Pacific Baza at Albion Park (south from Wollongong)

[Denis Wilson <>]

Dear COG chat line

I know this is out of area, but it actually follows up on a query I posted several days ago about a supposed Goshawk feeding on Caterpillars. I posted it as a query on the feeding habits.

Here is a link to a thread of the earlier discussion on the COG archives

http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds/2011-07/msg00179.html
My original guess at identification was incorrect.
As the teenagers now say: "My bad!"

The story came about because an alert friend spotted "something unusual" as a road kill and bothered to go back.
Well done to her. 
Surely this is a timely message about the value of keeping one's eyes open for "something unusual", even as a road kill.

The first thing I noticed when I was sent a photo was a green caterpillar in the birds beak - which I though unusual for a supposed Goshawk. It was not a juvenile Goshawk.
In fact it was an immature Pacific Baza.
Thanks to Philip Veerman and Martin Butterfield for assisting with the correct ID.

Philip first suggested the Baza as a possible ID. 
I had already (foolishly) ruled that out as a possible ID, as unlikely, south from Wollongong.
Martin then helped establish that there are a number of good records for this species in the Illawarra and South Coast (contrary to old records).

There have been many private emails back and forth between the three of us, and I wish to publicly acknowledge the assistance I have received along the way.

Oh, for the record, yes the dead Pacific Baza had 7 Caterpillars in its beak at the time a car hit it.
Bazas are well known to be insectivorous, but they favour Katydids and Stick insects found in tree canopies, mostly.
In the tropics, Lizards and Tree Frogs are also popular food items, normally.
However, these caterpillars are almost certainly grass feeding caterpillars, most likely of the Moth family Noctuidae.
Obviously such grubs are only found from the ground, by searching closely amongst the lush grasses. 
It could not have been flying to pick out these caterpillars from with grass leaves. 
And surely it would not have achieved catching 7 as yet undigested caterpillars, if flying.
The bird was found adjacent to lush dairy farming country in a district known as Calderwood, close to Albion Park.
So if nothing else that tells us something of the feeding habits of the Pacific Baza.

The story is written up, with some photos, on my Blog.
http://peonyden.blogspot.com/2011/07/pacific-baza-found-at-calderwood-near.html

Denis Wilson
"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com