Baby eagle: First flight in the bag!
The 2025 juvenile black eagle at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden eventually took to the sky in its first-ever flight.
Juve 25, the black eagle chick at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, took to flight for the first time yesterday, September 18.
According to Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) committee member, Dougie Crewe, BEPR photographer Naomi Corinaldi’s hard work and countless hours behind the lens finally paid off as she got the first shots of Juve 25 in flight.
“Naomi has spent hundreds of hours documenting the development of Juve 25,” he says.
“It’s only fitting that she was able to capture its maiden flight.”
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Corinaldi, bubbling with excitement, told the Roodepoort Record that she almost didn’t capture the special moment.
“The eagle climbed higher and higher up the ridge in the last dew days, until yesterday [September 17] when it disappeared over the ridge.
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“I was looking through the lens to try and see where it went when suddenly, it swooped in from behind and landed on a rock.
“I was so excited that the camera was shaking. Luckily, I caught it just as it came in to land.”
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Corinaldi says the eagle came in and landed on a rock, but took off again after about 10 minutes.
“It is such a privilege to witness something like this. I’m just glad I was able to capture it,” she says, adding jokingly that her husband, who spent many days with her on the lookout, can now finally get some rest.
