Driving home the other day I pulled off to the side as I saw another truck approaching. He did the same but connected with a Wahlberg's eagle that was picking up termites from the road. I saw the contact and the bird cartwheel into the grass as the vehicle carried on by. I mentaly marked the spot in my mind and after a short search found the eagle lying with wings spread open in the ditch. As i picked it up the vehicle came back and I must say here that they redeemed themselves by the concern they showed. The eagle, although bleeding from its nostril, seemed alert so I put him in the truck and took him away. I have had several birds in similar situations and all they need is a bit of a "time out".
The eagle remained alert but docile for a while until he spotted my open window and flew across me! I caught him but he grabbed a talon full of my stomach and would not let go. At this point I had an epiphany about why falconers use those massive gloves!
I got home and called my family to watch him fly away. Theatrically I held him up and threw him into there air but he came down with just two flaps of his wings and crashed dramatically into the grass. Forgetting those talons I reached out for him but he turned onto his back (as they do when they grapple with each other mid ai)r and siezed me by the wrist!
I am not ashamed to use the word F*ck here because I tell you those talons are powerful. In fact I know call them "gender-converters"...because they turned me into a screaming little girl.
I needed a friend and my wife to help me get a bird off me!!
The eagle was a little worse than I though and needed a whole night and day to recover but eventually flew off having won the battle.
The Hwange Birder
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