Bateleur Eagle (adult vs juvenile) - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Since my wife and I started going to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (we just completed our 4th trip) a decent image of a Bateleur Eagle had still eluded us. Leading up to our latest trip we could not get accommodation at Nossob (need to book like a year in advance), so we have always day tripped to Cubitje Quap, the famous waterhole for Bateleur sightings. Time is the biggest challenge when day tripping as you need to factor in the 4 hour trip back down to Twee Rivieren. Immediately we realized how much we wanted this because after receiving our booking confirmation for a Riverfront luxury chalet our hopes and expectations skyrocketed and with that came the pressure.
We could not contain our excitement so as soon as we had checked in we picked up our gate permits and headed off towards CQ (Cubitje Quap). After bouncing and rattling along due to the terrible road conditions (corrugations) we arrived and immediately spotted our first Bateleur. The light was harsh and not conducive to good photography so we decided to come back later in the day when the golden hour kicks off. I had also noticed that the background was quite cluttered/busy so I decided to bring out the Canon 5D Mark IV paired with the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II and 1.4x III Extender - this would be f5.6 at 560mm which would greatly improve the bokeh (out-of-focus area).
Riverfront Luxury Chalets
While waiting for golden hour to approach we relaxed and enjoyed the luxury of the chalet - and by “relaxing” I am more referring to my wife’s approach. We had spotted 6 lionesses from our deck as we arrived so I immediately adopted a more frantic approach (in like 40’C I must add) in that everytime a lioness would get up to go drink at the waterhole I would sprint the hundred or so metres like a crazy person in order to get to the hide before the lioness. The looks of amazement (and confusion) on my fellow campers faces everytime I skidded into the hide and plonked myself on a bench was priceless - maybe they thought I was on some crazy fitness program.
Golden hour
The time to head back to CQ (Cubitje Quap) had arrived and after packing in our camera gear and water supplies we headed for the North gate. No words can explain what we felt as we pulled up at the waterhole and saw 2 adult and 3 juvenile Bateleurs drinking water. There were 4 other cars there already so I quickly positioned our car in such a way as to not block the line of sight of the other photographers. Immediately we realized why this waterhole had gained it’s reputation as being a Bateleur hotspot as it took almost no time to compose the shot I had dreamed off for years. I remember the moment just before pushing the shutter button as if it was yesterday - everything including the sounds and smells was PERFECT!
Interesting facts
I am always fascinated with learning things about the birds I photograph, here are just a few fun facts you might not know
The wingspan of an adult is an extraordinary 2.9 times greater than its total length
It flies with a side-to-side movement which is more than likely where it gets its French derived common name of "tumbler", "balancer" or “tightrope walker" from.
They can spend up to 9 hours a day on the wing (ie flying), and can cover as much as 300 to 500 km (190 to 310 mi) in a single day.
Bateleurs often lie flat on the ground to allow ants to crawl over the wings and feathers, collecting bits of food and dead feathers. This is where is gets fascinating, once the Bateleur is covered in ants, it will ruffle its feathers which in turn startles the ants. The ants will react by secreting an acid (more than likely formic acid) as a self-defence mechanism, which then kills the ticks and fleas that were clinging to the eagle.
Juvenile
I find the juvenile birds quite photogenic, interesting fact is it takes around 8 years for a juvenile’s plumage to change from brown to the adults black with chestnut on the mantle, rump and tail. In addition they also have gray patches about the leading edges of the wings and bright red on their cere and feet.
Adult
Photographing an adult Bateleur had become quite an obsession so when I clicked the shutter to capture the photo that would drop the curtain on this journey I was filled with both joy and sadness.
For those who know how my passion for nature and photography drives me will fully understand that it did not take long to replace that sadness with the next challenge - bring it on!
Till next time…