April 12, 2026 – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

As those that follow my Flickr photostream will know, this series has been quite awhile getting to ‘publish’ on this Blog.

For a number of years we had the good fortune to work with a pair of Brown Falcon that were domicile in our nearby coastal park. The female in particular became quite tolerant of my presence and we managed to follow several of her clutches. Unfortunately several years back an unfortunate incident occurred and she lost the three fledglings. (Through no fault of her own I must add)
She stayed in the area for a little while, but then departed and I’ve never had the pleasure of working with her since.

Mid of 2025, just as EE was getting ready to attend clinic to fix her ‘fetlock’, I’d noted first one, and then a second Falcon patrolling the nearby paddocks. It didn’t take long to see some fancy team flying techniques, and then he began to turn up with several snake dinners, and amid all the girlish cackling, she must have said in her most polite Brown Falconese, “I Do.”

Then, they seemed to disappear and as EE was now incapacitated our trips out to see what might eventuate dwindled.

One morning I found them sitting together on top of an “umbrella pine”- or parasol pine. A little guessective work and I concluded that he had just provided a meal, And she flew, off behind some trees and out of sight. 😦
I followed along the tree line but she had vanished. But the next bit you can work out —Leaves tree, flys south. Disappears, she must be working on the south side of the tree line.
Next visit.
Suitably equipped with camera and thermos of Earl of Grey’s finest I sat down under a tree to wait. Got distracted badly by a local Collared Sparrowhawk that had also set up nest in the area—but that is another story. Ticky-tocky ticky tocky, time passes. Suddenly she is on top of a tree about 300m down the line. And then off in the far distance the male calling as he comes in. Another snake. She departed to a tree to feed, and again disappeared, but I was getting closer.
Next visit.
I waited on the far side of the treeline, and again, time passed, and then he appeared with yet another snake. (this bird is building an impressive record) She finished the meal and then flew directly to the top of an umbrella pine and disappeared.

Now I was certain of the tree, but… whereabouts was the nest…

Here’s some of the first couple of months.