Huh? .........
Red-tailed Hawk is a North American bird. Actually a species of Buzzard.......... how does that enter the story?
Glissading?
Now that is a new one on me but seems correct.
From: Martin Butterfield [
Sent: Monday, 13 August, 2018 11:18 AM
To: John Layton
Cc: Canberra birds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Avian drama in backyard
Tsk tsk John. You are surely aware that the (capitalised) Pale Male is a Red-tailed Hawk. A pale male Collared Sparrowhawk would barely form an hors-d'ouevre for him!
On 13 August 2018 at 10:56, John Layton <> wrote:
The stage was set and the cast in place but I missed most of the lead up and climax catching only the denouement. Happened like this, at 10:00AM yesterday I noticed a yellow Budgerigar
perched on power cables presenting a conspicuous target for a hungry raptor. Speaking of which I walked past one only noticing it when back on the porch and generally perusing the scene. It was then I saw a male Collared Sparrowhawk perched on a fence where
there’s a break in the neighbour’s Great Wall of Photinia. As is often the case with male Collared Sparrowhawks I marvelled at its smallness and remarkably pale plumage – Pale Male personified.
I needed to go indoors returning 15 minutes later but was unable to locate the hawk or the budgerigar until I noticed a stream of feathers glissading from atop a tall Silver Birch. And yes, they were yellow. Some 60 seconds later the sparrowhawk took off carrying
its prey into a large gumtree 50 metres away.
John Layton
Holt.
