The eagle has fledged
"He chose the name 'Ayanda' which means 'they have increased' in Zulu. It is a celebration that the offspring of a family is increasing," he said.
At 8:56am yesterday, 27 September, the Black Eagle juvenile flew the nest – a joyous occasion for some, while others felt a little emotional.
Also Read: Black Eagle Project Roodekrans confirms new chick
After spending months keeping track of the Black Eagle pair’s movements, until the juvenile was fully fledged, volunteer for the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans, Dougie Crewe, said it was an emotional moment. He arrived at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden just after 6am. “I knew the time for the juvenile to fly the nest was drawing near and I am glad I made it to see this,” he said.
This, however, was not the only joyous occasion for the Black Eagle Project. They also chose a name for the juvenile. About a month ago, the Northsider launched a competition to find a name for the juvenile and the lucky winner is Justin Tamlin.
“He chose the name ‘Ayanda’ which means ‘they have increased’ in Zulu. It is a celebration that the offspring of a family is increasing,” he said.
Due to unforeseen technical issues, visual quality might be affected
Chairman of the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans, Gerald Draper, made the announcement the same day Ayanda flew the nest. According to him, they suspect that Ayanda is female since records have shown that females tend to stay longer in the nest and are a little larger and heavier than males.
Gerald said Ayanda will remain in the vicinity until December. “Makhatsa and Thulani will teach her how to hunt, fly and land properly. Closer to December they will start to encourage her to leave the territory completely. They will then have a two-month rest period before they start gathering large and small sticks in preparation for their next offspring.
Gerald said it is now very difficult to spot the juvenile since she blends in with her surroundings. “That will soon change as her feathers will start to turn black.”
Gerald invites everybody to visit the botanical garden in an attempt to spot Ayanda.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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