Happy Australia Day! Meet Baza! AKA the crested hawk and his friends!

Happy Australia Day if you celebrate it, for everybody else happy Friday!

Today is Australia day, that means for the average Aussie you get a day off work (also known as a Public Holiday) or you get paid extra to work. For my hubby and I it's generally a day when we get together with friends, have a BBQ and a few drinks to celebrate the year that was while listening to the hottest 100. This year is a bit different, and that's not just because the Hottest 100 has been moved to tomorrow. We just don't have anything planned, it may be because every time we do plan something we go out and decide we would rather be at home on steemit, lol... No in all honesty its just been really long 2017 and 2018 has started out similar, so to have four quite days off at home with my husband is a blessing.

That said being I was checking out @artz awesome Contest Compilation and found a contest by @necromortis asking us to take a picture to show What does being Australian mean to you? I know there has been a lot of controversy around Australia day but being Australian to me means being part of your community (much like steemit), and many communities around Australia celebrate the day with events in the parks etc. Our local council holds a yearly event with breakfast, food vans, entertainment, charities and local Australian wildlife. Being an nature and animal enthusiast I am always excited to see what animals will be there, so my hubby and I went to find out and engage with our community, both humans and animals.

Meet Baza - AKA Pacific Baza

You can't get much more Aussie than that can you, in truth it's pronounced Barza - NOT Bazza, by why let the truth get in the way of a good story. Previously known as the crested hawk, they are predators that hunt from the treetops. They are native to Australia and surrounding islands but prefer tropical and subtropical woodlands, something Perth doesn't have much of to offer. What we do have though is an amazing charity called WA Birds of Prey.

The Western Australian Birds of Prey Centre gives you an opportunity to learn about birds of prey and see them in flight. We’ve been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing back into the wild birds of prey since 2000. Source

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Baza is one of their birds, one of four that made it into this post and one of five that made the trip to Pioneer Park this year. I was originally drawn to the stall because of the owls, but fell in love with Baza's giant goofy eyes and spent most of my time watching him and holding Mirco who you will meet a little later.

Meet Dog and Cow - AKA the Barking & Barn Owls

Just joking, that's not there names, but seemed adapt given one barks and the other is as common as a barn back in mid 1900's, which is why it's also known as the common barn owl. They can be found almost anywhere in the world and are well known for their heart shaped face . I was lucky enough to catch some great images both while he was sleeping and awake. I have always found owls to be so regal, they seem so calm and collected all the time. While I have had the pleasure of seeing a barn owl in the wild I have never seen a barking owl. They are so called due to their 'wuf wuf' sounding call, very similar to a small dog, so much so that it would be very hard to tell the difference. These owls are native to Australia and some areas of Papua New Guinea. They have one of the most varied diets, eating basically anything they can get its claws on often taking prey bigger than themselves. They can also been known to be called the 'winking owl' as they have a tendency to wink. I wasn't quick enough to catch that but got a cute photo of him chillin' in front of the Australian flag.

Barking Owl

In the early settlement of Australia a screaming noise matching the barking owl's description was credited and told to the settlers by the Indigenous Australians or the Aboriginals as the Bunyip. source

Meet Mirco - AKA Wedge-tailed Eagle

Mirco belongs to Australia's largest bird of prey the wedge-tailed eagle. The female can weight close to 6 kilos (13lb) and the males 4 kilos (9lb). Reaching heights of over a meter (42") with a wing span of up too 232 cm (7'7"), that's wider than Andre the Giant was tall (7' 4"). Mirco as his name would suggest is rather small for and probably the reason he is still at the rehabilitation center.

These animals are fascinating, did you know they can soar for hours at at time without needing to beat their wings often reaching heights of 1800 meters (5,900') and higher. They also have impeccable eyesight that can see ultraviolet bands. They aren't picky with their food choices eating anything that is conveniently available. They are also highly adaptable teaming up with others to take down larger prey including the largest of all kangaroo's the red kangaroo. Some aggressive smaller birds have been known to mob eagles due to the panic they incite. During mating season they will perform daring aerobatic flights to impress their chosen partners.

Sometimes, the male dives down at breakneck speed towards his partner. As he pulls out of his dive and rises just above her; she either ignores him or turns over to fly upside down, stretching out her talons. The pair may then perform a loop-the-loop. Source

When did Australia became a country?

You may think this is a trick question and the answer is today but you would be mistaken, find out why in my awesome hubby's POST HERE.

If you are an Aussie but not yet part of @teamaustralia, check out @choogirls most recent post on how to become one. Please be patient, quality takes time and #teamaustralia is one of the fastest growing teams on steemit, so she has a lot to do but she will get to you in due course.

All images are my own unless otherwise stated.

If you find value in my post's please upvote and resteem, don't forget to follow me so you don't miss future work too.

Also I would love you to take a second to upvote my entry in @necromortis's contest What does being Australian mean to you? Find this post tagged in the comments section of the post.

Until next time x