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Raptor Care North West

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25.01.2022 With the help of some good friends and forward thinking farmers we are currently trying a project for Kestrels in NW Tasmania. Our aim is to provide nesting boxes for Kestrels that have been marginally displaced by local Peregrine Falcons. Both species nesting on cliff faces but Peregrines being bigger and stronger more often winning the battle for territory. If it comes off well and the Kestrels adopt the new nesting location/ boxes it will be a first for Tasmania. Mainland ...Tasmania has very few breeding pairs of these birds and with their diet - they're a great asset to most farming properties. Nest boxes provided in Europe and the US have proven successful for decades where no natural cliffs and tree hollows are present. We really hope that we can get this project to 'take off', so stay tuned for any results. Herman Umbgrove The Creator's Landscapes- Anthony Robertson See more

20.01.2022 After studying Peregrine Falcons nesting on cliffs for many years, every now and then we bump into selfish characters that seem to make life unecessarily difficult for these birds. Just recently I was at a local nest site monitoring with the telescope and heard the adult Falcons in their defensive call. Something was obviously wrong. I then spotted a climber no more than 5 metres away from the nest site, with the adult Falcons dive bombing this character as they tried to def...end their young or eggs. Their attack is not dissimilar to that of a Masked Lapwing (aka Spur-winged Plovers). Sometimes the Falcons will even hit the intruder in their efforts to defend their own. What I saw next and I found disturbing was the fact this climber was blatantly 'anchoring' up for climb directly above the nest and no more than five metres away. The Falcons continued their attack for some five minutes on this particular climber while I walked down the track to ask him to move on away from the nest. I made it to the base of the cliff yelling at the climber to move on away from the birds. He eventually got the message, decided to pack his ropes up and scampered down the cliff where he retreated to a small beach. I followed him and asked him about his actions and his defense was that there were 'no signs' suggesting he stay away from the Falcons. He also said he was a bird watcher which made no sense whatsoever as the Falcons were under considerable stress, all of which he would have been well aware of if indeed he was a bird watcher of any description! I honestly thought that any degree of common sense or climbing ethic would have told this man he was encroaching on their space. Whilst I've had fairly good dialogue with climbers over the years and climbers like Ingvar Lidman even helping me get photos of nests in the off season, the majority stand by a code of conduct in staying well clear of Falcons nesting sites (which is mentioned on various climbing websites) It does seem that a minority are prepared to climb wherever the hell they like regardless of any respect to the true custodians of these cliffs. Peregrines have been breeding on Tasmanian cliffs for tens of thousands of years (indeed we have a peregrine record as the world's oldest bird's nest at 19,600 years BP). This is their home. I think to myself, how would some of these climbers feel if their nemesis turned up at their front door and how far would they go in protecting their offspring from danger in such a situation? It's time some of these characters sharpened up their act and moved onto a cliff elsewhere to climb - well away from these birds and stopped tarnishing the rest of the climbers out there with their own very poor ethical standards. Rock Climbing Tasmania Climb Tasmania Climbers Club of Tasmania See more

20.01.2022 2 Wedgies in 2 days is not what was really wanted here but that is how it is at the moment. We collected one from Costa Berries at Sulphur Creek this afternoon that was operating on one eye and quite underweight, had probably been doing it tough for some time which was unfortunate. This pictured Eagle came from Edith Creek and from information provided could have possibly had an altercation with local territorial Eagles. Quite sorry and sore for itself and rightly so - we hope this bird can make a recovery. Once again it's great that the public are calling in these birds and keeping their eyes peeled. So thank you to all you Eagle eyed spotters out there watching over them - it can't be done without help from you guys!

19.01.2022 Just an expression of gratitude here and a massive thank you for the Wynyard Vet Clinic I'm sure they feel like running and hiding when they see our car pull up in the carpark sometimes. However we're so appreciative of all the staff there that are so patient, empathetic and professional in their dealings with us. Working with these birds can be cumbersome and chews into their time considerably so Thank you so much for all that you do for us!!

19.01.2022 Just advising the community here that Epuron will be holding an information session on the proposed development for the Stanley Wind farm. The meeting will be held at the Stanley town hall on the 22nd June 4-7pm and you can RSVP on 0412 833 657. I have my own reasons for attending the meeting, predominately being the impacts on local bird life. I would urge anyone (especially within the Stanley community) with concerns on this project to do some digging at this meeting and extract some answers. Addtionally for a town that prides itself on its visual beauty and tourism, I can't understand why any local would not want to preserve this beautiful place in its current form. Photos of local Stanley White Bellied Sea Eagles by The Creator's Landscapes- Anthony Robertson & myself.

15.01.2022 Was nice to catch up with our friends Andrew & Jo Nichols that run a farm at Sisters Creek, they released a Swamp Harrier for us a few days on their farmland & understand the concept of having a fully operational farming business and incorporate many aspects and lots of consideration to Raptors on their farm, amongst other great projects they run with Landcare and others. A really good man that understands the value of having good biodiversity within the farming landscape and some bright ideas for the future. Thanks for your ongoing support! We appreciate all you do for us here at Raptorcarenw.

15.01.2022 It doesn't seem to matter how many times we come into contact with Masked Owls, each and every time they leave a real impression on you with their power and beauty. Certainly one of the jewels in the Tassie Crown without doubt. This big female (at nearly 1.3kg ) was saved from a certain death by Carolynn Jamieson, East of Latrobe and standing in the middle of the highway. Great work Carolynn and Thank you After a thorough assessment by the great team at Forbes Street Veterinary Clinic and getting an all clear - she will be released tomorrow evening sometime. Happy Days!

13.01.2022 Seems Spring is in the air and animals are going about their business which is great to see. Managed to catch these Kestrels (the smallest of Tasmania's Falcons) in the act a couple of weeks back. Nice to see them trying to keep the population going. Despite being common on the mainland Kestrels have a very small population in Tasmania, however they pop up in Stanley, Woolnorth, Rocky Cape and the odd drifter around Tea Tree (down South) Very cool little Raptors with a fantastic ability to hover with great precision. Usually their diet consists of Insects, Skinks, Mice and the likes. Kestrel populations are heavily dependent on local food sources and can fluctuate quite dramatically.

12.01.2022 Really great to see the Tasmania Police lads helping this Boobook Owl off the road at Black River a few nights back. Moving him off the road and letting him go - Fantastic to see everyone chipping in for our Wildlife out there! Nice work boys.

10.01.2022 As Swamp Harriers typically migrate back to Tasmania this time of year, you may very well see many of them appearing now. Often seen in agricultural / farmland areas, even working roadside flying quite slowly with their wings in 'V' shape. They will be seen feeding on carrion beside roads too and can be a little slow to get airborne at times, which can obviously lead to trouble for them. Please be wary of these beauties whilst out on our roads in Tassie. This beautiful girl was hit a few days and is currently recovering with us, we hope she pulls things together soon although she is not so sturdy on her feet at present. Thanks to Alice Carson for doing your 'usual thing' Smithton way and getting this girl to the vets. Much appreciated!

04.01.2022 One of the most common misconceptions we come across quite regularly is that people believing that the male Raptors are larger in size than the females. Unlike most vertebrates where the male is often the largest, the vast majority of Raptors have reversed sexual dimorphism. This essentially meaning the female is larger to some degree in both size and body mass. There are varying degrees of this size difference amongst various Raptor species and a broad view with biologists a...s to which theory is correct. I believe there are multiple reasons, too many to go into right now. However one of the benefits is that it gives any breeding pair a broader selection of prey that can be caught in the breeding season, thus increasing the chances of supplying hungry chicks in the nest. Males being smaller, more agile birds can hunt trickier to catch smaller species where as females can hunt bigger bolder heavier prey. This size difference between the sexes is most prominent in the species where the food source is hard to catch like Grey Goshawks, Peregrine Falcons and Collared Sparrowhawks that all have hard to catch prey. Conversely where the prey species is somewhat easier to catch there is a less marked difference in size between the 2 sexes. This attached photo by The Creator's Landscapes- Anthony Robertson shows a fairly pronounced difference in size between Father and Daughter Wedge Tailed Eagles sharing a Lapwing caught by Dad. She is clearly larger both in size and body mass. Not all Eagles have this much of difference in size though and with both WTE and Sea Eagles sometimes it can be very tricky to establish which sex is which. Thanks to Tony for such a great example! See more

01.01.2022 Always nice to go and see what some nesting birds are doing from their perspective. Thanks to Gary for some nice flying skills!