Long range shots of some raptors at Scheyville NP in western sydney. Can anyone tell what they are ?
Pictures 1 and 2 were not consecutive shots so the birds may have swapped positions left and right
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They are Pacific Baza's.
Thanks Tim.
I went back to Scheyville NP this morning and just before i headed off down a track I saw your reply saying these were Pacific Bazas. Then within a minute I spotted a raptor flying just above the trees and when it landed in a nearby tree I could see it was a Pacific Baza ! Another arrived a minute or so later. Quite a remarkable co-incidence.
They look more "raptory" when in flight than I would have expected. I know that might sound weird, but the pictures I've seen usually give the impression of a relatively small, slightly built bird. Never seen one in the flesh, and PB wasn't my first thought when I saw these pics. So thanks for the lesson!
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Mike
https://flic.kr/ps/aF4bq
I know what you mean Mike, before i saw one i had the same idea that they were a sort of raptor-lite feeding on insects and fruit. Their old name of Crested Hawk has more raptor cred, and they are bigger than the kestrels and the small kites. Confident birds too as both times i have seen them up close they have landed in trees right above me.
Glad I made some kind of sense: I guess I owe them a sort of apology :). Looks like there's a little more heft to them than I had thought. I was scratching my head over these photos for a few minutes the other night before giving up. Now I know why! Very distinctive and interesting birds when you can get close, judging from the many pictures I've seen.
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Mike
https://flic.kr/ps/aF4bq
They are really cool. Normally when I think of raptors, I think of eagles soaring around the outback but these go in forests a lot and glide from tree to tree looking for their small prey.