Wedge-Tail in the Nullarbor

Wedge-Tail in the Nullarbor (Wedge-Tailed Eagle) Acrylic on Canvas 76cm x 61cm

Peter’s Inspiration: “I worked on properties on the Nullarbor for years researching dingoes, I commonly cited Wedgetails”.

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey: a big female weighs more than four kg and can have a wingspan well over two metres. Although they are content to eat carrion including roadkill, Wedge-tails are versatile and formidable hunters, taking a range of prey from lizards, possums and parrots to feral goats, lambs and kangaroos, with multiple eagles sometimes hunting cooperatively to kill prey as large as Red Kangaroos.  With the changes to native fauna resulting from European settlement, introduced rabbits and hares have become their staple prey in many areas. Eagles kill their prey by crushing and piercing with their massive talons, and these are clear to see in this painting.

This painting shows a young bird perched in a dead tree patiently waiting for an opportunity to hunt in one of Australia’s expansive arid landscapes, part of the Western Australian Nullarbor. Birds here manage to thrive in almost treeless semi-desert where even breeding is a challenge because suitable nest trees are so few and far between. The hardy pastoralists who work in this part of the bush call it the GABA – the Great Australian Bugger All.  The Wedge-tailed Eagle is found from sea level to alpine regions in the mountains, but prefers wooded and forested land and open country, generally avoiding rainforest and coastal heaths. Eagles can be seen perched on trees or poles or soaring overhead to altitudes of up to 2000 m. Wedge-tailed Eagles build their nest in a prominent location with a good view of the surrounding countryside. It may be built in either alive or dead tree, but usually the tallest one in the territory.

Original painting by Peter Marsack