Another day, another adventure! Curious to enjoy today’s adventure? Let’s goo…
On the eighth day of Christmas, Norther brought to me a giant White-bellied Sea Eagle
And the most stunning ocean views from Mandorah!⛵
White-bellied Sea Eagle in Mandorah
COMMON NAME: White-bellied Sea-Eagle
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Haliaeetus leucogaster
TYPE: Bird
DIET: Carnivore
SIZE: up to 4.8kg
With an impressive 1.8 m – 2.2 m wingspan these giants in the are hard to miss! The White-bellied Sea Eagle has white on the head, neck, belly, and thighs and its tail feathers are white, while the back, wing coverts, primary wing, and proximal tail feathers can be dark grey to black. They are a dark grey colour on their backs and wings.
The relatively short legs and feet of these eagles are scaled and featherless and can be light-grey to cream in colour with large black talons. White-bellied sea eagle tails are short and wedge-shaped.
The males and females differ in size with the female being slightly larger. (Bigger than 2.2m!) Younger eagles have different colouration than adults, with the head having cream-coloured feathers, except for a brown streak behind the eyes. The rest of the feathers are dark-brown in colour with cream at the tip.
Where does the White-bellied Sea Eagle Live?
Usually seen perched high in a tree, or soaring over waterways and adjacent land. The gigantic birds form permanent pairs that inhabit territories throughout the year. They are common in coastal and near coastal areas of Australia like Mandorah. They are also found in New Guinea, Indonesia, China, south-east Asia and India. (International Birdies) They also live in wooded areas with access to smaller bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, and rivers too. They like to live at elevations of around 900 m and if you are looking for them try to look for the highest tree around. (You don’t even need binoculars to spot these giants!)
What does the White-bellied Sea Eagle Eat?
White-bellied Sea Eagles are carnivorous, which means they eat meat. Their prey is mainly aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but they feed on other birds and mammals as well. These massive birds are expert hunters. They will attack prey up to the size of a swan! (Wow Brave!) Sea Eagles are opportunistic feeders and can eat dead prey such as fish along the waterline. (eek) They are the bullies of the air as they force smaller birds to drop any food that they are carrying. They also tend to feed in groups or families just like humans!
Now that you know ALLLL about these giant birds, It’s time to colour it in. Share this with your friends and see who can do the most creative design. Wanna feature your creation on our Instagram? Email us [email protected] and we’ll share the most creative creation on our Instagram page!
Yours in adventure,
Have a Merry Norther Christmas
Download The White-bellied Sea Eagle Colouring Page
Mandorah
Stunning ocean views and epic sunsets are what this remote beauty is all about. Why not hop on the ferry to enjoy it this weekend?
How to get to Mandorah?
Mandorah is a quick 15 minute ferry ride from Darwin. The cost is $15- $ 26 per ferry ride. There is a daily ferry with hourly services from Cullen Bay, in Darwin. If you choose to take the ferry be sure to look back and enjoy the Darwin skyline as the ferry whisks you away to this ocean paradise.
The other way to get to Mandorah is to drive which takes around an 1hr and 52m. Pack a lunch and take your friends on a road trip. Play your favourite podcast or Spotify playlist. Even if this is the longer option, you get to experience the Aussie outback and have a little adventure #northerexplorer.
Things to do in Mandorah
Visit Wagait Beach! This tropical beach offers a vast array of shells and shades provided by Casuarina trees. You and your family can enjoy the golden sandy beaches or walk around with your best mate.🐕🐕🐕 You can go further and explore Inmaluk Beach and Harney’s Beach too.
You can also visit the restricted Charles Point Lighthouse or enjoy the Monsoonal Vine Forest.
Best of all, you can fish here!🎣🎣 Be sure to bring your fishing rods. The Mandorah Jetty is a popular spot to fish with the locals. You will be in good company.
If you are a war history buff you can also visit the remains and evidence of World War II. There is a gun tower and placements at the beach that you can access from Wagait Tower Road. It has storyboards, and more ruins of gun placements on the beach walk east from Wagait to the Jetty. You can learn a bit of history while you are there.
Other wonderful things to do include:
- Wagait Beach: meal and coffee shop, fully licensed social club
- Accomodations available at Mandorah Powered and Unpowered Site
- Mandorah Pub
- Wagait Beach Bush Retreat
- Coxy’s Retreat
- Golden Sands Retreat
We would love your feedback on this page – please comment below if you’ve been to Mandorah or seen a White-bellied Sea-Eagle!
Norther would like to invite you to explore more about the beauty of Mandorah here. And… as always you can get more inspiration for other Destinations & National Parks to visit by following @northerhq or get your Mandorah daily fix @mandorahnt.
*Cover image by @gabriellerae00 on IG.
