Calamanthus Pty. Ltd. wrote:
>
> Saw a Little Eagle soaring above the Westgate Freeway near the
> Williamstown exit yesterday 11/04/99.
Euan Moore.
Dear Euan,
You've reminded me of another city sighting of a Little Eagle, even
closer to the CBD.
Several years ago, c. 1988 I think, one wintry morning I was waiting
with an adult bird study class to enter Melbourne Zoo. Delayed by
busloads of school children, we surveyed the skies eastwards. Suddenly
all the hundreds of Silver Gulls who had been resting on the grass
opposite got up and fled at great speed in complete silence, at about
nought feet, as a large raptor appeared over Parkville. As it crossed
the boundary of Royal Park, a pair of Aust. Hobbies scrambled from the
sugar-gum avenue to attack it. We were treated to a spectacular display
of high speed co-ordinated flying - one Hobby attacked from beneath, one
from above, diving and zooming. All their victim could do was to dodge
and side-slip, losing height each time. As it did so, we got excellent
views from all angles,
including the epaulette marking on the upper wing, and the face markings
and slight crest - definitely a Little Eagle. It went westwards over the
Zoo, just above the buildings, in a state of great disorder, still
harried and persecuted by the Hobbies.
One member of the class said "I reckon we can go home now, we've seen
our birds for the day!"
Anthea Fleming in Ivanhoe (Melbourne)
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