Catching Australia's biggest bird of prey to put a bird-band on its leg

August 16, 2024 6:04 AM

Catching Australia's biggest bird of prey to put a bird-band on its leg. The wedge-tailed eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey - and scariest if you ask ibis. Featuring nature journalist Dr Ann Jones and a local wedge-tailed eagle expert. (7 minute video from a longer four-episode nature documentary series about Australian birds, The Secret Lives Of Our Urban Birds.)
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (12 comments total)

(Small note for those who, like me, were eponyfuddled: cassowaries mostly eat fruit)
posted by McBearclaw at 6:24 AM on August 16, 2024 [2 favorites]

Very interesting! Amusingly, the video was preceded by an ad with another very large Australian bird--the Liberty Mutual Insurance emu mascot.
posted by pangolin party at 6:38 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]

I attended a lecture on birds of prey and the presenter started off with an issue "bird of prey" is a nigh useless term since nearly all birds will eat other animals and that 'raptor' is perhaps a better word...
posted by plinth at 6:57 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]

Kudos not just to the eagle expert who climbed a tree to pop the giant chick in a bag - but also to whichever camera operator climbed another tree to film him do it.
posted by rongorongo at 7:18 AM on August 16, 2024 [2 favorites]

"I can't believe I'm about to hold a baby wedgie"
I love this ABC Science Australia woman and have seen a handful of her videos. She is very funny and enthusiastic (though I don't know her name). Beautiful bird, wow.

I do hate that some lovely animals have to eat other lovely animals, but that's how it goes.
posted by Glinn at 7:40 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]

rongorongo I wondered if it was a drone camera?
posted by Glinn at 7:40 AM on August 16, 2024

Ah, so that was a baby eagle, which is why that guy didn't get his face eaten immediately.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:41 AM on August 16, 2024 [2 favorites]

Ah, so that was a baby eagle, which is why that guy didn't get his face eaten immediately.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:41 AM on August 16

I bet they can still do serious damage if handled incorrectly! I was surprised at the lack of gloves personally. Also I guess to young yet to just fly off?
Also - in the USA going bushwhacking is following a "deer trail" in Australia - "kangaroo trail". :-)
posted by Dotty at 10:28 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]

I feed the birds from my back deck. In addition to the songbirds I intend to feed, there are lots of pigeons that stop by too.
A couple years ago a hawk decided to make regular visits for snacking. I could see he had been banded, but can’t imagine the process was fun for the bander. Or the banded.
posted by funkaspuck at 10:43 AM on August 16, 2024 [1 favorite]

I don't know why, but I'm always caught off-guard by how big most eagles are when I have had a close encounter...in my case, always with bald eagles, which are somewhat smaller than wedgies.

(Last eagle encounter was a few months ago while walking mr dog near my house. A trio of juvenile baldies flew over at low altitude, two of them harassing the third, who was carrying a fish. Fish carrier lost his grip and the fish fell onto the road about 20 meters from pup and I. It was a flatfish, which is pretty unusual as they rarely are close enough to the surface to be prey, and it was still alive! As it flapped around, the eagle came down and reclaimed their lunch, looking as large as mr dog, who thought the whole thing was illegal and was losing his shit about it. I was like "dude, you weigh 55 lbs and the eagle probably weighs 5lb, but it has many more and more powerful sharp bits, so maybe show some sense?" To no avail, of course. Anyway, eagle grabbed his snack and flew off into a nearby snag to eat it, joined by his fellows, hoping for leftovers.)
posted by maxwelton at 2:40 PM on August 16, 2024 [2 favorites]

Speaking of big birds, I knew that albatrosses are big birds, but it wasn't until I watched this video that I realized just how *enormous* they are, at least Royal Albatrosses.
posted by tavella at 11:57 AM on August 17, 2024 [4 favorites]

The footage was probably shot from the top of the gully which they descend into on the 'roo trail. I wish I had a lens that nice :-)

I was surprised not to see the parents hanging around though, the one time I've seen nesting wedgetail fledglings the parents were definitely keeping a close eye on me.
posted by nickzoic at 8:11 PM on August 18, 2024