Shooting such a large bird of prey is always exciting. It is really a beautiful bird, although I was not sure if I was dealing with one or two species. Such large variability prompted me to verify the name of species. The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the largest Australian bird of prey. Its weight may exceed 5 kilograms and a wingspan 2.5 meters, supposedly even some specimens were measured which wingspan was 2.8 meters. Physically very similar to our white-tailed eagle. The biggest difference, in my view, is the way the pictures were taken. While we were driving through the bush every now and then carrion of  whiptail wallabies and kangaroos could be seen. On roads where a car is a real rarity an accident happens so easily, especially at dawn and dusk. When nearly 50 meters long three-unit lorries gather speed there is no chance for drivers to brake the vehicle seeing an animal on the road. Birds of prey benefit from the effects of such collisions, and this is why it did not take long to find them. It is interesting that the eagle allowed to take photos, even though it had noticed us earlier it did not take its wings off the ground. The desire to finish an easy meal was stronger. Such situation could not take place in Poland, even in harsh winter conditions the sea eagle would fly away making it impossible to take pictures. So in Poland it is hard to take good photos without lookouts, but in Australia - who knows? Of course, the quality of these images differ from those made in the lookouts, in which the birds often are presented with beautiful forest in the background. Here in Australia I was always had the sky in the background. Watching in traditional way with not too much camouflaging would be possible, especially since in the area of tens kilometers it was no problem to find a decoy for eagles. But such shooting brings other questions and concerns. How long could we last when the temperature indicated in the shade was 30, 35 degrees and whether other animals, which could prove to be dangerous for human beings, would like to hide in the same shadows as well? But let us leave these questions for the future, till the next attempts of shooting Australian eagles ;-). And for sure it would be worth trying because they are beautiful, majestic and powerful birds. As I mentioned it with ravens, Wedge-tailed eagles also are harassed by them, as they do not tolerate eagles’ company. Of course they keep  distance and always approach from behind, as it befits "courageous" birds and they are restless in the pestering.  The Wedge-tailed Eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae. During the mating season the birds perform amazing stunts in the air, including playing "chicken". Coupled with their claws they dive down towards the ground making circles. The first to break free and fly away - loses. It is quite surprising, especially when you can see birds that fall into trees risking injury, what for them means only one – the worse. I wish I had seen it and photographed, but it requires a completely different resources and time commitment. So for now I present a few pictures of this beautiful, the largest Australian bird predator.

Australia - wykaz j.angielski

A U S T R A L I A – introduction text - A U S T R A L I A N    B U S T A R D
News gallery birds:
1.Australian bustard.2.Emu.3.Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo.4.White-faced Heron.5.Brolga.6.Green Figbird.7.Zebra Finch.8.Rainbow Lorikeet.9.Pheasant Coucal.10.Australian Pelican.11.Olive-backed Sunbird.12.Yellow Honeyeater.13.Apostlebird.14.Magpie Goose.15.Superb Fairywren. 16.Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.17.Noisy Friarbird.18.Straw-necked Ibis.19.Welcome swallow.20.Black Kite.21.Gala. 22.Plumed Whistling Duck.23.Dollarbird.24.Sacred Kingfisher.25.Masked Lapwing.26.Varied triller.27.Little friarbird. 28.Black-shouldered Kite.29.Laughing Kookaburra.30.Comb-crested jacana.31.Sharp-tailed sandpiper.32.Red-whiskered Bulbul.33.Peaceful Dove. 34.Bush stone curlew.  35.White-throated honeyeater.36.Australian Brushturkey.37.Noisy miner.38.New Holland Honeyeater. 39.Crimson Finch. 40.White-breasted Woodswallow.41.Australian King Parrot.42.Australian Wood Duck.43.Great Bowerbird.44.Little Pied Cormorant.45.Black-billed Koel.46.Australian Raven.47.Spangled drongo.48.Spiny-cheeked honeyeater.49.Willie Wagtail.50.Wedge-tailed Eagle.51.Common Myna.52.Lewin's Honeyeater.53.Eastern Spinebill.54.Chestnut-breasted Munia.55.Rainbow Bee-eater. 56.Blue-winged Kookaburra.57.Common bronzewing.58.Wandering whistling duck.59.Helmeted Friarbird.60.Crested Pigeon.61.Pied Currawong.62.Brown-backed honeyeater.63.Yellow-faced honeyeater.64.Grey-headed honeyeater.65Yellow-throated miner.66.Scaly-breasted munia.67.Masked Woodswallow.68.Hardhead.69.Pale-headed Rosella.70.Blue-faced Honeyeater.71.Grey Butcherbird.72.Australian magpie.73.Whistling kite.74.Black Swan.75.Royal Spoonbill.76.Double-barred Finch.77.Broad-billed Flycatcher.78.Australian Swamphen.79.Brown Falcon.80.Pied Butcherbird.81.White-browed scrubwren.82.Silvereye.83.Rufous-throated Honeyeater.84.Black-faced Cuckooshrike. 85.Red backed fairywren.86.Pacific black duck. 87.Magpie-lark. 88.Red winged parrot.89.Zitting Cisticola.90Cotton Pygmy Goose.91.Pallid Cuckoo. 92.Australian Kestrel.93.Crimson Rosella.94.Forest Kingfisher.95.Australian coot.96.Red-browed Finch.97.Australian White Ibis.98.Australasian Darter.99.Pied oystercatcher.100.Striated Heron.101.Cattle Egret.102.Great Egret.103.Intermediate Egret.104.Sooty Oystercatche.105.Green pygmy goose.106.Brush Wattlebird.107.White-heded Stilt.
News gallery reptiles:
1.Yellow Spotted Monitor. 2. Eastern blue-tongued lizard. 3.Jewel Rainbow. 4.Sand Monitor. 5.Nobbi Dragon. 6.Saw-shelled turtle.
News gallery mammals:
1. Dingo. 2. Flying fox. 3. Agile wallaby. 4. Eastern grey kangaroo. 5.Common wallaroo. 6.Whiptail Wallaby.
Go to the gallery: A U S T R A L I A – F A U N A