Travelling around the Geelong Ring Road ~5.45pm Wed 9th I enjoyed spectacular views of a WTE at about head height hovering in the uplift sweeping across the Moorabool River valley and up the freeway embankment. A few metres on was another. Further on, near Little River (from the Princes Highway) there was another WTE with an entourage of about 30 ravens hassling it.
I rang my brother who lives in our family home overlooking the Moorabool valley and he tells me Wedgies are often seen there, even in larger groups. (a rare sp to sight when I lived there 30+ y.a.) He says they appear to also utilise thermals from the nearby basalt quarries. These probably harbour lots of rabbits and other tucker too. He also regularly sees a pair near Little River exit from freeway.
OK, not a rare bird, but a spectacular sight when the bird is hovering so close and practically at eye level. Some small compensation from the cancerous roads and housing developments swarming across the former ‘green belts zones’ of hills that used to surround Geelong. Wendy ===============================
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Wendy, I often see Wedge-tailed Eagles along the Ring Road. They are nearly always near the Moorabool Valley, or between the Belmont and Grovedale exits. A few days ago I also saw one on Barwon Heads Rd, just before the 80K sign entering town from the Geelong side. They are also occasionally seen around the middle of the Bellarine.
This has been a fantastic few weeks for raptors. Spotted Harrier close up at Corio a couple of days ago, the WTE at Barwon Heads, Square-tailed Kite at Wallington last month, and a Brown Goshawk at Ocean Grove Nature Reserve earlier this week. Plus LOADS of Swamp Harriers at any suitable wetland, such as Reedy Lake; and a Hobby flying past our house last weekend!
Russell
Agree with you Wendy, so sad to see all those former green belt zones disappear. Torquay to Geelong is equally as bad. We travel frequently along the by-pass and never fail to spot a WTE. As you say, it’s a wonderful sight. Robin