History is repeating itself. Our Crowned Eagle family is successfully rearing another juvenile. The new female, hatched on 20 September last year, followed text book predictions and took her first flight on Tuesday morning 17 January at 9am. It was a modest, downward glide on to the th top of a tree bordering the 17 fairway, but she had been practicing for some weeks with short flights on the branches around her nest, so her return journey was completed without incident.
Mark McNulty, a resident whose passion for photography and the eagles vies with my own obsession, has recorded some outstanding images of activity in and around the nesting tree. He recently timed one of his midday vigils to coincide with a delivery by the adult male of a vervet monkey carcass to the nest. His photograph of the event is superb and ranks among the very finest works of professional wildlife photographers.
Later, on that same evening, I watched the juvenile finish off the monkey carcass. She has clearly been a good pupil and meticulously applied the dinner-table techniques of her mother ' s teaching. With great maturity of skill she held down the remains of the monkey carcass with one claw while bracing herself against the nest to create leverage with the other. Using the formidable hook of her beak, she then stripped off flesh into bite-size pieces and swallowed them easily. However, when she was left with just the tail, she elected to swallow it whole, giving me an opportunity to photograph the entire 12-minute ritual from start to finish.
CROWN EAGLES / KROONARENDE
She broke the tail off at the point where it joins the spine, carefully manipulated it into the ideal position for swallowing and then started the process of progressive ingesting. It was amazing to see the patience and effort with which she slowly allowed the 45cms of hairy spaghetti to move down her throat and into the already bulging crop, where it would be stored before moving further into the stomach.
What is significant is that birds of prey do not consume carefully cleaned pieces of their prey. Essential to their diet is all the hair and bone that she swallowed with that tail. San Lameer residents are privileged to have this rare eagle family so readily visible and habituated to human observation on their doorstep. The next signal moment in the development of the juvenile will be her first kill on the road to independence. She has developed quite preciously and I would not be surprised if she starts her own hunting activities towards the end of February. Until then the adult male will deliver food to the nest. Later, to coax her away from the nest in preparation for total independence, he will drop the food off on trees further and further away from the nest.
Geskiedenis herhaal homself. Ons Kroonarend familie maak nog ' n kuiken suksesvol groot. Die nuwe vroulike kuiken het op 20 September verlede jaar uitgebroei, en het ons voorspellings soos ' n handboek gevolg deur haar eerste vlug Dinsdagoggend, 17 Januarie om 09h00 geneem. Dit was ' n beskeie, afwaartse gly na die boonste gedeelte van ' n boom langs die 17de skoonveld, maar sy het vir ' n paar weke met korter vlugte op
die takke om haar nes geoefen, sodat haar terugreis nes toe sonder enige voorvalle voltooi kan word.
Mark McNulty, ' n inwoner wie se passie vir fotografie en die Arende ooreenstem met my eie obsessie, het ' n paar uitstekende foto ' s van die aktiwiteite in en om die boom se nes geneem. Hy het onlangs een van sy middag uitstappies geskeduleer om ooreen te stem met die volwasse manlike kroonarend wat ' n blouaap karkas na die nes aflewer. Sy foto van die gebeurtenis is uitstekend en is een van die heel beste werke van ' n professionele natuurlewe fotograaf.
Later, op dieselfde aand, het ek gekyk hoe die jong kroonarend die aap karkas klaar eet. Sy is duidelik ' n goeie leerling en pas nougeset die aandete tafeltegnieke van haar ma se onderrig toe. Met groot volwassse vaardighede het sy met haar een klou die oorblyfsels van die aapkarkas vasgehou en haarself teen ' n gedeelte van die nesboom met die ander klou gesteun. Deur die indrukwekkende hak van haar bek te gebruik, trek sy vleis in happie-grootte stukkies af en verslind dit maklik. Maar toe sy met die stert gelaat word, verkies sy om dit heel in te sluk, en gee my ' n geleentheid om die hele 12 minute ritueel van begin tot einde af te neem. Sy het die stert by die punt waar dit aansluit by die ruggraat afgebreek, en manipuleer dit toe versigtig in die ideale posisie om in te sluk en begin toe met die progressiewe inname. Dit was ongelooflik om toe te kyk hoe sy met geduld en moeite baie stadig die 45cm harige spaghetti in haar keel in afskuif tot by die alreeds bultende krop, waar dit gestoor sal word totdat dit verder in die maag afstoot.
Written by / Geskryf deur Jacques Sellschop
The juvenile has detached the monkey ' s tail at the point where it is joined to the spine
From being a ball of fluff the size of a child ' s fist on 20 September, 16 weeks of a healthy diet have produced a sixteenweek-old juvenile with a magnificent wingspan.
Mark McNulty ' s image of the adult male bringing a monkey carcass to the nest for the juvenile.
The amazing process of swallowing the entire 45cm tail whole, has started.