The large eagles in Africa are always impressive to see. Usually a sighting of these raptors is through a pair of binoculars or a longer camera lens. This was not the case with this particular young Martial Eagle that put on quite an unusual show for us.
Having just fledged and left the nest, this young bird was left alone while his parents were off hunting. Their usual prey ranges from game birds such as guinea fowl, ducks and small mammals, which include young antelope. I have even seen images of these impressive birds having killed a full-grown impala female!
We found it very amusing when this young bird decided that ‘killing’ some of the many balls of dried elephant droppings that littered the area, was a good idea and swooped from pile to pile, landing on and ‘killing’ these defenseless balls of dried vegetation. All of this took place within 30 feet of where we sat watching from our vehicle. Not quite the dramatic kills that it would no doubt make later on in life, but I guess you have to start somewhere!