Lonely Makatsa wastes no time in replacing Thulane
The general feeling was that the second eagle was not Thulane, but rather a new male, and there was much excitement at the thought that Makatsa had managed to attract a new male eagle to replace Thulane.
On Saturday, 13 July, the BEPR monitor on duty at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden reported seeing two adult Black Eagles flying in the vicinity of the nest.
Other members of the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) rushed to the scene, and indeed, there were two adults flying around.
Photographer Shane Wilken said, “Reports came in earlier on Saturday, 13 July of two eagles flying above the nest. I went out to see this incredible sighting of two black eagles, and yes, Makatsa came in with a new companion. Hopefully the pair will mate for life and the breeding of Black Eagles in Roodekrans will continue.”
Read the initial article here:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/297253/thulane-has-gone-awol/
The general feeling was that the second eagle was not Thulane, but rather a new male, and there was much excitement at the thought that Makatsa had managed to attract a new male eagle to replace Thulane.
On Sunday, 14 July, the pair went out on their first successful hunt, and Makatsa brought home some prey in the form of a guinea fowl to feed her chick.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/299271/praise-for-singe-parent-makatsa/
BEPR chairman, Gerald Draper, said, “The chick is now 32 days old. It was interesting to note that Makatsa constantly stood between the male and the chick as if she is shielding the little one from the new partner. It’s the first time this has happened, so we cannot really say why Makatsa is behaving in that way.”
The excitement level about the new development is running very high, and BEPR will continue their monitoring and issue updates as and when they can.
