San Lameer Newsflash/Nuusflits Oct/Nov 2017 | Page 11

CROWN EAGLES / KROONARENDE I am confident that there is a new chick in the nest and that it probably hatched on 7 October, sometime during the morning. Although a large measure of one's amateur deductions is based on a mix of observation, speculation and wishful thinking, I am pretty sure that the female has been feeding a chick for the past two weeks. The nest is very deep and therefore one cannot see what is in it, but several behavioural aspects are persuasive. First, the male has been bringing in food with more regular frequency than is his custom when the female is merely incubating. Secondly, the female is sitting much higher and more fluffed up in the nest. When incubating, she crouches down very low and flat in the nest. Thirdly, for the past two weeks she has regularly been fidgeting and fussing with her beak in the area below her chest, suggesting that a new chick is being kept warm and protected there. Lastly, when the food (chiefly dassies and monkeys at present) has been delivered by the dutiful male, she shreds off tiny little pieces of meat with her beak, which then disappears down into the depths of the nest before remerging empty. The most remarkable aspect of all this is something that happened on 8 September. The juvenile that had hatched last year found it very difficult to fend for itself and leave the area. This was probably because, for some strange reason, there were very few dassies and monkeys evident on the estate this year. It should have gone off on its own and left the area in July but stayed, regularly howling for food until the male would weaken and drop of a piece of carcass for it on one of the trees on the 17 th fairway. However, on 8 September it was desperate. The adult female had already been incubating her egg(s) for some 20 days. At 10:20am the juvenile flew on to the nest (very unusual), chased its mother off and started feeding on the carcass of a monkey that the male had delivered earlier in the morning by the male. At first the female flew around distractedly and then disappeared to fetch the male. The two returned to the nest at 1pm, when the male attacked the juvenile and chased it away. It was not before 1:20pm that the female resumed incubating the eggs. That meant that the eggs had been uncovered for three hours in temperatures that were anything but warm. In the circumstances it is remarkable that we now have a chick and it will be interesting to see whether the interrupted incubation has left any visible signs of impairment. Updated information: When I wrote this article last week, all was well. My veiled warning of possible “impairment” must have had an element of de-ja-vú in it. Unfortunately the chick did not survive. The adults' behaviour patterns suddenly changed dramatically on 24 October 2017, persuading me that they were no longer feeding a chick. Professional drone pilot and photographer Marc Frans, of Marina Beach kindly surveyed the nest for me from the air and my worst fears were confirmed. The nest was empty, but for one unhatched egg. Images taken by resident avian photographer of note, Mark McNulty, on the 24 th October suggest that the adult female might have been disposing of the chick's carcass that day. The precise cause of its demise is a matter of speculation. The rain and tornado strength winds two day after it hatched may have led to respiratory infection while five continuous days of rain with no food being delivered to the nest may have resulted in malnutrition. So it is with a heavy heart that we confirm the loss and settle down to wait for regeneration in June of 2018. Hopefully the nest will not be invaded and taken over by the Egyptian Geese that have been trying to assert squatter rights throughout the hatching period this year. The most unexpected thing has happened! This morning, Monday 30th October, both adults were at the nest. It was a beautiful morning and both eagles were busy refurbishing their nursery. Not with little nest linings of leaves, mind you. This was the big stuff they were carrying in. It is something we have not seen before this date in the breeding cycle and one wonders whether they are going to attempt to produce another baby. We hold our breaths and watch. Ek is vol vertroue dat daar 'n nuwe kuiken in die nes is en dat dit waarskynlik op 7 Oktober in die oggend, uitgebroei het. Alhoewel 'n groot mate van 'n mens se gevolgtrekkings op 'n verskeidenheid van waarneming, spekulasie en wensdenke, gebaseer is, is ek redelik seker dat die wyfie die afgelope twee weke 'n kuiken by haar gehad het. Die nes is baie Written by / Geskryf deur Jacques Sellschop The juvenile lands on the nest, chases the mother away and starts to eat her food. Photos by / Foto’s deur Jacques Sellschop The mother flies around distractedly watching her teenage daughter take over her nest.