Search

Tag: wedge-tailed eagle

The plight of the wedge-tailed eagle: Simon Cherriman

Talking Australia
Talking Australia
The plight of the wedge-tailed eagle: Simon Cherriman
Loading
/
Simon Cherriman has a passion for the wedge-tailed eagle, which began after finding a nest when he was 15. To this day, he continues to find and map nests and study, photograph and film eagles in the wild. In this episode of Talking Australia, we chat to Simon about the ongoing conservation issues facing wedgies, what he’s learnt getting up close and personal with these enormous birds and what he hopes to find by tracking their long journeys around Australia.   This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).   You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic

Wildlife

The plight of our wedge-tailed eagles

We know very little about the wedge-tailed eagles’ (Aquila audax) movement across Australia’s vast arid lands. And with dramatic changes to the habitats of the native raptor, mostly caused by human activity, the more we know the better. Wedge-tailed eagle expert, Simon Cherriman has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to purchase satellite-trackers to research the movements of juvenile wedgies. Having raised enough money to fund three satellite-trackers in 2015, which were attached to wedgies in the Perth Hills area, Simon explains that our knowledge depends on following the stories of more than just a few birds. “Despite being subject to a period of extensive persecution for over a century, when hundreds of thousands of eagles were culled, the Wedge-tail is currently listed as Least Concern. However, this status is based on information collected using methods designed for small songbirds, and it does not consider the complex population structure of a large raptor,” Simon explains. To donate to Simon’s crowdfunding campaign, click HERE.

Wildlife

GALLERY: Raptor rehab

IN THE NSW SOUTHERN Highlands, Peggy McDonald has helped run the Australian Raptor Care & Conservation Centre since it was founded in April 2015. The 17ha property rehabilitates injured birds, mostly birds of prey, with the aim to return them to the wild. All photography by Esther Beaton. Read more about Peggy’s life-long passion for wildlife and how she co-founded the centre in AG#135, out now.