Roodekrans eagles’ nest washed away, but all hope not lost
Roodekrans' resident black eagles have lost their primary home after last week's torrential rains washed away their nest, but luckily they had a second nest that they can now use.
According to the Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) chairman, Gerald Draper, the nest that has now been washed away was spotted at the Witpoortjie Waterfall as far back as 40 years ago.
“Forty years is a really long time, and the fact that nest has even lasted this long is truly astounding,” Gerald said.
The nest, which is no more, was located lower down on the side of the waterfall, with their previous chosen nest being the one that lies more toward the top of the waterfall.
Also Read: Must watch: How the rain effected botanical garden waterfall
The eagles had been using the bottom nest as their home since the late 1990s, leaving the top one behind in about 1999, according to Gerald.
The eagles then had the two nests at their disposal were anything to go wrong, but according to Gerald that all changed two years ago when the new female arrived and decided to build a new nest.
“When the new female [Makatsa] arrived, she decided she wanted to build a nest further away, to the left of the waterfall,” Gerald stated.
“Construction on the nest began last year, and thankfully got quite far, otherwise they wouldn’t have a nest now.”
Makatsa decided to lay her eggs in the new nest last year, and despite being somewhat damaged, it will now serve as their home.
“After they lost their favoured nest, they immediately began reconstruction on the one they started last year,” Gerald said.
Due to the fact that April and May are usually their favoured mating season, Gerald did say that they face two situations when it comes to breeding at the moment.
“For one, they might rush construction of the new nest to make sure it is built by the time mid-April comes around. Or, they might actually push back their mating by a couple of weeks to make sure they get the nest done first.”
Gerald assured the Northsider that they will not be interfering with the process whatsoever, and that they will “let nature take its course, as that’s the way it should be.”
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Randfontein Herald
