First official monitoring of the black eagles underway
“After all the storms and flooding we have recently had, the two adults are doing fine, the Juvenile has left the natal area, our last sighting was on November 22."
While many followers of the black eagles nesting at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (WSNBG) agree that the garden is absolutely beautiful at this time of the year, Black Eagle Project Roodekrans (BEPR) continue to monitor the eagles and provide feedback.
Following the first official monitoring for 2023, BEPR confirmed that Makatsa and Mahlori are healthy and doing just fine.
Also read: ‘Juvenile black eagle will not be given a pet name’
According to one of BEPR observers, Dougie Crewe, this is the eagle’s “rest period” but by March they will once again be preparing the nest for the new breeding season.
Crewe also confirmed that the juvenile has left the natal area as they had anticipated following some aggressive behaviour from the parents that is meant to prepare the youngster for the wilderness.
Also read: Excitement for black eagle followers as juvenile takes maiden flight
“After all the storms and flooding we have recently had, the two adults are doing fine, the juvenile has left the natal area, our last sighting was on November 22. The Tuesday Monitoring is back into full swing and we’ll begin the weekend monitoring as soon as the eagles become active again,” said Crewe.
The breeding pair have once again succeeded in breeding a strong and healthy juvenile.
However, BEPR has aligned itself with the thinking of other conservationists around the world in believing that an animal from the wild should not be given a ‘pet name.’
According to BEPR photographer and monitor Johann van der Berg the project decided not to name the juvenile and future juveniles.
Van der Berg revealed that the juvenile will be referred to as the juvenile of whatever year it was raised.
“We found it inappropriate to give a wild animal a pet name, only to forget the name once the juvenile leaves the breeding area.
“This black eagle family is most certainly still wild, it is for that reason that our records will show, that this juvenile will be known as the Juvenile of 2022 (Juve 2022),” explained Van der Berg.
