Has she gone?

Marragaay (juvenile female) was last seen about 0701 h on 21st January (video below)  and heard 1930 h on later that day.   I’m beginning to think she might have dispersed.  She did quite well as she has clearly been hunting for herself for a month, so, as a competent raptor, the parents will start to see her as a competitor.   If you do see (or hear her), please try and get a picture as I’m very happy to be proven wrong.

I also captured a nocturnal tryst between the adults that I thought you might like to see.   This was at 6 am this morning.

It’s a long weekend in Australia this weekend (Australia Day tomorrow), but I’ll be in and out recording, in case young madam makes her appearance..

12 thoughts

  2. Quick question for you, Cilla – at 11.38am Diamond has been doing this thing where she opens her beak very widely – LOOKS as though she’s screeching but no sound is coming out, and I haven’t seen anything else come out either – what’s that behaviour?

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  4. To Chao – Xavier arrives doing what I call ‘clucking’. Then you can hear other birds: magpies, as well as cows, and there was one tiny call that could have been marragaay at your second time ie 05 57 05, when it can’t have been Xavier as he was preening his chest! so it’s possible, but not really clear enough to be sure.

    To Sue, I think she gets something stuck in her gullet and this helps to clear it. not sure, however.

    Incidentally, I didn’t set the screen recorder properly last night after 8 pm when I went home (or, more worryingly, it didn’t work). Do you have any sightings between then and 0730? Was Diamond in the box?

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  6. Don’t know how long this is likely to stay in the youtube chat box: Cilla Kinross ​Does anyone know who arrrived in the box this morning and at what time? My recording didn’t work. And can someone also confirm box was empty all night?

    2:10 PMSue ​Drat – the earlier chat has disappeared! There was a bit of detail in it…. Will try to remember.

    2:11 PMSue ​Diamond left the box around 7.40am (not sure how long she’d been there) and Xavier appeared just after 8am. He stayed in box and on ledge for ages

    2:14 PMSue ​Diamond returned around 11 and the two of them had an interlude of a minute or so in the box before Xavier flew off.

    2:14 PMSue ​PS re overnight – there was nobody there when I first checked this morning, before the night light clicked off

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  8. Thought you might like to know that I saw both adults, alive and well, if a bit damp, after the thunderstorms yesterday, on the top of the tower, as I was heading home. Diamond spent the night in the box. Marragaay on her travels, I suspect.

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  9. Good to hear! It’s been a bit mental out there this morning – 8.11ish there were definitely two birds chasing outside and Diamond in the box. Again at 8.21. Diamond flew off to take up the chase, I think, and Xavier came back. Once or twice he’s moved to the back of the box, clucking as if expecting company, but nothing happened. Don’t know how well you can see the birds outside, but one of them (at the 8.11 appearance) was being buffeted so much by the wind that it appeared to be flying backwards at one point – you might be able to get a reasonable look at it.

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  11. I had a look at the video, but I don’t have any editing equipment and it’s a bit hard to be sure. One bird appears to have some white on their head (like an osprey, but too small and not very likely here!), but they are certainly falcon shaped and sized, so one could be Marragaay.

    I’ll start a new thread before I leave and if you get any more sightings, please report!

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  12. After consulting with birdo friend Tiffany, we thinkthe fly-bys more likely they are kestrels. There is a pair that nest in the roost tree (when falcons absent) and they often sneak a look in the nest when adults out.

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