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Hi!
Over the last 2-3 weeks I have seen this immature WBS flying either with, or leaving, a carcass of some unfortunate Shearwater, this has been so frequent in fact that it would seem to make up the bulk of it's diet. These observations have always at some distance, up until till this morning that is, when I spotted a WBS chasing a ? Shearwater close in-shore. It harried the bird exactly as a Skua would do, chasing it until it dived and on it surfacing do it al over again. This only happened no more than half a dozen times with the eagle heavily circling the area at low level when it suddenly plunged talons first, directly into the water. It didn't totally submerge but floated on the water with its wings and tail fully out-stretched on the surface of the water. To be honest I thought it was in trouble and had been over zealous and miscalculated its capabilities but after after a 15 - 20 sec breather it took off, dragging it's victim clear of the water and returning to shore. I hurriedly packed up my gear and scurried through the bush to where I could get a closer and clearer view. I wouldn't have been there and set up more than 3 mins, seeing the first mouthful of feathers cast to the wind when an @#x% bush walker appeared to see what's happening and scared the bird away.
Cheers
Bob Rusk | 
