San Lameer special

The Crowned Eagle pair at the San Lameer Estate, on the Natal south coast, became quite famous recently after this stunning article was published in Africa Birds & Birding (Vol 17 No.3).

Jacques Sellschop spent over three months very intensively following the birds, often spending six hours a day peering down the lens. Jacques has continued to follow the birds almost daily right up until presently.   I was surprised to receive a call from Jacques a couple of weeks ago, inviting me down to San Lameer, as he had heard of my research.  I was wanting to discover more about this pair - as they are a fine example of the annual breeding that occurs in the area.

For the last four years the birds has successfully raised an eaglet to fledge, and they have over the last six weeks built a nest from scratch in order to lay for their fifth year running.  Because of Jacques keen observations, knowing that the 2011 juvenile is still present within a mere 400 meters from the nest makes it particularly interesting.  That the pair is tolerating its presence despite their new egg(s).

And so the invite to spend a few days with Jacques and Rhona at their idyllic beachside house, and watch the San Lameer birds, well an opportunity not to pass up!  Sadly it rained much of the time so we were limited to a brief opportunity to try and ring the juvenile, which of course failed.  But over the course of the following days much was gained.  Three more nest sites in the immediate Southbroom area were pointed out.  Jacques donated an addled egg and some beautiful prey skulls for my reference.  Not least was obtaining a mortality specimen.  Three weeks ago a juvenile eagle from a nearby nest was horrifically electrocuted, the bird was found very fresh, and wisely, was put in the freezer.  Please keep this in mind if you live in KZN and have the misfortune of finding a dead Crowned Eagle.  These specimens are extremely valuable from a research persective.

Jacques offered an extensive library of incredible images that were captured during his long hours of observations over this last year - unfortunately some of the saturation went awry as I compressed these photos for upload.  All images in this blog post are copyright to Jacques. They shalt not be reproduced without permission!  Enjoy.

San Lameer Estate - earthy toned residences nestled among coastal forest

the 50mm lens shows the setting of the nest from Jacques observation site

and the magnificent quality with the larger lenses

fresh pine needles are added to the nest daily

captures that personality and playful character at this age

the avian equivalent of contemplating ones navel?

so... what happened next?!

one must learn what is possible within the limitations of an oesophagus

as she pulled on the digital flexor, the disembodied hand grasped young birds bill

hyrax are a popular prey item in the region

drama at the nest - its all action when food arrives

the eaglet mantles her prize until both adults have cleared out

no aspect of the birds activities was neglected

growing up around people allows these eagles to be inquisitive and interact on a personal level

that windswept look

on the roadside clutching the hyrax, she watched as dozens of staff drove home via the main estate exit road

meanwhile the adults are busy preparing a new nest

affection at the next prior to egg laying