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 .