Northern Suburbs Branch
Due to health issues it had been eight months since Brice Wells (OAM) had made a presentation but from the beginning it was obvious he had not lost his passion for birds, nor lost his communication skills.
Brice opened with his only slide containing words:
“On the Australian mainland there are 24 native species of raptors. Another is on Christmas Island.
Including the Varied Goshawk of Christmas Island, there are eight endemic species in Australia.
Of our non-endemic species, nine are also restricted to New Guinea or nearby. Two species are world-wide.
Vagrant raptors also occur, two of which appear in this presentation.”
Thereafter, it was a case of letting Brice and his outstanding photos tell the story.
Brown Falcon (above); Australian Hobby (below). B Wells
Limited space prevents a comprehensive coverage of the descriptions and characteristics provided by Brice but a few traits of each species which may help with identification are set out below, although, in some cases a close-up view may be required to see them.
| Raptor ( P) denotes photo | Characteristic |
| Eastern osprey (P) | Characteristic brownish necklace. Black eye band. |
| Black-shouldered kite | Black wing tips. Red eye with black swept back comma. |
| Letter-winged kite | Black shoulder patch. Big ruby eyes with black eye patches. |
| Square-tailed kite | Small pale head. Black terminal band on tail feathers. |
| Black-breasted buzzard | Semi-circular wing profile in flight. |
| Oriental honey buzzard | Long neck, tiny head, small beak. Long tail. Roller coaster flight. |
| Pacific baza | Small crest, spikey top notch. Yellow eye. |
| White-bellied sea-eagle (P) | Very large. Wedge tail. White tail feathers. |
| Whistling kite | Small head. Pale “M” underwing. Distinctive whistle. |
| Brahminy kite | Chestnut brown shoulders, white head and breast. |
| Black kite | Forked tail barred with darker brown, usually in large flocks. |
| Brown goshawk | Long yellow legs. Bright yellow eyes. Looks like it is frowning. |
| Collared sparrow hawk | Very long middle toe. Yellow eyes wide and staring. |
| Grey goshawk | Grey and white or all white. Flies with very flat wing profile. |
| Spotted harrier | Appears to bound through the air. Very long yellow legs. |
| Swamp harrier | Leisurely flight, with upswept wings. Long tail with rounded tip. |
| Red goshawk | Fan tail slate grey with black barrings. Nest in tallest tree. Rare. |
| Wedge-tailed eagle | Very large. Very large beak. Bandy legs when standing. |
| Little eagle | Short head. Orange-brown broken “M” above and under wings. |
| Nankeen kestrel | Upper parts rufous. Males have greyish crown and tail. Hovers. |
| Brown Falcon (P) | Chunky body. Pale tear-stripe below eye. |
| Australian hobby (P) | Flies low to ground or just above tree tops. Shrill chatter. |
| Eurasian hobby | Dark brownish head with long tear. Pointed wings. Yellow legs. |
| Grey falcon | Very rare. Big yellow eye. |
| Black falcon | Uniformly dark. Rowing motion flight. |
| Peregrine falcon | Distinct barred plumage. Extremely fast in dive. |
Osprey (above) and a White-bellied Sea Eagle (below) in combat. B Wells
The best places to view raptors around Perth according to Brice are around Lesmurdie Falls, where he has observed seven different raptors in one day, Herdsman Lake and along the coast.
Brice’s presentation was supplemented by comments from Rod Smith, Birdlife WA’s Schools’ Liaison Officer and Brice’s wife Gail. Photos in the report were provided by Rod.
Don Poynton