WITH DON KNOWLER

An Australasian gannet, with its steel-blue eye and yellow wash of gleaming white plumage, wrestled with a giant fish it had caught out on the Derwent.

All was not going well for the gannet. Not only was the fish extra-large, but the activity on the water had attracted the attention of a white-bellied sea-eagle.

Although it should have been a skirmish made in heaven for eagle-lovers aboard a tourist vessel, it spelled trouble for the midwinter cruise I was on: a trip to see the release of another sea-eagle (pictured) which had recovered from an injury.

That said, the eventual eagle release proved the highlight of my birding year.

The trip, organised by Tasmanian Boat Charters, the owners of the luxury tourist vessel the Odalisque, was a fundraising exercise for the Raptor and Wildlife Refuge at Kettering and a way to set the female eagle free among familiar surroundings.

The eagle had spent about a year at the refuge recovering from damage to a leg and wing after a collision with power lines. And being found in the Channel area, the same area was earmarked for its release.

The main risk for the eagle, however, was posed by the other eagle harassing the gannet, and a further two spotted as the Odalisque made its way down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Refuge owner, Craig Webb (pictured) had ensured the eagle received much exercise in the eagle aviaries in preceding months and with a little encouragement it was soon flying free. There was applause all round from the 30 or so passengers, with ticket sales from the cruise raising about $2200 for the refuge.

Webb has released about 20 wedgetailed and white-bellied sea-eagles in the 12 years he has operated the refuge, but this was the first one to receive such highend treatment aboard a luxury vessel.

“I’m really stoked,” said Webb as the bird landed. “This is the whole point of the refuge. It’s to get the birds back into the wild. Our motto is ‘get ‘em in, get ‘em out’.”