Morning, all.
In response to Martin's note, I used regularly to see Australian Hobbies,
Peregrine Falcons and, at least once, Brown Falcons around the upper floors of
the Rialto Towers when I worked in Collins Street from 1987 to 1997. I have
also seen Kestrels near the BHP building (corner of Collins and Russell
Streets), resting on one of the spires of St Pat's Cathedral and out the window
of a ward of Epworth Hospital in Richmond. A Hobby flew over Allan Bain Reserve
in Richmond (where I was umpiring an U12 cricket match) early last Saturday
morning, and a Brown Goshawk flew across High Street Road near Huntingdale Road
(vicinity of Riversdale Golf Club) around midday Saturday. I see both species
regularly at my home cricket ground in Glen Iris (next to Gardiners Creek, so
hardly surprising). Our Hobby record for the 1999 Twitchathon was a single bird
flying low over the intersection of Springvale Road and Maroondah Highway,
Nunawading.
There is a pair of Hobbies hanging around the Tally Ho Business Park (corner of
Springvale Road and Burwood Highway, East Burwood), possibly the same pair which
nested successfully in the grounds of St Christophers Primary School, Syndal, in
1997 - I see them often from my office window, and last week watched as they
"escorted" a passing Peregrine through their territory. The Peregrine seemed to
make it clear that he/she had no intention of stopping there anyway and was not
influenced at all by the attentions of the Hobbies, but the Hobbies seemed
pretty pleased with themselves when the Peregrine disappeared (heading roughly
south-west). We get the occasional Kestrel, Brown Goshawk, Brown Falcon and
Black-shouldered Kite out here too. It seems like the suburbs, including inner,
heavily developed areas, provide plenty of useful habitat for at least the
smaller raptors.
Regards,
Jack Krohn
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