Wedgies…

The wedge tailed eagle (Aquila audax or wedgie as it is affectionately known in Australia) is Australia’s largest bird of prey. To give some context, an adult bird is slightly larger than North America's bald eagle, and about the same size as the European golden eagle.

I had been watching this pair of eagles for a few years on and off, and know that they have raised previous young. When I saw them preparing a nest in late July I was keen to find out if they were preparing to raise another family. I watched them from a distance from the busy roadways around the site, and eventually eggs were laid, hatched and a couple of very fluffy young eaglets appeared.

I continued to pay them regular visits and observed them from the roadway for the next few months and it was a stirring moment when the two young eagles were able to fly off on powerful (though still quite unsteady) wings. They continued to spend a lot of time with the adults, and I still occasionally see all four of them circling together or being harassed by magpies.

This family of wedge tailed eagles has a long history in the area, and I believe they have been nesting in and around this property for many years as there are at least four nests within a couple of hundred metres. Unfortunately this property is due to become a new suburban development in the next few years, so I expect that the eagle family’s time nesting here is soon to end. I know they spend a lot of time patrolling and hunting in the nearby Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat nature reserves, so my hope is that they can establish a nesting area there and continue to grace us with their presence.

You don’t get a true sense of the size of a wedge tailed eagle until one is flying straight at you.