birding-aus

Great Billed Heron update

To: "Mangrove Man Tours" <>, "Messages Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Great Billed Heron update
From: "Bob Forsyth" <>
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 11:37:16 +1000
g'day all,
Peter Cooper wrote
"be interested to hear from other people who have seen White-bellied Sea Eagles store food"
 
A little over a year ago a pair of W-b SE nested where  Stone Axe Creek enters Lake Moondarra at the NW corner of our lake.
 
On 29 Jul 2002 I reported :-
Extract :
There were 5 turtle carapaces (shells) on the ground under the nest.  The carcases ranged in size from 12cm to 25cm in length.
On my previous visit, 2 of the biggest carcases were still hanging on the side of the collapsing nest. 
Hanzab V2. p85 states the W-b S-E "Carnivorous opportunistic. Birds, reptiles, fish, mammals, crustaceans and carrion"
 
So it appears they took turtles (up almost 1 foot in length) to the nest and picked the flesh as required.
 
Regards
Bob Forsyth, Mount Isa, NW Qld.
 
I would also be interested to hear from other people who have seen White-bellied Sea Eagles store food. The other day a nesting Sea Eagle flew into a tree top, picked up a dead fruit bat, then took it only a couple of kilometres back to the nesting tree. I have not witnessed this before and was wondering if it is common behaviour.
Cheers,
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