Of course it was a joke. The most likely raptor to have picked it up would
surely have to be a Swamp Harrier.
> On 6 Feb 2018, at 7:52 pm, Philip Veerman <> wrote:
>
> Surely the Osprey suggestion is to be taken as a joke......... Why would
> that be suggested? Isn't it simple enough that the bird flew out somewhere
> and made a mistake, going over the sea, got exhausted and fell into the
> water. How many Ospreys are there around coastal Melbourne? Why would one
> escape from an Osprey? Even so, it is irrelevant to any useful question,
> which is why was it in the sea? Ospreys don't take flying prey.
>
> Philip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus On Behalf Of
> michael norris
> Sent: Tuesday, 6 February, 2018 7:30 PM
> To: Falk Wicker
> Cc: birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Quails on the sea
>
> Incidentally the quail was soaking wet with closed eyes when it was
> found. There's a photo it -after it had dried out - on Birdline
> Victoria for 4 February.
> http://www.eremaea.com/BirdlineRecentSightings.aspx?Birdline=1
>
> Doesn't seem to be enough disruption to the plumage for it to have
> escaped from an Osprey.
>
> My best guess is that it was washed into the Yarra because of the 3cm
> rainfall on 31 Jan: the Yarra plume passes close to the shore of
> Port Phillip in Brighton.
>
> I would be grateful if anyone could say whether it is a female or
> immature bird.
>
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