birding-aus

grey goshawks on the wire

To: Greg Roberts <>
Subject: grey goshawks on the wire
From: Chris <>
Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 19:28:15 +1000
Hi Greg, when you say this is a new thing, how far back are you talking? I've had reliable Grey Goshawks near Coolum sitting on powerlines for at least 5 years, probably longer.

Regards,
Chris

Sent from my iPhone

On 12/05/2010, at 11:46 AM, "Greg Roberts" <> wrote:

Andrew raises the interesting phenomenon of Grey Goshawks sitting out on the
open on the Sunshine Coast.

I also have noticed this, and I see goshawks regularly sitting on telegraph wires in the flat sugar cane fields. However, unfortunately, I don't think it's a case of adaptability. It is a recent development and coincides with something of a plague of rats (species undetermined) in heavily grassed
parts of the coast.

The proliferation of Grey Goshawks coincides with the recording of unusually good numbers of Eastern Grass Owl, Australian Hobby, Spotted Harrier and other raptors, including Brown Goshawk. It is nonetheless interesting that a species normally associated with wet forest is so conspicuous at this time.

Greg Roberts





"To: <>

Message-ID: <>

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Hi all

As urbanization hits my home area of the Sunshine Coast, I have been forced

to rethink the description of Grey goshawks as secretive raptors of tall

forests (the notion I grew up with). On my daily commutes along the Bruce

Highway in the early and late light hours, I regularly see up to 4 birds

hunting in the open right beside the traffic. They favour sitting on tall

street lights placed at intersections and occasionally I am lucky enough to

see one swoop down into the short grass after prey. I have even seen one

way out in the open spaces of a vast sugar cane field where you more often

see kites and hobbies.

The birds have also had to adapt to urbanization spreading into the forest

areas the birds need for breeding and I know of at least one pair that

nested quite close to a bush block residence (though not visible from it).

That block was steep. Had it been flat, it may well have been cleared for

pony paddocks and a dam. Some nice forest parts of the Sunshine Coast have

already been lost to "ranch style" development where a house is built and

forest cleared for horses and fire risk minimization. This will continue

with the Queensland government's determination to see a huge population

increase in SE Qld over the coming decades.

The Grey goshawk's adaptability is in for a real test!

Regards

Andrew"

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