canberrabirds

FW: [canberrabirds] Little Eagle harassment continued

To: <>
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Little Eagle harassment continued
From: "Geoffrey Dabb" <>
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 10:34:52 +1000

At East O’Malley, the Willie Wagtail behaviour was friendly compared to the aggression of the Dusky Woodswallows, several pairs of which were nesting in the area   The female adult LE would huddle on the nest, flucking (a combination of flinching and ducking) at each close swoop of a dws.  The idea that the eagle could have caught the flashing woodswallow seems absurd.  I shall try to get out some sequences of this behaviour but I think it might have been a bit fast, even for 25 fps.  Meanwhile here is a still.  The dws can just be discerned at the top of the frame.  The adult LE has buried its head, but the chick has not got the idea.  Coincidentally, both the adult LE and chick closed nictitating membranes which appear as milky spots.

 

 

 

 


From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:31 AM
To:
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Little Eagle harassment (2)

 

The East O’Malley (female) Little Eagle being harassed near its nest by a Willie Wagtail.  The WW retained its nesting territory for another year.  The eagle did not.  Survival of the best-adapted.

 

 

 


From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 4:58 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Little Eagle harassment