Wedge-tailed Eagle – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

“What about a couple of days down at Queenscliff?”, hung in the air for a few minutes.
Seemed possible. It is well outside my usual rule. Some may recall that we try not to travel more than 30 minutes or so to a birding spot. These days with extra traffic, we’ll fudge out to 45mins 🙂

So after loading up IamGrey with the appropriated changes of clothes, the right camera gear and bookings for accommodation all set. We too. Set off.

Any run down the Geelong bound freeway will call for a diversion off the highway and a run along the western edge of the WTP, along Pousties Rd for those who follow such things on maps.

I was looking right, EE looking left.—partly because that is the seating arrangement in IamGrey.

Not long before the call, “There is a Wedge-tailed Eagle on the fence!” came from the left side of the car. I should have known.
Said bird was about 100m down the fence-line from the road, but a handy short track to a fence managed to cover about 25m or so. The bird soon took note of our approach. Not wishing to put it up we stopped. But. Perhaps that was even more unnerving and it unfolded the wonderful big sails and before you could say, “There it goes”. It went.

Big grins all round, we continued on to Drysdale and the best pie shop around. There are rumours that I’d travel down there just for the pies, but you shouldn’t believe everything you read. 🙂

Armed with a fine pie, and a coffee we returned to the side of the Drysdale Railway Station, and enjoyed the repast in the lee of the wind.
Lake Lonsdale, right next to the Station, is usually a good place for wetlands birds and we set off. But water levels had changed somewhat, and most of the birds would have nested and departed. Still we managed a few worthwhile finds. But no Grey Butcherbirds that we had hoped to find.
Onwards down the coast we motored.

As it was going to be cloudless evening, we picked up some ‘fish’n’chips’ from the wonderful, “The Original Queenscliff Fish and Chips” in the main street and headed up to the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse hoping we might find some seabirds in the air in the strengthening wind.
We sat on a small table in the carpark area and opened up and enjoyed our humble meal. And both of us simultaneously saw a grey shape in the bushes opposite.

A Pied Butcherbird. Cameras of course were in the vehicle, way over the other side of the carpark, and one of us volunteered to go fetch. Knowing that by the time we were ready for photos, the bird will have flown on.
But no.
This bird probably used this area regularly and sat down tummy on the branch and watched the goings on around. Then a bit of preening, and we went back to the table. By the time we’d wrapped up the remains and were ready to head up to the Lighthouse, the bird was still happily perched.

At the top we were treated to a great view of the sun setting down the coast, and a pair of Pacific Gulls that seemed to relish the wind and the occasional wave spraying over their rocky perch.
And the sight of the Pilot Boat returning over the rough waters of “The Heads”—the flow of water between the East and West sides of Port Phillip Bay. But that will be another blog.(Please)

And top it off, as we drove back to accommodation, the full Moon began peeking over the horizon.

Here are a few highlights.

As the first Australian Lockdown came to an end back in March 2020, Scomo, our Prime Minister announced that it was “Time for Australia to come out from under the Doona and get back to the office”. Fine sentiment.

For readers not familiar with Scomo, it is a contraction of the Prime Minister’s name. Scott Morrison.
It came to public attention first on August 2, 2018, when during a press conference, Mr Morrison was asked about his leadership aspirations, as there was a lot of unease about Malcom Turnbull’s leadership.
He reached out and hugged Mr Turnbull and said, “This is my leader, I’m ambitious for him”

To which the (doomed) Malcom Turnbull responded, “Thanks, Scomo.”

The irony of the comment really only became obvious about 3 weeks later, when Malcom Turnbull was ousted, and Scomo became Prime Minister. (Skipping over some of the heavy duty political drama in there!)

So with the recent lifting of restrictions on the Victorian Lockdown to a 10km travel radius, I decided to take Scomo’s advice and “Return to the Office.

Mostly I wanted to see if the Flame Robins were still in the area. But as it turns out, they have become very conspicuous by their absence.
I did find a lone Black-shouldered Kite who was happy to share a photo of its hunting prowess.

Then I heard the intense call of Magpies announcing a raptor approaching. Looking far across the paddock a small dot with large wings was headed my way. To be honest, at first I thought it was a local Black Kite and was nearly going to dismiss it, but the intensity of the maggies attack made me look again.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Trying desperately to get enough speed to gain some height and escape being harassed. However maggies are trained for this and they were making sure that the Eagle had to stay down just over the paddock.
It kept coming and then the Eagle and its attendant pesky magpies flew pretty much over where I was standing.

Thanks Scomo.
Hope I don’t get deposed 🙂