This is the last post from our six day sojourn at the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. Helen and I stayed for a longer than usual period hoping to see different behaviour that we had not seen during our previous one and two day visits.

We awoke on our last morning to heavily overcast weather with swirling mist. If there is one thing I have learnt over the years with wildlife photography, do not stay in bed when the weather is bad. We got up at 5h30 and picked up our allocated bucket of bones and then drove up to the vulture hide. It was deeply overcast, cool and wet with thick mist. The one thing you can never predict while driving up to the hide in heavily overcast weather with low visibility is when and the weather will break. It is very seldom once the summer temperatures warm up that the heavily overcast weather with thick mist persists.

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo

In wildlife photography you need the overcast weather to lift and the light to brighten just as there is wildlife action. You only need a couple of seconds. More is just a bonus.

We settled into the hide at around 6h30. The mist was so thick that we could not see the end of the terrace where most of the raptors usually landed. Priorities, a cup of coffee and a rusk first, second setting up my cameras and third strategically placing the bones. Then we waited. Initially, there were several White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings feeding on the bones. Eventually, the weather started to break around 10h30. It was interesting to note what the birds are doing, and what they are not doing, in front of the hide when the weather is poor. This all helps build an understanding of their behaviour which is so important in helping to know what to expect to capture that unique shot.

“If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm.” ~ Frank Lane

With the break in the weather there were patches of sunshine in an otherwise overcast vista. The Bearded vultures started to fly along the ridge at around 10h30.

We saw two Bearded vultures soaring at around 10h30. The young adult with the predominately white head and body plumage that we saw two days before and an older adult, over seven years in age, with a rust-orange stained neck and body plumage.

The young adult began flying closer past the hide and was having a good look at what was on the terrace in front of the hide.

Eventually, close to 11h00, the young adult turned and looked to be on “finals” and coming in to land at the far end of the terrace.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” ~ Winston Churchill

The young adult landed below the edge of the terrace and walked up onto the terrace. The heavily overcast weather cleared somewhat improving the illumination of the terrace. This vulture immediately marched over to the bones and started to collect a few and placed them next to each other.

The vulture’s hoarding behaviour did not go unnoticed by the White-necked ravens. One was bold enough to tug at the young adult Bearded vulture’s tail feathers. The vulture did not try to scare it away just turned around and fed on the bone facing the raven. This performance went on for a while before the raven gave up.

This young Bearded vulture was aware of all the White-necked ravens on the terrace and other Bearded vultures above the Bushman’s river valley and was frequently looking up and around.

As soon as another Bearded vulture appeared in the skies above the terrace this young adult began to duck down and squat next to the bones.

After the other Bearded vulture had flown past, the young adult stood up again to see where the former had flown.

The older Bearded vulture circled over the Bushman’s river valley and flew back towards the terrace. Again the younger adult crouched down hiding one or two of the bones. We had never seen this form of hiding behaviour before.

As the older adult got closer, the younger adult crouched even lower this time further hiding some of the bones under its breast.

The young adult realised it was going to have a visitor as the older adult flew close to the terrace and stood up with its red eye sclera clearly visible, signalling a potential threat.

The younger adult stood up to get a better look at what the other Bearded vulture was doing. The bright red scleral ring around its eye showed a threat display.

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.”~ Mary Catherine Bateson

Sure enough the older adult landed close to the younger adult. The younger adult had about half an hour to itself on the terrace before the second older Bearded vulture landed.

The older Bearded vulture stayed a few minutes and never tried to feed on any of the bones.

It was not apparent what the older Bearded vulture was doing and it soon took off.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” ~ Confucius

When an adult Bearded vulture is landing or taking off, it is a magnificent sight with its wings fully extended.

“Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.” ~ Ojibwe Prayer

The younger adult Bearded vulture swallowed six bones behind a large grass tuft so I could not get any reasonable images of it swallowing those bones. After another 15 minutes the younger vulture took off leaving the terrace open. Within 10 minutes the older Bearded vulture flew in to land at the far end of the terrace.

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realise how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” ~ Socrates

The older vulture walked up to where the younger adult had gathered some bones. The sclera eye ring was not bright red signalling it was relaxed.

It was only a few minutes later when a Cape vulture landed fairly close to the older Bearded vulture. The Cape vulture was after the meat and fat on the bones.

The older Bearded vulture immediately took off and flew closer to the Cape vulture in what looked to be an intimidating tactic.

The Cape vulture saw what was going on but did not seem to be too fazed.

“We are gifted with freedom, but with that freedom comes the reality of the unknown and the responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and on guard against those who would do us harm.” ~ Mike Crapo

The two species of threatened vultures remained close to each other with both constantly looking around.

For some inexplicable reason the older adult Bearded vulture stayed only a few minutes close to the Cape vulture before flying off.

The Cape and Bearded vultures are not direct competitors because the Bearded vultures are mainly after the bones and marrow.

Both the Cape and Bearded vultures are the subject of projects by the Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project to conserve the two species, both of which are threatened. The project researchers study the two species using satellite transmitters to observe their ranging behaviour. These projects also aim to dispel the myths associated with these birds and in the process reduce the threats they face from the farming communities in the region.

The behaviour of the Bearded vultures was fascinating. The younger one was clearly threatened by the older one. The Cape vulture seemed unconcerned by the close proximity of the older Bearded vulture.

The landings took place between 10h30 and 11h30 on our last morning. The weather opened up during that period and the level of light improved allowing me get some interesting images of the various vultures. It took six days and endless patience, and not being put off by the weather to get the images.

“What people call serendipity sometimes is just having your eyes open.” ~ Jose Manuel Barroso

By midday the clouds closed in again and the level of light fell. This gave the Black-backed jackals an opportunity to sneak up and steal some of the bones at the far end of the terrace.

The decline of vulture populations in southern Africa has been explained by decreased access to food due to changing farming practices, habitat loss due population growth and various sources of unnatural mortality such as poisonings, electrocutions and collisions.

“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity? ~ EO Wilson

Ongoing campaigning to reduce harmful anthropogenic effects such as the use of poisons and vulture-unfriendly utility structures have not reversed the decline in the vulture populations. The establishment of several vulture restaurants with their associated hides has slowed the population decline. In the case of the Maloti-Drakensberg region, the Giant’s Castle vulture hide plays a vital feeding role and has substantially increased the interest and awareness among nature lovers in these uniquely adapted raptors which play a vital role in the biodiversity of the region’s fauna.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike