NAIROBI’S REGAL EAGLES!! – BY GARETH JONES

Early on a fresh summer morning after heavy rain the night before I drove slowly through the park, hoping to see something special. A large bird sat perched on top of an acacia tree, profiled against the clouds. At first from a far distance I wasn’t sure what species it was, but as I approached the eagle the unmistakable profile was clear, a wonderful sight focused before my eyes. It was a magnificent Long Crested Eagle, WOW! what a sighting. They are not the largest eagles but their character is quite outstanding. I watched as the eagle took off, swooping over the long grass, no doubt hoping to surprise a small mammal like a rodent or shrub hare. I left this magnificent eagle perched on top of another tree looking like a very regal raptor. There is something regally royal about eagles. The Nairobi Park has many resident eagle species, such as Martial, Fish, Tawny, Bateleur, Long Crested and Crowned Eagle that are all well worth watching. It is interesting to note that over many years, mankind has used the eagle emblem as a symbol to represent Freedom, Victory, the Future and many more positive reasons.

It seemed peaceful at the hyena dam, with the early morning sunshine and many animals and birds enjoying the warmth after a chilly evening. Suddenly there was a rapid movement in a nearby herd of buffalo. A tawny eagle had swooped and caught a white Cattle Egret in mid-air, I quickly responded and managed to take a series of photos as the eagle flew towards me and landed in a dead tree. Within a minute a large flock of pied ravens and yellow billed hawks began harassing the eagle by ‘dive-bombing” and trying to use distracting tactics in an effort to get the eagle to let go of its prey. But the eagle stood firm as it made loud warning calls. This is the first time I have ever seen an eagle catch an egret, especially in the middle of a herd of buffalo. It just goes to show that these efficient raptors also use the element of surprise in addition to their sharp eyesight, flight skills, lethal talons and sharp beak. WOW! what a sighting.

Early on a recent misty morning I drove slowly through the Langata forest, hoping to see something special. A large bird sat perched on top of a dead tree, profiled against the clouds . At first I wasn’t sure what species it was, then using my faithful binoculars, a wonderful sight focused before my eyes. It was a magnificent Bateleur Eagle, WOW! what a sighting, its distinctive red beak and talons with black/brown body, so named because of their particular way of flying, similar to a tightrope walker, as they balance in the air. This was my first ever sighting of this raptor species in the Nairobi Park, indeed a rare sighting in Nairobi and also rare to uncommon in many places.

It was late in the afternoon as I entered the East Gate, as the weather was fairly gloomy and cloudy, I had not prepared my camera to be ready for any natural event. As I drove along, suddenly a flash of grey movement appeared on my left, it was a large magnificent Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), and it was hunting. I dived down to prepare my camera for the action. The bird moved quickly and jumped into an acacia tree to dislodge an agama lizard with its talons, it then repeatedly stamped on the fateful lizard until it was dead. In a swift movement the lizard was lifted in its beak and flicked upward into its open mouth, and quickly swallowed. WOW! what a sighting, then just as I was about to drive away the bird continued to hunt and within minutes had found another smaller lizard, and repeated the same hunting technique with practiced skill. After consuming that lizard, the Secretary Bird walked away into the acacia shrub, leaving me really impressed at this highly skilled hunter.

The Secretary Bird’s name is popularly thought to derive from the crest of long quill-like  feathers, lending the bird the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind the ear, as was once common human practice. A more recent hypothesis is that “secretary” is borrowed from a French corruption of the Arabic “saqr-et-tair” or “hunter-bird”. Their range is widespread over Sub-Saharan Africa, and prey may consist of  insects, mice to hares and  mongoose, crabs, lizards, snakes, tortoises, young birds, bird eggs.

So next time you are out in the bush and do see a Secretary bird, stop for a while, they are always very rewarding to watch. It is always a wonderful sight to see a secretary bird when perched on top of a tree at sunrise.

Last year we witnessed an incredible event at the Hyena dam in the Nairobi National Park. A fish eagle landed on the bank of the dam and stood for a while. Then it suddenly took off, and flew rapidly up as it swooped and dived down with its talons outstretched, as if to try and catch a nice big fish, however this “big fish” turned out to be a crocodile. The crocodile responded in a flash and nearly succeeded in pulling the fish eagle under the water. After a brief struggle, amazingly the fish eagle had enough strength to break free …..and live another day!!! I wonder if the fish eagle saw movement near the water surface and mistakenly tried to catch a “big fish “ crocodile? It’s difficult to try and understand why? One probability is that the angle of the sun on the water might had a blinding refection that only allowed the fish eagle partial sight, as it saw a flash of movement on the top of the water. That flash of movement was most likely the snout of a crocodile that I estimate was over 2 meters in length. The fish eagle actually flew directly onto the head of the crocodile with its talons trying to grab this “big fish”. We truly did witness a very rare occurrence. Apart from this interesting incident I also love the actual unique call of the fish eagle, in fact every time I hear that call it is a powerful reminder of the natural voice of Africa.

Some time ago I saw an Augur Buzzard (a kind of eagle) devour a green snake at the stream near No 3 junction and then it flew away. On another occasion I rounded a corner in the Langata forest, and suddenly saw a huge magnificent Crowned eagle perched above me on the branch of the large tree. When watching birds it is always useful to have a good pair of binoculars, and if possible a good camera. I always find it a joy to see birds when driving in the park, creation has so much amazing diversity. The park has a great variety of birds when compared to the world. Worldwide it is estimated that there are about 10,000 bird species, in East Africa it is estimated that there are just under 1,500 bird species, and a tiny little place of less than 117 sqkm, that we call the Nairobi National Park has as many as 550 species at certain times. A bird identification book for East African species is also useful to keep in the car when driving. To have eagles living so close to a major city is unique. They need to be protected, and the Nairobi Park is a safe haven for them to nest and breed. However as they can fly they often fly out of the park boundary, citizens need to be aware of the vital role of raptors such as Eagles, Hawks, Owls, they eat rodents, frogs, lizards and snakes, and therefore ensure a healthy balance in nature.

God has created so much amazing diversity, and eagles are truly an incredible creation.

The park is open daily from 06h00 to 19h00.

Gallery