Hi all
having failed to see any skuas on a pair of Tasmanian pelagic trips last
weekend, I tried my luck this afternoon at Long Reef, on Sydney’s northern
beaches. There were 2 distant birds that were likely Brown Skuas, and one that
came closer in when attracted by a feeding melee of Crested Terns and Silver
Gulls. There were big numbers of shearwaters offshore, particularly
Fluttering-types – in one 2 minute stretch I counted 130 birds passing in front
of the scope. Quite a few Wedge-tailed Shearwaters out in the mix too and
about a dozen albatross close enough to ID – 1 Shy-type, 1 Black-browed and 10
Yellow-nosed.
However, the most interesting observation was a White-bellied Sea-eagle and a
Little Penguin. Neither species would be that unusual at Long Reef, but in this
case the eagle had caught the penguin and carried it to the reef where it
eventually subdued its very feisty victim after about 20 minutes. There were 2
Australian Ravens that were keen to get in on the action which didn’t help when
the penguin was still very much alive and pecking.
I also saw an Eastern Osprey with an impressive catch – a large grey coloured
fish.
All this in about 75 minutes from 2-3:15pm, when I decided to head home before
the rain clouds looming up from the south got to me.
Cheers
Tom Wilson
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