The white-bellied sea-eagle is a rare visitor to Ballarat, so a sighting of one over Wendouree at Easter was a surprise. The bird was soaring high above the Ballarat North Water Treatment Plant in Gillies Street.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sea-eagles are large birds, almost as large as wedge-tailed eagles. The recent bird was at first assumed to be a wedge-tail, but its shape and posture were slightly different. Its wings were held in a deeper V-shape than those of a wedge-tailed eagle, and its tail was shorter.
Our sea-eagle hunts for waterbirds, fish and rabbits, which it catches in its talons. These talons operate by ligaments that can lock in place, ensuring that prey cannot wriggle free once gripped.
Over the years, the sea-eagle has been seen at all of our region's larger waters, such as Lakes Wendouree, Learmonth and Burrumbeet, and various reservoirs and other places. However, it has never taken up residence anywhere here, nor can it be reliably found anywhere in the district.
Most sightings are occasional and irregular, although there are times when it appears to be a short-tern resident at Lake Burrumbeet. This is usually in the summer/autumn period.
European carp are probably its main prey there.
The recent Wendouree bird may be from the Werribee area, where a small population exists. Immature eagles can travel long distances, so a flight from Werribee to Burrumbeet would be no effort for a sea-eagle seeking potential new waters.
Although the handsome white, grey and black adult sea-eagles have been seen locally, most sightings here are of the browner immature birds. Breeding does not occur until the birds are about six years old.
Breeding adults do not move widely, although home ranges of pairs may be up to 100 square kilometres.
The white-bellied sea-eagle is closely related to America's well-known bald eagle, although that bird has a flatter wing profile and a rounded tail.
ANOTHER WEED
Nightshades can be large or small, and woody or non-woody. The best-known local species is the black nightshade (sometimes wrongly called deadly nightshade), a common garden weed. Many others are weedy, both small plants and woody ones.
An unfamiliar one was recently found at Lake Burrumbeet. This was the aptly-named cut-leaf nightshade, a soft prostrate plant, only recognisable as a nightshade because of its distinctly-shaped pale mauve flowers with yellow stamens.
It is originally from North America, and is now said to be a widespread weed of disturbed sites in Victoria, particularly in drier inland areas.
