Conole, Lawrie wrote:
>
> With all this chatter about good birds, bad birds, etc., it does depend
> a bit on the circumstances, how good the view was, and so on. A group
> of us (Stuart Dashper, Susan Myers, Malea Kneen, Mike McLeish, me)
> yesterday got what could could only be described as a crippling view of
> a Black Falcon. We were pulling in to the bottom of Pyramid Hill in
> northern Victoria near Kerang, it was about 40 degrees C in the shade.
> Watching one of a number of Black Kites soaring around, we caught sight
> of a big, black, long-tailed falcon which buzzed the kite on its way
> through. The falcon landed in a tree near the road. Black Falcons are
> ALWAYS good to see, but it was a lifer for Mike and Malea, so we drove
> down and parked near the tree. There was the Black Falcon in full view
> about 15m away - sensational! Black Falcons strike fear into just about
> anything avian out on the plains, and it's clear why when viewed closely
> - huge muscular torso, big long-taloned feet. Such an impressive bird!
>
> Lawrie Conole
> 58 Holden Street, Fitzroy North 3068 Victoria, AUSTRALIA
> Phone AH (03) 9486 4575
> Ph Mob (0419) 588 993
> Email <>
Lawrie,
Your posting about your recent view of the Black Falcon at Pyramid Hill reminds
me of a
sighting I made in January this year near Proston, Queensland.
I was driving up one of those corrugated dirt (and bitumin) roads to see one of
my
dryland cultivation dairy farmers when I noticed this "big black thing" sitting
quite
still on top of a 3 metre high old telephone pole, just inside the fenceline
off the
road, a matter of 10 metres away once I braked and reversed to an opposite view.
I had the most incredible close-up view (without binoculars) of an immaculate
Black
Falcon obviously taking a breather from its normal duties. It calmly sat there
and just
stared back. In fact, most of the sightings I have made of Black Falcons
(mostly on the
Darling Downs in Qld) have been solitary birds at rest. They are literally
unmistakable,
being very large for a falcon and so powerfully built, and of course
predominantly dark
in features with the falcon silhouette and head. I have seen Black Falcons on a
number
of occasions on the cultivated plains of the Darling Downs and South Burnett,
and they
are the sort of bird that one never forgets.
I have seen all but one of Australia's falcon/kestrel species: you guessed it,
the
missing link is our very elusive and rare Grey Falcon.
If anybody would like to have a go at seeing this bird, try having a look up
Pincott Rd,
about 50 km west of Proston, off the Mundubbera-Durong Rd near Durong. In fact,
the
Durong-Mundubbera Road (about 90 km of it) is lined with bush verge and it
always
produces something different if you pull off and sit and wait.
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