White-bellied sea-eagle hunting Grey-headed flying foxes

White-bellied sea-eagle loitering in the Flying fox camp with serious intent

I heard an unusual commotion in the Grey-headed flying fox camp in Maitland last week, much louder than normal.  I looked up just as a large bird of prey flew off through the canopy, with Flying foxes scattering wildly as it left.  Unfortunately I was too far away to get a clear look at the bird, or to see if it had actually caught a Flying fox.  I thought that it had looked a lot like a Wedge-tailed eagle, but I was not close enough to be certain.  I remember thinking at the time, "Now _that_ was impressive !"

I think the identity of the mystery raptor might have been revealed yesterday.  There was an adult White-bellied sea eagle perched in the open on a branch about 20 metres from the Flying fox camp when I arrived at work.  The Flying foxes seemed to be completely indifferent.  I was shocked when the sea eagle flew from it's perch, straight into the heart of the colony, yet strangely, the flying foxes did not appear react to the intrusion in any way.

The Sea eagle showed obvious intent in the bats, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it was hunting them.  Yet the Flying foxes still seemed to completely ignore the Sea eagle in their midst.  It did not get close enough to strike at an individual bat, and none of them left the cover of the tree.  Unfortunately the Sea eagle left the tree after a minute or so, and I did not notice it return during the day.

Upon reflection, looking at the images I had taken during the incident, the Flying foxes appear to be much deeper inside the canopy of the trees than normal, and none of them flew away from the canopies of their shelter trees during the Sea eagle's intrusion.

It will be interesting to observe this Sea eagle's future visits to the Flying fox camp, and to note whether it will successfully predate upon a Grey-headed flying fox - and whether the Flying fox's reactions to the Sea eagle change with time.