Black eagle chick stretching its wings, reaching every milestone flawlessly
Black eagle chick is doing well, already flapping its wings. Monitors are satisfied with its progress and expect it to fledge in three weeks.
The well-known and loved black eagle breeding pair that nests near the waterfall at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden are well into the breeding season and their chick met its 70-day milestone on August 14.
The trusted monitors of the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) keep track of the nest daily and conserve the breeding pair.
The chick has been seen stretching its wings and exploring the nest, not ready to fledge just yet.
“We were surprised when we saw the chick flapping its wings so early. It will continue doing this daily. Won’t be long now till it will jump out the nest from rock to tock for short periods but will always jump back to the nest,” exclaimed Dougie Crewe from the BEPR.
According to Crewe, on August 15 around 11:00, Makatsa had just brought in some prey which the chick was busy pulling apart and eating.
• Also read: Everything is right on track with Roodekrans’ black eagle chick
“It can do this from about 50 days old. Before that Makatsa had to pull it apart and feed it.”
He also noted that between 90 to 100 days, the chick will fly.
“That’s when it leaves the nest, which is in three weeks.”
Crewe and his fellow monitors gather every Tuesday morning at the garden for a group monitoring session, eager to educate visitors about the breeding pair. Readers are encouraged to go and have a chat with them to learn more about the Black Eagles.
