Spent a couple of hours at the wetlands this morning, the adult Spotted Harrier reported yesterday on Birdline was still present. A good morning for raptors; besides the harrier there were 2 pairs of Black-shouldered Kites, one pair at the Wetlands and the other over the road at the sewage ponds, a pair of Brown Goshawks, and light and dark morph Little Eagles. An immature Pallid Cuckoo flying over near Tadorna Hide was a bit of a surprise. The female goshawk seemed to stir up a large number of starlings, at one stage I estimated at least 400 were perched on the high powerlines west of the silt trap. There was also a Pelican at Kellys Swamp, the first I have seen for a little while.
I was able to watch the harrier for some time as it hunted along the tree line and shrubs along Dairy Flat Rd and later over the grasslands south of Kellys Swamp. It would fly low and slow over the vegetation, sometimes darting down and clipping the tops of the trees with its feet, evidently trying to flush prey. I remember seeing a similar performance in the Great Sandy Desert some years ago; on that occasion I was on top of a large sand dune as the harrier flew by at eye level, buzzing the tops of Desert Oaks and occasionally appearing to deliberately crash land in them. The whole time a Hobby was hanging about 5-10 metres above it, watching and waiting. They had no luck while I watched but it was a fascinating thing to see.
Cheers
Steve
