Wedge-tailed eagle, Raptor Domain

I was clearing some old holiday video footage from a 2011 trip to Kangaroo Island and enjoyed watching again this orphaned 20 year-old Wedge-tailed eagle called Jedda. The place is Kangaroo Island's Raptor Domain where there is a daily interactive bird and flight "experience".

A link to a 2 minute YouTube video of Jedda's show can be found below.
Other birds seen on the day we attended Raptor Domain feature in this earlier blog post.
Raptor Domain's website can be seen here: http://www.kangarooislandbirdsofprey.com.au/

Grey currawong, bird with an image problem

These guys seem really unpopular with other species. That goes for their pied counterpart as well. It may be because small birds feature on the menu!

It is my impression that in a given region you will generally find one or the other species of currawong but only occasionally both. In the bushier areas of Phillip Island (the first three pictures are from Silverleaves taken earlier today) we tend to find the Grey currawong, Strepera versicolor.

Probably still developing adult plumage.

Looking for a feed in the late afternoon sun

The clothesline provides a good perch!

Popularity is a problem when you have a bill like this
Again Silverleaves but 31/7/2011

Adult bird (left) was removing a feed from the crevice
Silverleaves 1/1/2011

The Grey currawongs of Kangaroo Island (above & below)
are darker in appearance, less likely to have white wing patches
and can only be reliably distinguished from Pied currawong
by their distinctive call.

Strepera versicolor, race melanoptera
Duck Lagoon (Kangaroo Island, SA) 17/04/2011

Kangaroo Island

As a birder KI was certainly a great place to be. The other travelling families, bless 'em, insisted they didn't mind the convoy being halted while Pete checked out something that "might be new"! As usual the jewels in the crown were not easy to find (dips on glossy black cockatoo & diamond firetail for example) but a lot of birds I don't see much were really "in your face".

One place I returned to was Duck Lagoon - only about 11km from Kingscote. The 1st solo outing was nearly short-lived due to the size & voraciousness of the mozzies. It was saved by the discovery of the Aerogard Kath had planted in the "in-car picnic box" - what a woman!

I was hoping to tick Yellow-billed spoonbill at Duck Lagoon but dipped on this first visit (an evening). I had childhood memories of seeing yellow-billeds at farm-dams etc.  The return trip was at dawn revealing the spoonbills roosting in trees which was a little surprise for this nuff-nuff!

Duck Lagoon - the white specks are roosting spoonbills

Restless Flycatcher

Even with a borrowed scope, Murray Lagoon was altogether uninspiring, visually & birdially.

But it was good to get up close & personal to lots of old favourites:

Scarlet robin

That $#@! trophy belongs IN VICTORIA!!!

"Hmmm, wonder what's on?"

Lifers included the following:

Purple-crowned lorikeet

Crescent Honeyeater - this one trying to feed on honeycomb at Crawford's Honey Farm

And we are also very relieved to be able to post pictures of our namesake ....

Go TURNSTONES!