Welcome to the News section of the iNSiGHT Ornithology website (https://www.simoncherriman.com.au/). This blog contains updates about various things I've been up to, interesting environmental issues and observations I make regularly while going about my day. It is designed to be fun AND educational, and inspire you about our wonderful natural world. Happy reading!

Monday 18 April 2011

Urban Eagles


On my way down to Margaret River today, I was driving through the Jandakot area when a shape caught my attention. It was a dark shape, high in a power pylon a few hundred metres from the road. I pulled over to look, and noticed another similar shape in the next pylon along. After inspecting the shapes with binoculars, I realised they were large bird nests, and my gut told me the culprit was an Osprey. These marine raptors readily habituate and nest on man-made structures, and I had seen this many times before. But there was no water nearby - the nests were in the middle of Banksia woodland! Could it be a wedge-tailed eagle?

In other parts of Australia there have been records of wedgies nesting on pylons, windmills and other artificial structures, but it is a rare occurrence. During my studies of eagles in Perth for the last 10+ years, I had always known wedgies to nest only in trees, well away from any road or building. But these nests certainly looked like eagle to me.

Let’s hope the upcoming breeding season will tell me the answer!