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Red Goshawk at Mount Isa

To: "Messages Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Red Goshawk at Mount Isa
From: "Bob Forsyth" <>
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 15:28:37 +1000
G'day all,
 
Last Saturday 24/07/2004 Bill & Evelyne Williams from Merbein, Victoria, Helen Morgan, NZ and I, were checking out a couple of the bays on the western side of Lake Moondarra, Mount Isa.
 
We first visited "South Bay" to find that many of the trees now surrounded by water were chock a block with nests.
We were able to ID Little Black Cormorants, Little Pied Cormorants and Australian Darters. Two pair of fluffy darters were standing up in their nests waiting for their next meal.
 
We then drove to Bob's Creek.
( This was previously an unnamed creek until I rectified that omission several years ago !)
This Creek is passed on the way to the better known Stone Axe Creek area)
 
After a time viewing Pictorella Mannikins, Painted Finches etc coming into drink we drove down nearer to where the creek enters the bay. A couple of Raptors were roosting on dead trees. One looked very distinctively "different" to our local birds !
..  It had prominent striations (stripes) down its front.
..  Its face was different.
.. The thick yellow legs stood out. 
.. The pattern on its wings were different to the nearby Whistling Kite
What a magic moment ? We were too scared to move to grab a field Guide
But it did fly off when I moved to get my Camera.
 
We spent some time writing down what each of us remembered of the bird and then looked at Slater.
No doubt about it.  A Red Goshawk !
 
But this is not the first RG for the area. A couple of years ago visiting Bird Journalist Jim Davis, (publisher of Interpretive Birding http://www.ibirding.com/) recorded a Red Goshawk on the Island adjacent the causeway near the Moondarra Caravan Park
 
Before we left we saw an Adult Black-necked Stork shepherding 2 immatures away from us. But, I have yet to find a nest around Lake Moondarra.
 
Regards
Bob Forsyth, Mount Isa, NW Qld.
 
For Downloads, Sighting reports, Gazetteer & ID Tables see
 
 
 
 
 
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