As birders we all have those days when an event takes place that we relive in our minds for many months after the event. A recent visit to a Southern beach saw one such event. While watching a distant flock of birds a shadow passed over me that instantly made me look up. On looking up I was startled for a few moments to see a White-breasted Sea Eagle not many metres above my head. Although I was carrying a camera, it took a long time to bring it to bear on the Eagle. Too long! By the time I had got my wits together it had travelled
on, and all I could see was its' rear end. Mixed emotions at this point. I had a very close view of the bird, but had failed to capture the moment. I needn't have despaired, it came back and gave me another chance! And then when it appeared to have decided I wasn't likely to cause any harm, it landed in a tree, some 100 metres away (top right). I had seen this or some other Sea Eagle in the area on many visits, often watching from a tree top. After a while it flew further into the lightly wooded area and I looked for it with my binos.. At this point my heart skipped a beat, as there wasn't one eagle, but two. And they were both standing atop a large
nest of sticks, some metre or more wide and a similar depth. What the nest may contain, of course I don't know and I believe eagles often have several nest sites they use in rotation, so I can't be sure it's active. But I did wonder why I hadn't noticed this large nest on one of the many trips I have made to the area. I'm not going to tell you where it is for obvious reasons, but hopefully, if they have chosen this site, they'll be successful.
As birders we all have those days when an event takes place that we relive in our minds for many months after the event. A recent visit to a Southern beach saw one such event. While watching a distant flock of birds a shadow passed over me that instantly made me look up. On looking up I was startled for a few moments to see a White-breasted Sea Eagle not many metres above my head. Although I was carrying a camera, it took a long time to bring it to bear on the Eagle. Too long! By the time I had got my wits together it had travelled
on, and all I could see was its' rear end. Mixed emotions at this point. I had a very close view of the bird, but had failed to capture the moment. I needn't have despaired, it came back and gave me another chance! And then when it appeared to have decided I wasn't likely to cause any harm, it landed in a tree, some 100 metres away (top right). I had seen this or some other Sea Eagle in the area on many visits, often watching from a tree top. After a while it flew further into the lightly wooded area and I looked for it with my binos.. At this point my heart skipped a beat, as there wasn't one eagle, but two. And they were both standing atop a large
nest of sticks, some metre or more wide and a similar depth. What the nest may contain, of course I don't know and I believe eagles often have several nest sites they use in rotation, so I can't be sure it's active. But I did wonder why I hadn't noticed this large nest on one of the many trips I have made to the area. I'm not going to tell you where it is for obvious reasons, but hopefully, if they have chosen this site, they'll be successful.
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