The well-known pair of Verreaux’s (black) eagles at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden have abandoned their nest with newly laid eggs.

According to Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) committee member Dougie Crewe, BEPR monitors on duty at the gardens on Saturday, May 30, noticed that the adult eagles were not on the nest, which is highly unusual for a breeding pair with eggs.

“Instead of incubating the eggs, the eagles were spotted flying together over the basin, which was cause for concern,” he says.

Monitors were back at the garden just after sunrise on Sunday to investigate further.

Also read: Black eagles: Egg-spectation builds

“We waited in the freezing wind on Sunday morning to try and see where the eagles had roosted for the night.

“Finally, at about 08:10, Makatsa made her appearance. She had spent the night in an old nest, just next to the waterfall.

“Mahlori saw her moving on the nest and immediately joined her. He had spent the night perched on the East Ridge.

“This was our confirmation that Makatsa and Mahlori had abandoned the eggs, which would have been due to hatch within the next 10 days.”

Dougie says both eagles sat on the nest for a while until Makatsa chased Mahlori off. She sat there for a while before joining him in the air.

Luckily, all is not lost, and both adults then urgently started refurbishing the “back-up” nest, bringing in sticks and green sprays with a renewed sense of urgency and rearranging them for what monitors hope to be preparation for a new clutch of eggs.

“There is no way to know for sure, but we suspect that the first clutch was not fertile, thus prompting the eagles to abandon them and try again.”

All eyes are now on the eagles to see whether they will produce another clutch of eggs, thereby saving the 2026 breeding season.

Watch this space for more as this story unfolds.