Birds - especially a Wedgie

 The catalyst for this post was the episode with the Wedge-tailed Eagle detailed below.  It's bookended by a couple of other interesting birdie bits.

On our morning walk we were very pleased to re-sight the family of Black Swans.  All 5 cygnets still present and swimming along in the Inlet.  When we returned they had gone to explore the marsh, but were climbing back over the Samphire to get back to the big water

Later in the day I rode down to Bucklands to see if I could find the 3 Nankeen Night Herons reported earlier by some friends.  (Spoiler alert: I did eventually.)

My searching of the Pittosporum was distracted by a large ruckus.  That was a gang of Ravens mobbing a Whistling Kite and a Wedge-tailed Eagle.  The Kite flew off but the Wedgie landed as did its oppressors.

The wedgie seemed reluctant to fly off and I was wondering whether it had got a serve of rat bait.

The Ravens continued to harass it.

Eventually the wedgie took off, revealing why it was reluctant to fly.  It was schlepping a joey of significant size!  I have no idea if it had nailed the joey itself or if it had chanced upon a dead one.

Here is one of the Nankeen Night-Herons which emerged to perch on a dead eucalypt.