Wedge-tailed Eagle decline?

[Michael Tarburton <>]

We have noticed the same, comparing our trip of 11 years ago with the one just completed.  This was from Melbourne to Perth, then up the coast road to Tom Price, then back the inland highway through Meekatharra.  There were very few Wedge-tailed Eagles this trip but large numbers on the former trip.  I am guessing that they are being killed on the roads.  I had believed that West Aus was employing men to drag the road kills off the road to protect the Wedgies from impact.  We thought we saw evidence of that 11 years ago but not this trip.  Another sad decline.

Cheers

Mike

On 23 Oct 2018, at 8:54 PM, Bob & Trish Sothman <> wrote:

I have just driven Wentworth - Broken Hill - Adelaide. Between Wentworth & Broken Hill, I recorded one Wedge-tailed Eagle despite an enormous number of road kill (mostly kangaroo/wallaby plus a few emu and goat). In a 20km section towards the Broken Hill end I counted 165 road kill (I then stopped counting as it was too depressing).  Today, on the road from Broken Hill to Adelaide I recorded one (+ one dead) Wedge-tailed Eagle; this compares with 35 I recorded in the same area in July 2016. There was an enormous number of road kill on the road which attracted many hundreds of corvids (by far the most numerous bird of the trip), several dozen Black Kite, a few Whistling Kite but very few Wedge-tailed. Has anyone else noticed this apparent dramatic Wedge-tailed Eagle decline in the wider Broken Hill area (or elsewhere) and if so why? 

Also, I wonder what our overseas tourists think when they experience so much blood and guts all over the road – but I guess that is a separate issue.

Bob Sothman Adelaide

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