Other hobbies besides collecting militaria?,

**rbminis** · 12-31-2016, 03:55 AM

by Chopperman

That is a great looking mount , Ralph.
Do you need any special permits to be able to do that?

Thanks Greg!

Yes, every one that I find and want to keep, I have to take them to the local Fish & Wildlife office and get a permit to keep them. They check it over to make sure that it has not been shot or anything like that. I have 27 permits for birds that I have found and decided to keep. I have found many more but they are often either too smashed, or flat to keep.
Ralph.

**Chopperman** · 12-31-2016, 04:48 AM

Thanks Ralph,
That's what I thought. I know that down here, there is a lot of paper work involved
with keeping a bird of prey.

**sandgroper** · 12-31-2016, 06:45 AM

Terrific looking owl Ralph, it's a shame it died but you can't make it any deader by having it mounted like that so why not? I must admit there's many a time I've driven past a wedge tailed eagle dead on the side of the road here and I've thought that it would be a real feature stuffed and mounted. I'd never kill anything to do that with but if they've been killed on the road then why not.

**remss** · 12-31-2016, 07:18 AM

by rbminis

Well, for any that still visit this thread, 20 years since I first started looking for road kill birds of prey and this beauty just returned home today!

Soooo happy to have finally found this one and got it mounted!

Ralph.

You have a great handcraft skill.
Sadly in France, This kind of artwork is very underated.

**rbminis** · 12-31-2016, 07:21 AM

by sandgroper

Terrific looking owl Ralph, it's a shame it died but you can't make it any deader by having it mounted like that so why not? I must admit there's many a time I've driven past a wedge tailed eagle dead on the side of the road here and I've thought that it would be a real feature stuffed and mounted. I'd never kill anything to do that with but if they've been killed on the road then why not.

Thanks Dave!

I agree, I don't hunt or shoot anything, (other than gophers), but if they are already dead, I don't have a problem picking them up. It isn't cheap to have the taxidermy done but I have a friend who does it so I get a bit of a deal.
Here are another pair that I had done recently. They are called Cooper's Hawks. They are a little smaller than a pigeon and when they are young, they have brown feathers, yellow eyes, and the barring on the breast appears more vertical. As they gown into adulthood, they develop red eyes, blue/grey feathers and the barring on the breast becomes more horizontal. The one in the foreground is a young one just starting to develop the blue/grey feathers as you can see by the photo. The upper one is a full grown adult with red eyes and all blue/grey feathers. You should also be able to notice the difference in the barring on the breast feathers.
Ralph.

1.jpg
2.jpg

**rbminis** · 12-31-2016, 07:23 AM

by remss

You have a great handcraft skill.
Sadly in France, This kind of artwork is very underated.

Thank you!

When they are done properly, I don't understand how anyone can not like them. They are so beautiful and look just like when they are alive and in the wild.
Ralph.

**sandgroper** · 12-31-2016, 08:00 AM

Ralph, you have inspired me, I think I'll look into the legalities of getting a wedge tail done. They are very commonly killed on the road here because they eat the dead Roos that are killed on the road. They are a spectacular bird in life with a two and a half metre wingspan some even larger, they even attack parachutists and ultralight light aircraft. I remember once finding a turtle dead on the beach in Arnhem Land and wanting to take that and get it mounted but I decided not to, however, once back at camp I changed my mind so went back to get it only to find a dingo turning it into lunch, I should have grabbed it when I had the chance! Not to worry, I think a wedge tail would look more impressive anyway.

**rbminis** · 12-31-2016, 08:14 AM

by sandgroper

Ralph, you have inspired me, I think I'll look into the legalities of getting a wedge tail done. They are very commonly killed on the road here because they eat the dead Roos that are killed on the road. They are a spectacular bird in life with a two and a half metre wingspan some even larger, they even attack parachutists and ultralight light aircraft. I remember once finding a turtle dead on the beach in Arnhem Land and wanting to take that and get it mounted but I decided not to, however, once back at camp I changed my mind so went back to get it only to find a dingo turning it into lunch, I should have grabbed it when I had the chance! Not to worry, I think a wedge tail would look more impressive anyway.

If you like wild life, I suggest you keep your eyes open for one. Try to get one in the best condition that you can, (meaning, not run over). Be patient, I have passed over quite a few to get the nicer ones. It will make a real difference in the finished product.

I just googled the wedge tail eagle and if I found one of those, I would gladly get it mounted.
They have some beautiful color markings and have such a majestic appearance to them when they are in the right pose.
Here is the pose I would get mine done if I had one.

Ralph.

Wedge-tailed Eagle 2013_04_09 Stuart Highway 13.jpg

**sandgroper** · 12-31-2016, 08:28 AM

Yair that's them Ralph. Unfortunately I just googled the legalities of getting one done and apparently even a roadkill eagle is illegal to have mounted. It's a shame because I see them dead all the time on the roads up the bush, they are very commonly hit here. According to what I found online you can get permits to have other native Australian wildlife mounted but no raptors regardless of how they are acquired. Seems a waste really considering how common they are here, parks and wildlife say that there are more wedge tails in Australia now than there were before the British colonised the place because we've put in roads and access to water through artesian bores. To the best of my knowledge only Tasmania has them on a threatened list.

**rbminis** · 12-31-2016, 08:56 AM

by sandgroper

Yair that's them Ralph. Unfortunately I just googled the legalities of getting one done and apparently even a roadkill eagle is illegal to have mounted. It's a shame because I see them dead all the time on the roads up the bush, they are very commonly hit here. According to what I found online you can get permits to have other native Australian wildlife mounted but no raptors regardless of how they are acquired. Seems a waste really considering how common they are here, parks and wildlife say that there are more wedge tails in Australia now than there were before the British colonised the place because we've put in roads and access to water through artesian bores. To the best of my knowledge only Tasmania has them on a threatened list.

That is too bad!

Here about the only raptors that are difficult to get a permit for are peregrine falcons. You can still get one, it's just difficult to do so. Used to be you could not get one for them but since they have rebounded, they can be had, they're just hard to find dead.