in any moult cycle. Juvenile eagles show all primaries the same age. Second plumage eagles show two ages of primaries, newer inner ones and older retained juvenile outer ones. Third plumage eagles show two waves, with the first wave proceeding to P8, P9, or PIO, and the second to P3, P4, P5, or P6. Fourth plumage eagles usually show new outer PlO from the first wave, new P5 to P7 from the second wave, and new Pl to P3 from the most recent wave.
[Show full text]
Little Eagle
JUNE 2013 Little Eagle One of the smallest eagles in the world, the Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) risks becoming extinct in the ACT region in the medium-term future unless active steps are taken to protect its habitat. Originally found throughout mainland Australia, the Little Eagle was declared a vulnerable species in the ACT in 2008. It is also listed as vulnerable in New South Wales. Little Eagles are stocky, powerful birds with a wingspan over a metre. The females weigh almost twice as much as the males. They usually live in woodland and open forest, nesting in mature trees on hillsides in open woodland and along tree-lined watercourses. They build stick nests and line them with leaves and may use nests of other birds such as ravens. The birds forage widely, often many kilometres from their nest. They spy their prey while soaring above the Females lay two eggs in late August to early September. woodland or from lookout trees then swoop down They hatch after about five weeks and are fledged quickly to take their food from the woodland floor, about eight weeks after hatching. Adults defend their trees or bushes. Prey mainly consists of juvenile rabbits, nesting territory with soaring, undulating flight displays, smaller birds, insects, reptiles and occasionally carrion. conspicuous perching and or calling. Sightings of the Little Eagle have been recorded across much of the ACT, but the breeding range is restricted to the lower parts of the northern ACT such as the Murrumbidgee and the Molonglo river corridors. Numbers of the Little Eagle have been declining over the last 30 years.
[Show full text]
The Eagle Genus Hieraaetus Is Distinct from Aquila, with Comments on the Name Ayres’ Eagle
William S. Clark 295 Bull. B.O.C. 2012 132(4) The eagle genus Hieraaetus is distinct from Aquila, with comments on the name Ayres’ Eagle by William S. Clark Received 16 April 2012 Consensus has long existed among taxonomists as to the placement of the species of the eagles in the genera Aquila and Hieraaetus, the only exception being Wahlberg’s Eagle, which has been treated either as A. wahlbergi or H. wahlbergi. However, recent comparisons of DNA sequences of these eagles revealed that both genera were polyphyletic (Helbig et al. 2005, Lerner & Mindell 2005, Griffiths et al. 2007, Haring et al. 2007). To ensure monophyly, these authors recommended that some species be moved into and out of both genera and placed Wahlberg’s Eagle definitely in Hieraaetus. On the other hand, Sangster et al. (2005) recommended that Hieraaetus be subsumed into Aquila, for which they cite eight recent phylogenetic studies, only four of them published in peer-reviewed journals (Roulin & Wink 2004, Bunce et al. 2005, Helbig et al. 2005, Lerner & Mindell 2005); all of which, nevertheless, retained Hieraaetus. Thus, none of the four peer-reviewed journal articles cited by Sangster et al. (2005) to justify placing Hieraaetus into Aquila actually recommended this. Further, Sangster et al. (2005) proposed only that Booted Eagle (pennatus) be included in Aquila, because their recommendations only considered European birds. The generic treatment of Sangster et al. (2005) was followed without comment by Gjershaug et al. (2009) in describing Weiske’s or Pygmy Eagle (weiskei) as a species separate from Little Eagle H.
[Show full text]
Numbat Myrmecobius Fasciatus
Threatened Species Strategy – Year 3 Priority Species Scorecard (2018) Numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus Key Findings Numbats were once widespread across mainland Australia but declined to only ~300 individuals in WA by the late 1970s, primarily due to predation by foxes and habitat loss, as well as predation by feral cats, and frequent and intense fires. Long term control of introduced predators and careful fire management increased populations, enabling translocations to other sites to re-establish Numbats in parts of their former range, firstly in WA and more recently in SA and NSW. These intensive and long-term recovery efforts have increased the total population to over 1300 individuals. Photo: Alexander Dudley Significant trajectory change from 2005-15 to 2015-18? Yes, rate of increase has improved. Priority future actions • Maintain existing fenced populations and develop plan for metapopulation management. • Intensify feral cat control at all established populations (outside of fences). • Establish further populations across range. Full assessment information Background information 2018 population trajectory assessment 1. Conservation status and taxonomy 8. Expert elicitation for population trends 2. Conservation history and prospects 9. Immediate priorities from 2019 3. Past and current trends 10. Contributors 4. Key threats 11. Legislative documents 5. Past and current management 12. References 6. Support from the Australian Government 13. Citation 7. Measuring progress towards conservation The primary purpose of this scorecard is to assess progress against the year three targets outlined in the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy, including estimating the change in population trajectory of 20 mammal species. It has been prepared by experts from the National Environmental Science Program’s Threatened Species Recovery Hub, with input from a number of taxon experts, a range of stakeholders and staff from the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner, for the information of the Australian Government and is non-statutory.
[Show full text]
Flora and Fauna Guarantee - Scientific Advisory Committee
NOMINATION NO. 887 TAXON ID: 10225 FLORA AND FAUNA GUARANTEE - SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATION ON A NOMINATION FOR LISTING Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides Gould 1841 Date of consideration: 6 February, 6 March, 13 May, 19 June and 8 July 2020 File No.: FF/54/3808 Validity: The nomination is for a valid item. Prescribed Information: The prescribed information was provided. Name of the Nominator is adequately provided. Name of the item is adequately provided. The nominated taxon is accepted by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) as a valid taxon because it has been formally described and it is accepted as a valid taxon by Museum Victoria. Description and Life History Little Eagles are small, powerful and stocky (45-55 cm) birds of prey with a wingspan of more than 1 m. They have a long tail that is square-cut at the tip when it is closed. Legs are heavily feathered and the feet and talons are powerful. The species’ plumage ranges from light to dark brown, with a short crest with a distinctive underwing 'M' in the light morph and a pale, broken 'M' across the upperparts. Debus (2017a,b) provides a more detailed description of this species. Little Eagles are carnivorous, eating mainly rabbits, birds and reptiles. Little Eagles catch prey on the ground by dropping onto it from a prominent perch or from a glide; only rarely is food caught in flight (Emison et al. 1987). The species is heavily dependent on rabbits (Ratcliffe 1956), especially in non-arid areas (Debus pers. comm. December 2019), but following the spread of rabbit calicivirus disease, and consequent decline in rabbit numbers by 65-85% in the arid and semi-arid zones, the Little Eagle is likely to be increasingly dependent on native prey in the inland.
[Show full text]
Home-Range and Behaviour of a Fledgling Little Eagle Hieraaetus Morphnoides in the Australian Capital Territory
Corella, 2017, 41: 88-98 Home-range and behaviour of a fledgling Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides in the Australian Capital Territory J. Olsen1, S. Trost2, B. Gruber1 and T. Long3 1Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601 Email: [email protected] 244 Wybalena Grove, Cook, ACT 2614 37 Sid Barnes Crescent, Gordon, ACT, 2906 Received: 27 June 2017 Accepted: 31 July 2017 A juvenile Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides was radio-tagged and followed from the day it left the nest until it dispersed 12 weeks later. Two methods, minimum convex polygons (MCP) and kernel analysis, were used to estimate its home range. Home range increased in size progressively over the 12 weeks of the post-fledging period, from 0.001 km2 MCP and 0.007 km2 kernel in Wk 1 to 3.085 km2 MCP and 10.78 km2 kernel in Wk 12, as the juvenile moved gradually away from the nest tree. We also scored the presence or absence during each observation period of 11 juvenile and/or adult behaviours directly observed in the field relating to changes in the juvenile’s developing skills, parental provisioning, and interactions of the juvenile and adults with other species. Frequencies of these behaviours changed over the 12 wks of the post-fledging dependence period as the juvenile developed more adult-like behaviours and the adults spent less time with the juvenile. We acknowledge that this study reports observation of a single bird; although the estimates and trends of home ranges over time are valid, all interpretations and generalisations are limited and may not hold in a broader study.
[Show full text]
Accipitridae Species Tree
Accipitridae I: Hawks, Kites, Eagles Pearl Kite, Gampsonyx swainsonii ?Scissor-tailed Kite, Chelictinia riocourii Elaninae Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus ?Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris ?Letter-winged Kite, Elanus scriptus White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus African Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides typus ?Madagascan Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides radiatus Gypaetinae Palm-nut Vulture, Gypohierax angolensis Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus Bearded Vulture / Lammergeier, Gypaetus barbatus Madagascan Serpent-Eagle, Eutriorchis astur Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus Gray-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis ?White-collared Kite, Leptodon forbesi Swallow-tailed Kite, Elanoides forﬁcatus European Honey-Buzzard, Pernis apivorus Perninae Philippine Honey-Buzzard, Pernis steerei Oriental Honey-Buzzard / Crested Honey-Buzzard, Pernis ptilorhynchus Barred Honey-Buzzard, Pernis celebensis Black-breasted Buzzard, Hamirostra melanosternon Square-tailed Kite, Lophoictinia isura Long-tailed Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis longicauda Black Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis infuscatus ?Black Baza, Aviceda leuphotes ?African Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda cuculoides ?Madagascan Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda madagascariensis ?Jerdon’s Baza, Aviceda jerdoni Paciﬁc Baza, Aviceda subcristata Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogyps calvus White-headed Vulture, Trigonoceps occipitalis Cinereous Vulture, Aegypius monachus Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotos Gypinae Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus White-rumped Vulture, Gyps bengalensis Himalayan
[Show full text]
Birds on Farms
Border Rivers Birds on Farms INTRODUCTION Grain & Graze Forty-seven mixed farms within nine regions around Australia took part in BR All collecting ecological data for the biodiversityBorder section of the nationalRivers Grain Region and Graze project. Table 1 Bird Survey Statistics Farms Farms Native bird species 105 183 This factsheet outlines the results from bird surveys, conducted in Spring 2006 and Autumn 2006-2007, on five farms within the Border Rivers Region in Introduced bird species 1 6 Queensland and New South Wales. Listed Threatened Species** 7 33 NSW Listed Species 1 11 Four paddock types were surveyed, Crop, Rotation, Pasture and Remnant (see overleaf for link to methods). Although, more bird species were recorded Priority Species 3 15 in remnant vegetation, birds were also frequently observed in other land use ** State and/or Federally types (Table 2). Table 2 List of bird species recorded in each paddock in all of the 5 Border Rivers Region farms. Food Food Common Name Preference Crop Rotation Pasture RemnantCommon Name Preference Crop Rotation Pasture Remnant Grey-crowned Babbler (N) I 1 3 1 2 3 4 Brown Goshawk IC 4 Varied Sittella I 3 White-faced Heron IC 3 White-winged Triller IGF 3 3 4 5 White-necked Heron IC 3 Striped Honeyeater IN 1 3 1 3 2 3 4 Olive-backed Oriole IF 3 Blue-faced Honeyeater IN 1 1 2 3 5 Pacific Black Duck IG 3 5 Brown Honeyeater IN 5 Little Button-quail IG 3 Red-winged Parrot G 1 1 2 5 Noisy Miner IN 4 1 2 3 4 5 3 1 2 3 4 5 Wedge-tailed Eagle C 4 2 3 5 Little Friarbird IN 1 3 Brown Thornbill I
[Show full text]