New addition to the Wedge-tailed Eagle family

It’s that time of year again, and my favourite breeding pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles are raising yet another new family member. This is the same pair of eagles that successfully raised a pair of young eagles last year. There appears to be only a single chick this time, but it is strong and healthy and growing quickly.

The eagles have chosen to reuse a previous nest from a few years ago and have refurbished the nest with new sticks and fresh leaves. The nearby nest from last year has now completely disappeared, so I suspect that some of the nesting material from that nest has now been recycled into this current nest.

Note that all of the images are taken from about 500m away, and I am using the equivalent of about 1500mm focal length so that I don’t disturb the family. While they are definitely aware that I am present, I am beyond the point where they feel any threat from me and seem to be content going about their activities. The long focal length also explains the blurry images from the extreme effects of heat haze (even in these last days of winter).

Wedge-tailed Eagles spending some time together.

The new chick makes its first appearance

Being an eagle is not always fun.