On a beautiful autumnal morning, a sea-eagle flew over South Hobart on outstretched, quivering wings. It had come from the east and as the eagle crossed my home with slow, steady flaps, it tilted its wings and swerved to head in the direction of Kingston.
I was out at the washing line at the time, but dropped the wet clothes to dash inside to check the list I have compiled over the years of birds spotted in or above my garden.
Although on rare occasions I had seen white-bellied sea-eagles at the nearby Waterworks Reserve I could never actually recall seeing one cross my home. The same for Tasmania’s other giant bird of prey, the wedge-tailed eagle.
I was right, and happily scrawled bird number 54 on the list before returning to the job in hand. I still scanned the skies, though, and was delighted to see the eagle return. As it rode the thermals of hot air rising from the foothills of kunanyi /Mt Wellington, I could clearly see the crisp white of its breast, and the black of its underwings, with long fingers of outer wing feathers.
The sea-eagles I had seen before were juvenile birds, in muted brown plumage. The juveniles come occasionally to check out the twin reservoirs of the reserve but clearly they do not provide suitable fishing territory, the waters possibly too deep and the cormorants and grebes taking all the fish closer to the surface.
The juveniles never return once they become adults, proving that birds have memories and remember suitable feeding spots.
There was a time when only fanatical birders, or “twitchers” as they are known, kept garden checklists but it appears the activity is taking hold among the general public.
During the unprecedented Coronavirus lockdown last year many Australians confined to their homes discovered wildlife literally on their doorsteps.
The national ornithological organisation, BirdLife Australia last spring reported record numbers of Australians taking part in its annual Backyard Bird Count. In all, 4.6 million birds were counted by 108,000 people, most of them not committed birders.
The annual count which started in 2014 had already become one of the biggest citizen science projects in the country. This data is combined with surveys conducted by professionals and experienced amateurs to plot bird movements and populations.
“With so many of us forced to slow down during the lockdown, we suddenly became aware that birds are all around us, no matter where they are,” says Birdlife Australia’s Sean Dooley, “and this interest has certainly flowed into the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, with record numbers of people taking part.”
Meanwhile, I have been scanning the skies for the wedge-tailed eagle to add to my tally of garden birds spotted. They are out there somewhere in the clear blue skies and I will just have to be patient.