Although junior can already hunt for his own prey, mom is still around to keep an eye.
I got this lovely view of junior coming over and this predator is a Harrier Hawk. (Polyboroides typus).
But it is the mom that I want to show you, as she scans the area for crows and other attackers. I also have some pictures of the crows, as this is their territory, but I will show you the crows in another post.
Birdlife is very active here, as we now grow closer to the winter season and the youngsters need to build up all their strength to survive the winter. It is essential for them to learn how to catch their own prey before the cold sets in.
Come and have a look.
This was how the mom landed on the side branch of a tree about 50-60 yards away, and I got her on the zoom.
Diet
The African harrier-hawk is omnivorous, eating the fruit of the oil palm as well as hunting small vertebrates. Its ability to climb, using wings as well as feet, and its long double-jointed legs, enable this bird to raid the nests of cavity-nesters such as barbets and woodhoopoes for eggs and nestlings. It has been known to prey on introduced species such as feral pigeons, house sparrows and eastern gray squirrels.
Breeding season
The breeding season starts at different times in different parts of African harrier-hawk distribution. In Nigeria the breeding season is in March-August and South of the equator it appears that the breeding season is in the austral summer but can vary in the months of different countries in South Africa it is November-December but in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe it is September-November.
Of course, she also saw me, but she was happy that I was far away.
You can see that she was scanning the area all the way around.
A very protective parent this.
Now to settle your nerves, here is a photo of a Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus).
Lovely to see how the crown of an Agave plant is sticking up behind the weaver. The tree that the weaver is sitting on, is one of the Acacias in full flower.
Oh yes, the junior did catch something, and I took shots of it, as it was sitting in one of the high trees, but I have another full post of the catch in another post that I will show you soon.
We are now facing four power cuts per day and the first two was done for the day, the other two power cuts will start soon, one from 4 - 6:30 pm, and the other from 10 pm to 2:30am. Things are not getting better here, as far as the power cuts are concerned, and it is doing serious damages to the economy of the country.
We are already sitting with a world record unemployment number, and more layoffs are expected. But, as always, things can improve depending on the actions that are being considered. People are saying that the unemployed situation is a time bomb waiting to explode. We had some serious looting during July two years ago, with some deaths, as a taste of what is to come. So, it is in everybody's interests to improve the haggard situation that the country is in.
Nature is a great healer, as far as stresses are concerned and that is why we visit it so often. All of the pictures in this post were taken from our front garden at home, as we cannot go out during every power cut.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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