Birds Wild Wedgetail interrupts a free-flight performance

[AlphaWorld]

I was at a free-flight show to practice my bird-in-flight shooting, when the show was interrupted by a mated pair of wild juvenile wedgetail eagles. They flew directly overhead, then perched on one of the high trees. The keepers made sure their birds were secure and explained that they weren't keen on tempting fate - wedgetails are the apex predator in Australian skies.

I got a burst of images of one of the two as they flew over.

This is the full frame - considering that I was using the 300mm GM, they weren't flying very high!

And here's my finished image - I didn't crop it a lot.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I should add that it was a cloudless sky after a foggy morning, just after midday, so the light was as hard as it could be - there is no haloing in the image - that's just the sunlight through feathers. No wind, and barely 10 degrees Celsius. I'd guess that's why they didn't show up immediately - these guys love to ride thermals, and hang in the sky.

Beautiful birds, unless you happen to be prey, which happens to include other birds, and even smaller wallabies.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I got a shot of one of them in the tree, waiting for lunch!

 

[Richard A]

Very nice. It's good to see some wild ones in a cooler climate.

 

[evacguy]

I was at a free-flight show to practice my bird-in-flight shooting, when the show was interrupted by a mated pair of wild juvenile wedgetail eagles. They flew directly overhead, then perched on one of the high trees. The keepers made sure their birds were secure and explained that they weren't keen on tempting fate - wedgetails are the apex predator in Australian skies.

I got a burst of images of one of the two as they flew over.

This is the full frame - considering that I was using the 300mm GM, they weren't flying very high!

View attachment 62834


And here's my finished image - I didn't crop it a lot.

View attachment 62835

Hey Tony, really nice images, well done. Where was this? Also, how come there is no exif data in the posted images? I thought that was automatic?

 

[DaveC Oz]

Very nice. I've seen solo examples in the wild periodically, but nothing for about three years now, and never at such close range. They are one of the birds I really wanted to get photo's of when I bought my 200-600. Haven't seen any since I got it though.

 

[Richard A]

You need to get into central Australia...

 

[AlphaWorld]

Hey Tony, really nice images, well done. Where was this? Also, how come there is no exif data in the posted images? I thought that was automatic?

This was at Healesville. Apparently this pair have decided that their "territory" includes the area where the shows are held - they have caused the cancellation of several shows recently, but this was the first time they'd shown up mid-show.

 

[DaveC Oz]

This was at Healesville. ...

Damn, I wasn't that far away yesterday. I was helping my wife with a horse event in Belgrave South.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Nice. Are they a common species there?

 

[AlphaWorld]

Nice. Are they a common species there?

Wedge-tailed Eagle

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest living bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world.

australian.museum

Their vulnerability is characterised as "Least concern" (numbers increasing) - for a while they were hunted because it was believed that they preyed on lambs, but they are now protected.

They aren't common in urban settings, but head out from the cities and they aren't hard to find. And I gather they are quite long-lived, too - it's estimated they can get to 50 years old.

The females are larger: 4-5kg of raptor with a wingspan of over 2m - they are Australia's largest.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Wedge-tailed Eagle

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest living bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world.

australian.museum

Their vulnerability is characterised as "Least concern" (numbers increasing) - for a while they were hunted because it was believed that they preyed on lambs, but they are now protected.

They aren't common in urban settings, but head out from the cities and they aren't hard to find. And I gather they are quite long-lived, too - it's estimated they can get to 50 years old.

The females are larger: 4-5kg of raptor with a wingspan of over 2m - they are Australia's largest.

Very much like our common buzzards then. Nice.

 

[Ralph]

We have just come back from a cruise and got off at Melbourne Docks . Then it was a train ride to Bendigo,
from there it was bus to Mildura, sore backsides I must say but not one of these magnificent birds that you have shot was seen all the way there.
Nor on our full daylight trip back did I see one of them, to my disappointment.
Nice shots to and I wished I was able to get a few while away but not one was seen.