It was great to spend some time at and near Braddons Lookout near Ulverstone. The lookout is above the Forth River and seems to be a good place to observe raptors – in particular Wedge-tailed Eagles.
My sisters were visiting some antique shops at Devonport, and my brother in law and myself were keen to look for raptors.
On the way to Braddons Lookout we spotted this juvenile Peregrine Falcon –
And Brown Falcon flew over the bonnet of the car and landed on a pole –
At Braddons Lookout, we got out of the car, and straight away noticed a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles. They were doing some amazing flying.
At times they appeared to be fighting. But this saviour is consistent with their courtship. They interact like this – sometimes interlocking talons and spinning around, sometimes one of the pair would do a steep dive, and they would also fly very close together. It is incredible to witness this.
A second pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles appeared to the north. Here are three flying together –
Back to the first pair –
Another raptor arrived. A Brown Falcon –
We came back the next day. We soon spotted a Wedge-tailed Eagle on the ground. It appeared to be eating.
And here one has a stick –
This one is being harassed by a Forest Raven –
When things quietened down, we visited the Don River to look for Azure Kingfishers.
We didn’t see any kingfishers, but we did manage to spot a giant White-bellied Sea Eagle nest we had been told about.
We then headed back to Braddons Lookout. The Wedge-tailed Eagles were back –
And before leaving, we spotted this raptor perched in a distant tree. Probably a Brown Falcon –
