Black-shouldered Kite

Black-shouldered Kite

The Black-shouldered Kite is a common small hawk found in many parts of Australia. They are very common in the area where I live in Murray Bridge in South Australia.

Driving through the countryside these birds are often seen perched on a dead branch, on top of a telephone or electricity pole surveying the ground below. Once they see a mouse, a small bird or even an insect such as a grasshopper, they will suddenly drop to ground to catch their prey.

It is also common to see this species hovering on the breeze - just like a kite, until they drop to the ground to catch their next meal.

To see more of my photos of Australian birds and to read about them go to my other site called Trevor's Birding here.

White-bellied Sea-eagle, Taronga Zoo

White-bellied Sea-eagle, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

On many trips interstate over recent years we have visited our son and his family in Sydney where he works. On some of those occasions we have made a point of visiting the wonderful Taronga Zoo. It has to be one of my favourite zoos, and only a short drive from my son's home.

A feature of this zoo is the Bird Show, held twice daily and featuring some of Australia's wonderful birds. While this show is intended to be an educational event, it is also highly entertaining - and popular. (Hint: get to the amphitheatre at least 10-15 minutes before the scheduled starting time. After that it is standing room only.)

One of the birds featuring during one of our visits was the White-bellied Sea-eagle shown in today's photo. As you can see, it is an awe inspiring bird.

For more photos and information about Australian Birds, check out my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Grey Currawong

We have several species of currawongs in Australia. These birds which look a bit like crows or ravens are found in many parts of Australia. The common one around where we live is the Grey Currawong. A juvenile is shown in the photo above.

I love hearing its far reaching call echoing through the mallee scrub. It seems to carry for over a kilometer on a still morning. We've lived in our house for over 25 years and for most of that time we never had currawongs visiting our garden. This has changed in the last five years and they are now almost daily visitors.

The local small birds like the honeyeaters do not enjoy these visits. They all set up a terribly noisy kerfuffle for they know that the currawongs will rob raid their nests given half a chance. Many baby birds get eaten by such predators.

To learn more about Australian birds go to my other  blog called Trevor's Birding.

Brown Falcon

Brown falcons are widespread in Australia. It is a common bird of prey in our country. It is also a common visitor to our garden and patch of mallee scrub behind our house. This photo was taken at the nearby Monarto Zoo, just a few kilometres from our home.
For more information about Australian birds, check out Trevor's Birding.