Responding to Jon's observation, a couple of years ago we spent an hour or
so watching from the verandah as three-tailed Eagles took it in turns to
feed on a large monitor they had acquired. While one bird was holding the
carcase and ripping away, the other two would just stand quietly a metre or
two away, as if patiently waiting for a bus that wasn't even running late.
It was an atmosphere of calm. Now and then, the feeding bird would
relinquish to one of the others and wait for another turn later. From the
size and plumage of these three, I would guess they were a family party -
maybe the hierarchy was well-established and the rules were well-known. But
during an hour or so of feeding, there was no sign of squabbling, and
everyone got their share.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at www.abberton.org
email:
ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111
-----Original Message-----
From:
Behalf Of Jon Wren
Sent: Monday, 7 June 2004 12:07 AM
To: ; Birding-aus; Colin Driscoll
Subject: Wedge Tailed Eagle feeding or fighting?
Gooday all,
I recall watching a Pacific Baza delicately consuming a phasmid during a
visit to Black Mountain Road at Kuranda.
On another interesting note. Recently at Abbot Point I counted 10
Wedge-tailed Eagles settled near or on a wallaby carcass between the rail
track. One bird was feeding while the others seemed to be waiting for there
turn at the morsel only to be eventually disturbed by a train. As we were
unloading the train was travelling at 1 kph which allowed good observation
conditions in a mobile hide.
Chris and Len Ezzy reported in "The Drongo" No 72 May 2004 (Newsletter of
the Townsville Region Bird Observers Club) "On a private road and rail
corridor to Abbot Point, we witnessed six Wedge-tailed Eagles fighting over
a roo carcass on the railway line which runs parallel to the road."
I would be interested in any observation by others of feeding Wedge tailed
Eagles. When you use the term "fighting" is it actually describing fighting
between birds or similar activity to say a pack of vultures feeding on a
carcass, which seems more like every bird for itself. I have never witnessed
Wedge-tailed Eagles fighting but seemingly following some form of pecking
order. Abbot Point has a high number of road a rail kill hence the high
number of birds observed in the vicinity.
Jon Wren
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