Unverified

The purpose of this sighting is to try and determine what the eagle is eating. Last year they had two chics, both of which became progressively lethargic and eventually died just before fledging.

Hi @jb2602, I think that is the skin (mainly) of a rabbit-sized mammal and it will probably be impossible to identify further than that with confidence. If you are getting this close to a nest (I assume within 400m) then there is a far better way to determine the eagles' diet, which is systematic collection of oorts (the uneaten remains of prey) and pellets (inedible parts of prey regurgitated from the crop in a cylindrical mass) and eventually have them examined by a person with the required experience (and preferably access to reference collections of bones, scales and feathers) to identify them. The late Jerry Olsen published such results several times and Stuart Rae at ANU is now doing such work for the Little Eagle. I am less interested in raptor diet and more interested in the zoological survey which it represents, for example one ACT mammal species is known only from oorts found beneath WTE nests! The staff at the Australian National Wildlife Collection may be able to assist or advise on aspect of this.

Here is a record of Isoodon obesulus from beneath a WTE nest at RobRoy Isoodon obesulus obesulus (Southern Brown Bandicoot)

Thanks Don for your valuable insight. I originally thought rabbit but the foot in the third image in Aquila audax seems to suggest a freshwater shorebird to me. ie Sighting 4732296 (link did not copy)