swooping goshawk

[hotspur]

This raptor was flying around the house early one morning,chasing small birds

It was hard to tell what type it was,I used my L 400 lens to try and get some

pics for identification.

It appears to be a Brown Goshawk,(Accipiter fasciatus) a 'sub adult' female.

ref:The Field Guide of Birds of Australia,by Pizzy and Knight.

While not prize winning pics,this lens has really helped with my interest in natural history,-in this case,not only did a ID take place-but extra info was also obtained,which i would not have been able to gain if i did'nt have this wonderful lens.

Hope these may be of interest

regards Chris

[MikeyB]

Great shots, Chris, especially the one showing the swooping dive, with the bird's neck twisted to maintain the visual 'lock-on' with its target.

I'm a birder who prefers photographic identification to hand-drawn, so I double-checked your ID with Simpson & Days' Field Guide. As is too often the case, their painted illustration captures the markings, but their colouration is misleading: your bird's under-plumage is plainly in shades of brown, rather than the grey tones in the book.

Thanks for sharing these action shots with us - I love watching raptors!

[Vanda]

Great snaps. Birds have such inherent beauty.