That Martial again!

For those of you that know Hwange well, you will know the Martial Eagle nest just off the road to Nyamandhlovu pan. In September I photographed the chick on the nest stretching and flapping his wings and ready to leave home and since then we have seen the bird around but only from a distance.

Yesterday afternoon i went tracking after a rain storm and as i came around the corner...there in the road was the bird drinking from a puddle. I stopped and took a few pictures before starting the cruiser again and approaching slowly. He showed some nerves as i started moving but i angled the truck away from him and he relaxed as i got closer and closer. I could not believe it!

Eventually i was less that 3m from him when i took this last shot.

The Martial is one of our largest eagles in Zimbabwe and they rear a chick from this nest every year. They regularly hammer the Ostrich chicks that we see in the same area.

The Hwange Birder