San Lameer Newsflash/Nuusflits Jan/Feb 2018 | Page 10

CROWN EAGLES / KROONARENDE
It has not been a normal Christmas season
for the San Lameer's resident pair of
Crowned Eagles. By normal I refer to an
annual pattern of breeding that has persisted
unaltered for some fifteen years. Only once
before during that history of successfully
rearing a chick each year, has the pattern
been interrupted. That was when the chick
that hatched in 2015 did not survive beyond
the first 10 days of its existence. The
reasons for that were never scientifically
determined.
whether they would remain loyal to their
history of procreation and simply try again
this year. Since Crowned Eagles in the wild
generally breed only once every second year,
we felt that they might just write off their
2017 failure to circumstances beyond their
control and try again this year. Much to our
delight this appears to be the case. The pair
has been seen at the nest fairly regularly
during January of this year and the
expectation is that they will start refurbishing
it at the usual time of late May or early June.
In that event we can look forward to new eggs
being laid in August and hatching to occur
some 50 day later in early October.
However, in October of 2016, our eagles
produced yet another addition to South
Africa's stocks of this highly threatened
species. That chick survived and has since Dit was nie 'n 'normale' Kersseisoen vir ons
been reported to be doing well further up the San Lameer se Kroonarendpaar nie. Met
'normaal' verwys ek na die jaarlikse
coast.
telingpatroon van hierdie bedreigde spesie
wat ongeveer vyftien jaar lank al
Sadly, this success was not repeated last
onveranderd op ons landgoed herhaal is. Nog
year and although a chick did hatch
net een keer in daardie tydperk, wat elke jaar
successfully on 8 October 2017, the event
coincided with some of the most devastating 'n nuweling suksesvol gelewer het, is die
weather patterns the South Coast has seen patroon onderbreek. Dit was toe die kuiken
in the past decade. Tornado force winds and wat in 2015 uitgebroei het, nie die eerste 10
nearly five days of continuous rain severely dae van sy bestaan oorleef het nie. Die redes
compromised the feeding routines necessary daarvoor was nooit wetenskaplik bepaal nie.
for a chick to survive and the result was its
Maar die volgende jaar het ons arende
demise on or about the 20 October 2016.
oudergewoonte weer in Oktober 2016 hulle
bydrae gemaak. Daardie kuiken het oorleef,
The immediate concerns were naturally
whether the eagles would abandon their nest onafhanklik geword en is tans tuis in 'n
in the face of this second, failed rearing or karavaanpark in die Umtentwini gebied.
The male eagle seen carrying in building material for the nest in July of
2017. Being arguably the strongest raptor on the planet, he manages to
ferry in some very substantial foundations for the nest.
Photos by / Foto’s deur
Jacques Sellschop
Ongelukkig is 2016 se sukses nie in 2017 herhaal
nie . Alhoewel 'n kuiken op 8 Oktober 2017
uitgebroei het, het sy verskyning heel toevallig
gepaard gegaan met van die mees verwoestende
weerpatrone wat die Suidkus nog in die afgelope
dekade gesien het. Tornado-kragwinde en bykans
vyf dae se aanhoudende reën het die kuiken se
voedingsroetines ernstig ontwrig. Vyf dae lank kon
die ouerpaar glad nie jag nie en die gevolg was die
kuiken se ondergang op ongeveer 20 Oktober,
2017.
Die onmiddelikke bekommernis was natuurlik dat
die arende hul nes sou laat vaar as gevolg van die
mislukking. Gelukkig blyk dit nie die geval te wees
nie. Hulle is reeds tydens Januarie vanjaar al 'n
paar keer by die nes gewaar en dit is 'n goeie teken
dat hulle eienaarskap sal behou. Wilde
kroonarende teël gewoonlik net elke tweede jaar
maar waar daar volop proei is, is hulle geneig om
elke jaar eiers te lê.
Dit is wel die geval op San Lameer met al sy apies
en dassies. Ons hou duim vas. Die verwagting is dat
ons arendpaar laat in Mei of vroeg in Junie weer die
nes sal begin opknap. In dié geval kan ons verwag
dat die wyfie nuwe eiers in Augustus sal lê en
ongeveer 50 dae later, in vroeë Oktober, 'n nuwe
kuiken aan die landgoed sal skenk.
Had the 2017 breeding season been
successful, this is what the juvenile
might have looked like in
February of 2018.
Written by / Geskryf deur
Jacques Sellschop