Tuesday 23 September 2014

WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Pacific Baza

This is a bird that I was fortunate to see in my daughter’s garden when they were living near Innisfail, Queensland in Australia.  I know the shots are not great however I was delighted to see it although it was always positioned very high in the tree tops.


Pacific Baza - Aviceda subcristata -35–45 cm

Its habitats include margins and spaces of gallery forest, monsoon forest, swamp forest, rainforest and woodland, and tropical and subtropical open forests, preferably adjoining closed forest areas and often near water; occasionally uses suburban gardens in leafy tropical suburbs. 

Weaves and circles around the treetops, often in family parties, occasionally in flocks of 30 or more; plunges into canopy foliage, snatching at stick insects, mantids, frogs or small reptiles on branches or foliage or, at times, the ground. Gliding and soaring flight is graceful; effortlessly floats on long, wide wings.



Has spectacular aerial display flights: plunges down with wings held in steep dihedral showing underwing colour; then swoops up in a climb. Usually repeats the sequence several times, all the while calling loudly. Has a distinctive, rising and falling ‘whiech-yoo, whiech-yoo, whiech-yoo’; the first part scratchy yet musical, rising strongly; the final ‘yoo’ low and mellow; repeated many times in succession, the calls a few seconds apart. Also has a rather mellow and musical ‘kaka-kaka-kak-a kak-ak-ak’, at times by both birds together, very rapid. 


Breeds Oct.–Feb. in a forest or woodland tree; prefers valleys with streams, or near pools or billabongs. Nest is usually concealed in dense outer foliage, large clump of regrowth or mistletoe in a horizontal fork towards the limb’s outer extremity, 10–30 m up. The shallow, rather small bowl of sticks is well lined with green leaves. Clutch 3–4 (43 x 35 mm). Incubation by female; male brings food, briefly relieving her. Young hatch at 30–32 days; first down white; they stay in the nest for about 34 days.



Uncommon across North and NE Australia, rare in New South Wales.  I am home now and now, after 6 weeks away have quite a bit of caching up to do and I hope soon to catch up on your posts on your blogs.  I hope by next week, I will start my posts about my adventures in Africa although there is so many photographs and a lot of video clicks that will take weeks/ months to process but I will get there eventually.

I am linking this post with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY

I hope you enjoyed this bird as much as I did when I saw it.  

I have now safely arrived back home from 6 weeks away so have LOTS of editing to do!!  Thanks to all of you who looked in on my posts while I was away and commenting especially as I either did not have internet or time.  I appreciate that very much.

25 comments:

  1. So glad you had safe travels. I look forward to seeing your African adventure. Blessings!

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  2. I love the first shot, him looking at you, you looking at him. I had to look up dihedral :-) . Glad you are back safe and sound and look forward seeing your photos...

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  3. Cool looking bird, great shots. Have a happy day!

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  4. Thats a bird I have not come across (yet!) - I live in the wrong part of this big country to see it.

    Glad to be off help with linking and such like.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  5. love that eye. welcome back to normal life!

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  6. Interesting photos :) The yellowish eye stands out :)

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  7. So many of the birds you post I have never heard of! I guess I will have to travel more. ;)) Glad your back!

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  8. Love the captured expression on the first bird ~ amazing and all lovely photos ~ Welcome back to cyberspace! ~ Enjoy!

    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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  9. Lovely shots. Glad you are home safe- can't wait to see photos from your adventure!

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  10. Glad you are home! What a wonderful sighting! Great info too. I just went to two other states (and the N part of my own state) back in July for 13 days and I'm STILL posting photos! :-)

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  11. It's a very handsome bird. I look forward to seeing photos from your travels.

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  12. I have never seen such a bird! I am pretty sure there are none here. It looks like it is between a hawk and a dove. Which are total opposites!

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  13. That's a great bird to see and very good to get photos of it too.

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  14. Welcome back! That's quite a road trip:)This bird is really interesting. At first glance, it reminds me of a Cooper's Hawk.

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  15. The pretty Baza has very interesting eyes! And how beautiful it must be to watch them, especially that soaring behaviour. Glad to know you are safely home from your travels -- and after our summer trip I can certainly empathize with the time-consuming work engendered by having lots and lots of interesting pictures! I look forward to seeing yours whenever you can share them!

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  16. That's a very fine looking bird.

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  17. Thanks for showing us this rare beauty. Great information as well.
    Glad you are safely at home.

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  18. A handsome bird! Wow, 6 weeks worth of photos and video, you are going to be busy!

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  19. Wonderful series Margaret.
    I bet your time away was filled with all kinds of spectacular events!!
    Oh, and LOVED your post above this one...the day spent with your grandchildren and daughter....[all having beautiful red hair by the way!!]

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  20. The eyes are so beautiful!
    You got a great series.
    Happy WW!

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  21. oooh, the second to last is great...... hey...I've an Australian guy for you to see as well....and I live in Canada!

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  22. I saw one of these in my relatives garden in Queensland too..............

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  23. It is indeed a wonderful sight. We live in northern NSW, I'd not seen one until this week, when they have been visiting our backyard.

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