Dropping our young son at daycare this morning, I was driving up Reynolds Street in Carindale when I noticed a raptor low over the road, with Noisy Miners going completely crazy at it. A pale phase Little Eagle. Un. be. lievable. After yesterday’s exertions and hours of patient scanning, to just bump into one in suburban east Brisbane was simply amazing – lightning struck twice.

Little Eagle is a very sparse species in Brisbane, with only 58 records in eBird up to Feb 2018. It is a winter visitor to the city, but I don’t know whether this is associated with breeding, or if the records are mainly of itinerant birds.

The records of Little Eagle in Brisbane show a clear winter peak, with April to July being the best month to connect with this species.

Records are sparse, with no records at all in some years, and the possible suggestion of a decline over the past decade or so.

With no year ticks today, my year list remained on 269. My chronological year list is here.