Researchers give talk on Crowned Eagles
Dr Shane McPherson, who has vast experience on Crowned Eagles, was joined by Varalika Jain. They provided some interesting insights on this iconic species.
DR SHANE McPherson, with additional input from researcher Varalika Jain, gave a very informative talk on Crowned Eagles at a Kloof Conservancy Biodiversity evening on Thursday, November 16.
McPherson shared his vast experience on this iconic species and explained how technology is fast improving and helping researchers collect invaluable data on the eagles’ movements and behaviour patterns.
He also provided some interesting insights into other raptor research he is involved in, including that of Golden Eagles in the Alps and Short-eared Owls of Floreana Island in the Galapagos.
The talk was followed by an extensive question-and-answer session.
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During the discussion, Shane stressed the importance of always respecting eagles as wildlife and not to, for example, try to ‘domesticate’ them by feeding them as this can only lead to problematic behaviour if eagles become too familiar with humans.
He also gave information on predation statistics and indicated that the diet of the eagles consists mainly of vervets, dassies and Hadeda.
While some domestic cats have been taken by eagles, the number is tiny and even less for small dogs.
The data highlights that domestic pets are at very low risk of being harmed by the eagles, but nevertheless, McPherson advised that people should be aware when eagles are in the vicinity and keep their small pets out of harm’s way.
Varalika explained her research goals on behaviour patterns, and she will be doing more ringing of eagles in the coming weeks.
She explained that with the additional data that the researchers plan to collect, they hope to be able to provide better insights into behaviour patterns which could then be used to reduce human-wildlife conflict and help create better prospects for harmonious co-existence.
Save the date
Book the date for the next biodiversity talk on a project in the Galapagos, which involves the Short-eared Owl. The talk will be presented by Shane and researcher Johannes Ploderer on Thursday, November 30 at 18:00 at the Kloof Scout Hall.
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