I checked my first Martial Eagle nests in April this year. I had no money to pay for petrol to get there, but Gigi and Dennis offered to drive me to the two nests on their way to Aurora, Mountain Mist. They had been planning to spend the weekend there. I initially thought that checking two nests in one day would be a piece of cake and we would have plenty of time to check the nests and get to mountain mist way before dark. I guess what none of us had accounted for was how long it would take to find out which farmers owned the land either of the nests where on. I needed to chat to countless people in Afrikaans (which really is not a strong point of mine) to find out whether they knew who owned the land. Once I acquired the farmer’s number it was then a matter of finding his house and introducing myself and telling him about my project and acquiring permission to have access to the land. This resulted in much driving around and little time to see the eagles. Thus far I have had no problems with permission. I have only been greeted by curiosity and enthusiasm.
First nest- the view was obstructed with heat haze which is often a problem for eagle observations
Watching Martial Eagles - Chris and I
First nest -Male Martial Eagle Perched on the pylon
First nest - Male getting ready to fly
First nest- female left male right just after mating
second nest
second nest- weather had cleared no eagles around the nest
second nest- Prey remains
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