Are the eagles building a new nest?
The first clutch was laid earlier than usual and unfortunately the second egg did not hatch.
The new male black eagle in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden is taking a lot of sticks into a hollow just above the current nest and the Black Eagle Project Roodekraans (BEPR) monitors are not sure what to make of this behaviour as it is unique and not exactly what they had witnessed in the past.
Photographer Ernest Porter said, “I am not sure what to make of this behaviour, so I am going to share the two scenarios from the past that I know of.”
• Scenario 1
“I saw Thulani doing something similar in the past, when he took sticks to the top nest while eggs were being incubated in the bottom nest.
“Thulani’s behaviour did not result in a second breeding cycle that year.”
• Scenario 2 (History of 1996)
“The first clutch was laid earlier than usual, and unfortunately the second egg did not hatch.
“Cain hatched on 11 May and proceeded to develop into a handsome juvenile. When he was 72 days old, much to the surprise and dismay of the BEPR, the female laid again, on the bottom nest.
“Incubation of the second clutch was shared normally, but unusual aggression was exhibited by the male towards the juvenile resident of the top nest.
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“As a result, the juvenile was forced to fledge the nest and was chased from the nesting gorge without having had time to establish his eagle instincts and tactics. This ended in disaster and a caracal or jackal eventually killed him.
“The second clutch hatched early in September, and the usual Cain and Abel scenario set in, with Abel succumbing a few days later. Unfortunately, Cain also died, from exposure to the sun and lack of food, while the adults were out desperately hunting.”
• Ernest’s conclusion:
“Nature continues to surprise us; we might think we know it all and then something unexpected happens, which we didn’t predict or hadn’t seen before.
“For me, this happened in 2013, when the first clutch failed, and the eagles made a second attempt.
“This second attempt was very late in the year, resulting in the adults raising the chick in the hot African summer.
“Back then most of us thought that history would repeat itself and that the chick would not make it, as witnessed in the past; however, the adults managed to raise a handsome juvenile that year.
“I really don’t like to make predictions or act as if I know what is going to happen. I find nature to be very unpredictable, and full of surprises. For now, I can only sit back, watch and enjoy the beauty of these amazing wild eagles.”
