Hi everyone,

Thought you might be interested in a little episode that I experienced yesterday the 16 August 2010. I came across a group of 4 Southern Ground Hornbills eating off a road kill. The group consisted of an adult female and two males as well as a juvenile. I sat  watching them devour the road kill, a Water Thick-knee. It wasn’t too long, though, before a opportunistic Tawny Eagle swooped down and snatched a piece of Thick-knee remains from the inexperienced juvenile, who gave it up without a fight. The Tawny then settled in a tree and finished off the misappropriated morsel. It then tried its luck  again, this time by trying to snatch remains from the adult birds. The adult birds were having none of it, and refused to part with their free meal. They literally jumped up in the air at the eagle as it came swooping down! The eagle didn’t return while I observed the group.

It’s at times like these that I really wish I had taken a camera, or  video camera, to record the amazing interaction between these two species!

Regards

Scott Ronaldson

Lowveld /KNP Large Bird Project.

Birds of Prey Working Group

Endangered Wildlife Trust

Box 107

Skukuza 1350

Kruger National Park

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