This is the last post from our wonderful few days in the vulture hide in Giant’s Castle Reserve in the Drakensberg in November last year.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

We saw two types of vulture during our time in the hide, the Bearded and the Cape. In 2015, the Cape vulture had been classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, but was down-listed to Vulnerable in 2021 as some populations increased and have been stable since about 2016. A few factors are thought to contribute to its vulnerable status. It is facing habitat loss and disturbance of nesting sites which is problematic because it is a slow breeder. It also faces human threats like poisoning because it only feeds on carrion.

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

The Cape vulture has a low aspect ratio wing. This means its wingspan, relative to its width, is comparatively low, which is ideal for soaring. Their wingtips feature slotted or separated primary feathers which reduce wingtips vortices, lowering drag and stall speed which facilitate circling in thermals. The large wingspan allows them to glide long distances, catch thermals and ride updrafts. These vultures are known to fly at altitudes of up to 8000 metres and use their superior eyesight to look for food.

The Cape vulture’s plumage is cream-white to pale russet. It has a collar of fluffy white feathers on the back of its neck. It has a long bluish-grey neck which is mostly bare skin with a small tufts of white feathers on it. Its head and face are blue-grey and covered with short white, hair-like feathers.

The Cape vulture has pale yellow eyes and a dark black beak (which grows throughout its life). White-backed, as well as Cape Vultures, have a unique groove and serrated tongue which allows them to access soft flesh which may not be accessible with their beaks. The nostrils of a Cape vulture, like those of other vultures, are adapted for an acute sense of smell, crucial for locating food. They lack a septum (the dividing wall between nostrils), allowing air to pass straight through and enabling them to detect scents from a distance, even from high altitudes. Their sense of smell is not as acute as other vulture species especially when soaring at high altitudes, but it is still a valuable sense when scavenging for their meals.

According to Operationmigration.org, the Cape vulture is southern Africa’s only endemic vulture species. It does not migrate but can travel up to 100 kilometres looking for food. This species is one of the largest vultures in southern Africa with a wingspan of up to 2.6 metres and weighing up to 11kg. It is smaller than a Lappet-faced or Griffon but larger than a White-backed vulture. The female Cape vulture is typically larger than the male.

The Cape vulture is much easier to photograph than the Bearded vulture or the Jackal buzzard. The reason for this is that it is a slow flier, and flies in from above rather than using the updraft to fly in from below the feeding terrace like the Jackal buzzard and the Bearded vulture.

It is always a thrill when these raptors fly onto the feeding terrace. They are large and have “full flaps down” with extended wings to slow themselves when coming in to land. This action can produce dramatic images.

“One learns from books and example only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.” ~ Frank Herbert

As with most raptors, the Cape vulture will land on the rocks at the far end of the feeding terrace. It will then look around to ensure that it is safe to walk into the middle of the feeding terrace. By standing on the rock at the far end of the terrace, the vultures have a quick get away as the rocks create a sharp ledge from which it launch themselves in the Bushman’s river valley below.

The Cape vulture nests on cliffs and lays only one egg each year, which must contribute to its vulnerability. This is unusual as all other vultures lay multiple eggs. This species is monogamous and so forms pair bonds for many seasons. Both parents take responsibility for incubating the egg for just under 60 days and feed the chick once it hatches. The chick usually fledges after four to five months but remains dependent on its parents for food for several months thereafter.

One of the features of the Giant’s Castle hide is that you can often see interactions between one or a few Cape vultures and the Black-backed jackals. The jackals visit the feeding terrace in front of the hide multiple times a day to steal the bones we put out for the vultures.

“Time spent outdoors reminds us that we’re part of something larger: a beautiful universe brimming with endless possibilities” ~ Unknown

The jackals are brazen when there is only one Cape vulture on the terrace and will usually intimidate the vulture by running toward it with its head down in a menacing manner. It is not so one-sided when there are a few vultures on the bones. The vultures have been known to nip the jackal’s face when it gets too close. That is where their long neck comes in handy!

I was surprised by the interaction between the Cape vulture and Yellow-billed kite. The vulture walked up to within about two metres of a large bone with plenty of flesh and fat on it and then just stood and looked around. In the meantime, the Yellow-billed kite flew straight onto the bone and began eating. For about five minutes the Cape vulture did nothing showing no aggression towards the kite.

Eventually the Cape vulture decided it wanted to eat and used its large size to push the kite away from the bone it was feeding on. The kite did not seem scared of the much larger vulture, perhaps because of its flying agility.

‘Coming in hot on finals’. This Cape vulture descended rapidly from a thermal which had carried it high above the Bushman’s river valley and the feeding terrace in front of the hide. I love seeing some of the covert feathers on top of its wings lift when landing, suggesting stall speed above sections of the wing.

“Going outside lets us appreciate life’s precious moments that pass too quickly indoors” ~ Anonymous

During a stall or high angle of attack manoeuvres, a raptor’s covert feathers, particularly the upper-wing coverts, can passively deploy, acting as aeroelastic flow control devices. This deployment helps mitigate flow separation, improve lift, and potentially delay or prevent stall, especially during landing or when encountering gusts.

On our last morning in the hide it was moody with intermittent sunlight between the rapidly moving clouds. On previous occasions we usually only saw one Cape vulture land on the feeding terrace at a time, and very occasionally two. On this particular morning we saw 12 Cape vultures progressively fly in and land in front of the hide.

The Black-backed jackal must have seen all the Cape vultures flying on the feeding terrace. The thief inevitably gate crashed the Cape vulture party. Surprisingly, this young Black-backed jackal ran in among the vultures and stole one of the larger bones.

According to Project vulture, there are about 2 900 breeding pairs in southern Africa, of which around 1 450 pairs reside in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains- about 20% of the population.

Giant’s Castle is a spectacular reserve with vast vistas, big skies and an imposing sandstone and basalt buttresses as a backdrop. The vulture hide is positioned on the western side of a ridge on the east side of the large deep Bushman’s river valley. The views are incredible, and the moods constantly changing because of the weather.

“Adventure is the bridge between dreams and reality. When we walk across that bridge, we can explore the unknown and uncover hidden wonders. With every step, we move closer to our ambitions, passions, and goals. Adventure gives us the courage to take risks and make bold decisions – decisions that help shape our destiny.” ~ Unknown

We have always had superb avian sightings from the hide with fly-bys by Bearded and Cape vultures, Jackal buzzards, Lanner falcons, Rock kestrels and Yellow-billed kites. I am still waiting to see a Black eagle from the hide. We saw Bald ibises, White-necked ravens, Red winged starlings, Buff-streaked and Familiar chats, Yellow bishops and Cape canaries, Malachite and Greater double-collared sunbirds, Cape longclaws and so many more.

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart” ~ Confucius

You will also see Eland, Mountain reedbuck, Chacma baboons and Black-backed jackals. The White-necked ravens and Black-backed jackals will test your patience as they are consummate bone thieves.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter=connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Our visit to Giant’s Castle vulture hide was richly rewarded by all our raptor sightings but there was so much more. The raptors are the central attraction at the vulture hide, especially the Bearded and Cape vultures because of their rarity. But there is so much more to see when you are in the hide.

This post is mostly a gallery of images of the non raptors that we saw on and around the feeding terrace in front of the hide while waiting for the raptors to arrive.

“The lesson which life constantly repeats is to ‘look under your feet.’ 
You are always nearer to the divine and the true sources of your power than you think.
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.
The great opportunity is where you are.
Do not despise your own place and hour.
Every place is under the stars.
Every place is the center of the world.”
~ John Burroughs

The Cape canaries were regular visitors. This species of canary has a distinct grey nape and pure yellow-mustard coloured face. It is sometimes confused with the Yellow-fronted canary which also has a grey nape but a much bolder face pattern of black, yellow and grey. The latter also has a grey crown.

The male Cape canary has more vivid colouring than the female. This species of seedeater is gregarious and often seen in small noisy flocks.

The two most common bird species we saw in front of the hide was the Red-winged starling and White necked raven. In the sunlight, the Red-winged starling has a beautiful sheen to his dark blue plumage. Both the male and female of this species of starling have the rust red primary wing feathers which are distinctive in flight. This species also has a dark eye unlike the Pale-winged starling which has red-orange eye. The female has similarly coloured back and wing coloured plumage but she has an ash-grey head and upper breast.

When the weather is overcast, the dark blue sheen fades into a dark blue almost black colour but the red primary wing feathers are still distinctive.

White necked ravens were the thugs of the feeding terrace. They arrived in gangs and pushed all other birds off the bones. Like the Red-winged starlings, the White necked ravens are omnivores and come to the feeding terrace to feed on the fat on the bones we put out. This is a large bird and is bigger than a Pied or Black crow. It has a heavy beak with an arched upper mandible and a white tip to both mandibles. It uses its powerful beak to tear fat and flesh off the bones we leave out for the raptors.

“We are not above nature; we are a part of it.” ~ Paul Watson

White necked ravens are wonderful fliers and seem to love playing in the updrafts when the wind picks up. Ravens are part of the Corvid family and are the only passerine (perching) birds with the ability to soar.

White necked Ravens are almost exclusively cliff nesters so tend to prefer mountainous and hilly terrain where nest and roost sites are plentiful. This species is omnivorous and very happy to scavenge when the opportunity arises, so the feeding terrace is a favoured place for these ravens in Giant’s Castle reserve. White necked ravens have surprisingly strong necks and are able to pick up large bones with their beak and fly off down the valley with them, probably to feed in peace.

A Red-eye dove arrived at the feeding terrace not for the fat on the bones but for grass seed. The Red-eye dove looks very similar to the Cape turtle dove in that they both have a black ring on the back of their neck and their plumage, at a quick glance, is similar but the Red-eyed dove is larger and has darker grey upperparts. The Red-eyed dove also has a dark red eye with a thin surround of red skin around the eyes.

A Rock martin in flight catching the updraft next to the feeding terrace. The Rock martin has predominantly brown plumage which is paler toned on its breast and underwing coverts. In flight, it has distinct white windows on its spread tail in flight.

“There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business” ~ Grant Hutchison

This Rock martin’s natural breeding habitat is hilly or mountainous terrain with cliffs and steep ridges which is why this species is regularly seen from the hide. Its flight is relatively slow with rapid wing beats interspersed with flat-winged glides.

Also commonly seen in front and around the hide is the Greater striped swallow. This species is constantly hawking small insects in mid flight. The Greater striped swallow prefers more open habitats with hilly or mountainous terrain. It is always great fun trying to capture images of these agile fliers in flight.

The Greater Striped swallow has distinct white patches on its tail feathers. These white patches, or “windows,” are found on the inner webs of the rectrices, except for the innermost two pairs. The tail itself is deeply forked and has elongated outer tail feathers forming streamers.

“Every thread you discover in the local web of life leads beyond your place to life elsewhere.” ~ Scott Sanders

The Lesser striped swallow has heavier and darker underpart striping, a deeper red rump, and a brighter head colour than the larger Greater striped swallow. The Greater striped swallow does not have the rufous ear coverts of its Lesser cousin.

One of the highlights of this trip was seeing a pair of Ground woodpeckers for the first time. This species has been on my wish list for years. Helen and I were driving down the steep section of track that provides access between the elevated ridge that the vulture hide is on with the valley far below that leads to the main road. As we were descending the particularly steep section of the track we suddenly noticed a bird flush from a nesting hole in the side of the road cutting. This bird landed on a large rock further down the steep incline. To my astonishment and delight it was a Ground woodpecker.

“You must have the bird in your heart before you can find it in the bush.” ~ John Burroughs

Woodpeckers are primarily known for their arboreal nesting and foraging. Occasionally, arboreal woodpeckers feed opportunistically on the ground. The Ground woodpecker is the only species of woodpecker that nests on the ground usually in wall of an earthen bank, and it forages terrestrially. Like all woodpeckers, the Ground woodpecker uses its stiff tail feathers for support and its has zygodactyl feet, meaning two toes forward and two backward, for effective gripping.

Once we had descended from the ridge into the valley below we came across a pair of Malachite sunbirds feeding on the nectar of this attractive fluorescence. The Malachite being a large sunbird dominates the smaller sunbirds on the fluorescences.

“Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.” ~ Wendell Berry

Malachite sunbirds prefer higher altitudes but can be found from sea level to mountains and from Ethiopia to Cape Town. The breeding male Malachite sunbird has the vibrant metallic green plumage but the female by contrast has brown upper parts and dull yellow underparts with some indistinct streaking on the breast. The female’s tail feathers are much shorter than the male’s and does not have the long central two tail streamer feathers.

While waiting for a Jackal buzzard to arrive on the feeding terrace, which we had heard in the valley below, along came what initially sounded like a pair of Hadeda ibises. They were flying down the Bushman’s river valley. I had never heard a Southern Bald ibis before so was surprised they sounded, to me, similar to the Hadeda ibis.

This was a special sighting as they are endangered. According to Fannsie Peacock’s Firefinch app, there are only around 7200 of these South African endemics remaining. This species prefers high-altitude grassland between 1200 and 1800 m, favouring short grass and recently burnt areas. It breeds in nearby rocky gorges and cliffs.

The day after our first sighting, we again saw this pair of Ground woodpeckers close to their nest in the earthen embankment where the access track cut through the side of the steep incline. This is the largest species of woodpecker in southern Africa and it can grow to between 22 cm and 30 cm in length. The upper parts are greyish-brown with pale spotting, and the rump is red and more visible in flight. The upper sides of wings and tail are brown barred with white. The underparts are buff, flushed with pink or red.

This pair of Ground woodpeckers seemed to prefer to perch on rocks close to the nest site. The diet of the ground woodpecker consists mainly of ants with their eggs, larvae and pupae. These are extracted from dead wood or between rocks, using its long, sticky tongue. One member of the pair seemed to be a sentry while the other foraged. The sentry was frequently looking up at the sky for threats.

The Speckled pigeons were daily visitors to the feeding terrace in front of the hide. They fly in very quickly so unless you see them coming from a distance, they crest the far edge of the feeding terrace in an instant. This species of pigeon flies in to feed mostly on grass seed on the feeding terrace. Like most pigeons and doves they fight by hitting each other with their wings.

This male Speckled pigeon flew in to try and mate with a female who had landed a few minutes earlier.

The sexes have similarly coloured plumage. Their back and wings are rufous in colour with white speckles. The upper and under parts are a blue-grey as it the head. It has a distinct red patch of bare skin around each eye. The male displays to the female by inflating his crop and puffing out his rufous neck feathers and bobbing his head up and down.

This post showed a small selection of the non raptors we saw from the vulture hide and driving to and from it. Every day was different. The variety of birds was different and usually their behaviour was different. The weather was variable with changing clouds, wind and light. This is a place for a photographer and birder alike to draw endless hours is intrigue and fascination.

“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” ~  Wendell Berry

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

Have fun, Mike

This is the third post about raptors seen from the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. The first post was about Jackal buzzards, the second, Bearded vultures and this is about Yellow-billed kites.

“The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them.” ~ Julie Zickefoose

Kites and kestrels are both birds of prey, but they belong to different families and have distinct characteristics. Kites are medium to large raptors with long, broad wings and a forked tail, while kestrels are smaller falcons known for their hovering hunting style and pointed wings.

Three species of kite are found in southern Africa, the Yellow-billed, Black and Black-winged (previously Black-shouldered). Both Yellow-billed and Black kites are migratory. Black kites (Milvus migrans) migrate from Europe and parts of Asia to southern Africa, while yellow-billed kites (Milvus aegyptius) are intra-African migrants, meaning they migrate within the continent. In scientific names, “aegyptius” often indicates a connection to Egypt. Accordingly, the yellow-billed kite (Milvus aegyptius) is named for its presence in Egypt and surrounding regions. Yellow-billed kites breed in southern Africa during the summer months (August to March) and then migrate to central-east Africa for the winter (April to July). The Yellow-billed kite is usually one of the first migratory birds to arrive in southern Africa and as such is an early indicator of the arrival of spring.

“Migratory birds connect people, ecosystems, and nations. They are symbols of peace and of an interconnected planet.” ~ Antonio Guterres

The Yellow-billed and Black kite look very similar. Plumage colouration is dark brown though there is hue variation. While generally brown, the head and body are often a lighter shade of brown than their upper parts and wings. The tail is V-shaped. They are medium sized raptors, and although size variation occurs but on average they measure about 55 cms in height and weigh up to one kilogram and their wingspan can reach 1.5 metres.

The key distinguishing feature is the Black kite has a yellow beak with a black tip while the Yellow-bill has a pure yellow beak. Despite looking so similar the Yellow-billed and Black kite are genetically different. The eyes of both the Yellow-billed and Black kite are dark brown.

Yellow-billed kites are opportunistic scavengers. They can often seen hovering and swooping down on roadkill or stealing food from other birds. This raptor’s diet comprises mostly small rodents, frogs and insects. I have seen Yellow-billed kites successfully catching small fish that have come to the surface in the Chobe river. Yellow-billed kites and Lesser Spotted eagles can often be found together feeding on a flying ant emergence. Flying ants emerge on mass from their nests during specific weather conditions in the summer, primarily for mating purposes.

The Yellow-billed kites show their opportunistic scavenging character when they come to the vulture hide specifically to feed on the flesh and fat on the bones we put out on the feeding terrace in front of the hide.

This adult Yellow-billed kite did not seem particularly scared of the much larger Cape vulture close by. This was probably because the Yellow-billed is a smaller and considerably more nimble.

All birds that flew to the feeding terrace shared a common behavioural characteristic. They all landed on the rock ledges at the far end of the feeding terrace to establish whether it was safe to feed in the open on the terrace. Once they had established that the terrace was safe, the Yellow-billed and even the Jackal buzzard would fly across the feeding terrace to within 10 to 15 metres of the hide to feed on the flesh and fat on the bones.

While Yellow-billed kites have talons for grasping prey, their hunting style emphasises speed and agility in the air rather than the strength of their talons. Their diverse diets suggests they don’t need extremely strong talons to take down and subdue large prey. Their agility and maneuverability in flight enable them to snatch prey like insects and small birds while airborne. This is why we never saw a Yellow-billed kite try to fly off with a bone with flesh and fat on it. This species preferred to feed on the nutrients on the bone on the ground.

Yellow-billed kites are known to have a high aspect ratio wing. This means their wings are long and narrow relative to their width. This wing shape enables them to be excellent gliders and soarers allowing them to efficiently use air currents for lift and maneuverability. They can stay aloft for extended periods with minimal effort, conserve energy, and cover long distances.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough

The large forked tail of the Yellow-billed kite plays a crucial role in its agility and maneuverability during flight. The tail acts like a rudder, allowing the kite to make precise adjustments in direction and speed. A necessary requirement in the turbulence of the updrafts.

While generally seen alone, this species of kite can congregate in large numbers at certain times, when food is abundant. Such instances are during the impala lambing season when they try to feed on the afterbirth, or flying ant emergences, or even mass fish hatching where the young fish come to the surface for the higher oxygen levels and to gulp air to fill their swim bladders (for buoyancy).

I have never seen inter species fighting on the feeding terrace. The larger raptor usually forces the smaller bird to retreat without physical interaction. That said, Peter Steyn relates several incidents of having once witnessed two Yellow-billed kites collaboratively attacking an African Fish-Eagle, forcing this big raptor to abandon its meal, while on another occasion they took a 15-cm barbel out of the beak of a Woolly-necked Stork.(www.bird.krugerpark.co.za).

A view of the ridge looking west down on the vulture hide which is positioned among the rocks on the right hand side in the distant foreground. The openness, big sky and vast vistas make this place endlessly fascinating.

It is only when you look closer at the features of this species of kite do you realise its superb physiological and behavioural adaptation to its environment.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ~ Albert Einstein

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

Have fun, Mike

This post is the second focusing on the raptors seen and photographed at the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. It focuses on Bearded vultures which are always the highlight of our time in the hide in this reserve. This KwaZulu-Natal nature reserve in uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, South Africa. It offers breathtaking views of deep valleys, grassy plateaus and craggy mountains. The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a World Heritage Site. Giants Castle Nature Reserve occupies the central section.

“I am soaring, boundless, and free, and I know living my dreams is never a question of time but one of purpose” ~ Leo Lourdes

The next image was taken from a ridge above and behind the hide and shows the scene across the Bushman’s river valley. The tussock grasslands were green due to the summer rain.

The most-elevated stretch of the Drakensberg, in eastern and southern Lesotho. It is composed of severely eroded basalt capping a sandstone base. The next image of a lone adult Bearded vulture soaring high above the Bushman’s river valley and was taken looking west with the massive sandstone Long Wall on the far side of the valley in the background.

The Central Drakensberg is characterised by pinnacles, and broken and fractured blocks which form a massive steep eastern scarp 3,000 to 3,300 metres high along the length of the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal. The southern scarp is 2,400 to 3,000 metres high and lies along the length of the Lesotho–Eastern Cape province border.

The air flow along the Bushman’s river valley generates useful updrafts for the larger raptors. They can soar and glide for hours up and down and along the valley with minimal wing work. The Bearded vultures soar along either side of the valley and high above it. Presumably they collect thermals which enable theme to climb high above the valley floor.

The Bearded vultures continually look below see if there are bones scattered on the ground. Often they will fly past bones that we have put out on the feeding terrace a few times. They are looking at how busy and crowded the feeding terrace is and whether the jackals and baboons are in the area.

“The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” – Ralph W. Sockman

The Bearded vulture has a high aspect ratio wing, which is well-suited for soaring and gliding flight. This means that the wings are long and narrow relative to their width. The high aspect ratio (wing span^2/wing area), combined with the bird’s light wing loading, allows it to utilise even weak air currents for efficient soaring over mountainous terrain enabling it to stay aloft for extended periods with minimal effort, even in weak updrafts.

The Bearded vultures often fly at low altitude in the Bushman’s river valley. They are continually scouring the valley floor floor for feeding opportunities.

“Soar with wit. Conquer with dignity. Handle with care.” ~ Criss Jami

It is a thrill to watch these large raptors effortly glide past the hide. At times they can be as close as 40 metres from the ridge face.

Bearded vultures have red sclera, the white part of the eye. It is actually a vascularised ring of tissue called the scleral ring that can be flushed with blood to intensify the red colour. This intensification is used in threat displays, where the vulture can make itself look more imposing by increasing blood flow to the ring.

No matter the age colouring of the plumage, once fledged each Bearded vulture is a highly capable rider in the skies.

While the Bearded vultures do spend long periods soaring over the Bushman’s river valley they do land and sit on ledges overlooking the valley. The black eye plumage around the eyes suggest that this feature reduces the glare from the sunlight while they are soaring and gliding. Early in the morning, on the east side of the valley this adult took perceptual advantage of the shade.

“Our intuitions will be our biggest liabilities, and our imaginations will be our greatest assets.” ~ Ed Yong

The adult Bearded vulture is a large raptor with a wingspan of between 230 to 280 centimetres and a body length of 94–125 cm. Birds fly over a large speed range morphing their wings and tail to modulate aerodynamic force production. At slower speed, first the wings extend and sweep forward, spreading laterally, and at even slower speed, the tail spreads, in addition to the wings.

As large as the Bearded vultures are, they do not get it all their own way. The White necked ravens often harass them in flight. Needless to say the ravens are nothing more than an irritation for these gliding giants.

The colour of the facial plumage is a good indicator of age of Bearded vulture. The younger the individual the blacker the face and it gets progressively whiter with age. The adult’s white facial plumage gets progressively rust coloured. This is due to a cosmetic behaviour where they bathe in iron-rich mud. This colouration is thought to be linked to individual dominance and possibly other factors like feather protection or even anti-bacterial properties. 

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.” ~ Rachel Carson

Although I can get a sense of the size of these Bearded vultures when they fly past, their size becomes even more apparent when they come in to land on the feeding terrace. Whilst I have seen many landing over the years I have not picked up any consistent cue that signals this vulture is coming in to land. There are times when the Bearded vulture flies past the feeding terrace then circles back and flies directly onto the terrace. The direction of arrival is dependent on the direction of the wind which shifts around all time.

Bearded vultures in the Drakensberg are called the “bone eaters of the berg”.

The Bearded vultures, juvenile and adult alike, land at the far end of the feeding terrace. Normally only one Bearded vulture lands at a time but on two occasions I have seen two Bearded vultures feeding on the bones on the flat rocks at the far end of the feeding terrace.

On this occasion, this mature adult landed and picked up a large bone with plenty of flesh and fat on it and flew off with it. Bearded vultures have strong feet which are adapted for carrying bones, and perching and walking on rocky terrain. In contrast to the powerful talons of eagles and hawks, a vulture’s feet are not designed for killing prey. Their talons are relatively blunt compared to those of other raptors, which is an adaptation for their scavenging lifestyle.

Bearded vultures do not hunt live prey. This is the only species of vulture which feeds predominately on bones, which comprise between 70% and 90% of their diet. If the bone is too big to swallow, the Bearded vulture will carry it up to as much as 100 metres above a section of flat rocks, called ossuaries. It then drops the bone onto rocks below to break it down, and in some cases expose the marrow.

A view from behind the vulture hide looking west over the Bushman’s river valley on the steep scarp of the section called the Long Wall. The feeding terrace is the relatively flat section of low grass in front of the hide where we place the bones.

The Bearded vulture is categorised as Critically Endangered with an estimated population of less than 250 individuals according to the South African Red Data list. This species is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data list.

In southern Africa, the majority of Bearded vultures are found in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains of Lesotho and South Africa. Specifically, they are often seen in the Drakensberg Escarpment and surrounding foothills, but rarely below 1000 meters above sea level.

“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?” ~ Edward O. Wilson

Watching all raptors gliding past the vulture hide is a thrill and it is hard not to be impressed by their effortless soaring. It is a special thrill to watch the large Bearded vulture glide at levels as low as 50 metres above the valley floor and thousands of metres above the feeding terrace, all the while riding the updrafts and thermals. The fascinating aspect is that each time we have spent time in the hide we see and learn something new about these Critical Endangered vultures – a privilege indeed.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” ~ Rachel Carson

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

Have fun, Mike

One of the best reasons for visiting Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve is its vulture hide. The hide is about five kilometres north of the camp on top of an elevated ridge on the east side of the Bushman’s River valley. The vulture hide in Giant’s Castle National Reserve is always productive from a birding and photographic point of view.

“Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world– fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don’t know their names– though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them.” ~ Lyanda Lynn Haupt

The Jackal buzzard got its name from its call. This strikingly plumed raptor is named for its loud, yelping call that sounds a lot like a Black-backed jackal. One, and often the pair, can be heard calling as they fly above the Bushman’s river valley. When in the hide you have to be wide awake because the raptors do not make a sound when they approach the feeding terrace in front of the hide. At least when the Jackal buzzards call, you know they are in the area. It’s time to keep a more attentive eye out for them.

This species of buzzard is regularly seen perched on rocks, trees and utility poles in open areas, scanning for prey. It is also known to hunt on the wing. This raptor “still-hunts” by dropping on its prey from a perch, which is either a tree or roadside pole or post. It takes its prey almost exclusively on bare ground, including roads.

“Watching birds soar through the sky evokes feelings of freedom, inspiration and a connection with nature.” ~ Unknown

The Jackal buzzard feeds mainly on small ground mammals, especially rodents but can take prey up to the size of a hare. It will also feed on ground feeding birds varying from nestlings to sandgrouse, francolins and spurfowl.

During the winter months, the Jackal buzzard will scavenge at carcasses and road kill. This scavenging behaviour is what attracts them to the feeding terrace in front of the hide. Visitors who have booked the hide are given a bucket of cut bones with lots of fat and flesh on them. The fat on the bones also attracts the Red-winged starlings and White-necked ravens.

While the Jackal buzzards do spend time tearing fat and flesh off the bones on the feeding terrace. They also regularly fly off into the valley below carrying large bones with most of the nutrients still on them. During the breeding season they carry food back to their chicks. During the non-breeding season they probably just want to eat in peace without being harassed by the gangs of White-necked ravens.

The tail of Jackal buzzards is typically rufous and distinctive in flight.

A Jackal buzzard female is larger than the male and has a deeper pitched call. A breeding pair can often be seen engaging in impressive aerial displays while regularly calling to each other. This aerial displaying occurs outside the breeding season. Jackal buzzards are generally monogamous and form pair bonds for life. Although some instances of polyandry (one female with multiple males) have been observed.

Jackal buzzards exhibit significant variation in their underpart colouration, with three main colour morphs observed. The upper parts are typically a slate-grey with flecks of white. The underparts display a range of patterns and colours. The typical Jackal buzzard colouring is a slaty-grey neck with white flecks, a rufous chest patch, and a black-and-white barred belly.

Among the three colour morphs of the Jackal Buzzard the typical morph remains the most common. Both the dark and the pale morphs are rarer. The colour morphs are generally defined by the appearance of the chest band that extends across the body of the individual. In most individuals, this band is predominantly rufous in colour, with the presence of white and black. In the pale and dark morphs, this band can lack one or even two of the three colours. In dark morphs, you will find that the chest band can be completely black. In pale morphs, there will usually be a lack of rufous colouring, and they will be mostly white.

“On a day like this, I can’t imagine anything better that might happen in a person’s life than for them to start paying attention to birds—to become aware of this magical world that exists all around us, unnoticed by many but totally captivating for those who know its secrets.” ~ Kenn Kaufman

The Jackal buzzard has a very short tail, broad wings, bulky body and large beak compared to most other buzzards (besides the Augur buzzard). Jackal buzzards have a relatively large wing area which facilitates higher wing loadings but results in their lower aspect ratio which does reduce their flight speeds

The combination of a relatively large wingspan ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 metres and wide wing panels suggest a relatively low aspect ratio. This ratio is the square of the wingspan divided by the wing area. Low aspect ratio wings, characterised by their short, wide shape, are beneficial for several reasons. They offer increased maneuverability and higher roll rates. They also produce more drag, lower flight speeds and can be less efficient for sustained flight. This is where the strong winds and updrafts in the hills and mountains help.

The adult Jackal buzzard is strikingly plumaged and arguably one of the most “handsome” buzzards. It has distinctive black and rufous plumage with patches of white. When seen in flight from below and above, the adult Jackal Buzzard shows white flight feathers with black tips forming a broad black terminal band. The underwing and overwing coverts are black. All colour forms have pale rufous tail feathers.

Jackal Buzzards are medium to large Buzzards with a body length of 44-55 cm. Females are generally larger than males,and their weights ranging from 1.0 kg to 1.7 kg.

This species is endemic to Southern Africa and usually found in mountainous and hilly regions above altitudes around 3000 metres. Their range extends from the north-west of Namibia and through most of South Africa. Their preference is for mountainous and hilly areas with short grass and low vegetation coverage where associated strong winds and updrafts help hovering and assist their hunting behaviour.

“Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
Big birds flying across the sky,
Throwing shadows on our eyes.” ~ Neil Young

The Jackal buzzard is of least concern on the IUCN Red list. This means that the species is not currently considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The population trend is believed to be stable.

There are periods in the hide that can be deadly boring. Nevertheless, you have to be constantly alert because the raptors, and many larger birds, do not give any warning that they are flying in towards the feeding terrace. Often they emerge above the terrace flying at speed and with purpose. If you are not ready you will miss the incoming drama and only see the raptor when it has landed and is walking towards the bones.

“Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
And I’m feeling good
I’m feeling good.” ~ Nina Simone

The thrill of watching a large raptor flying toward the feeding terrace is hard to describe. Often the approach results in a flyby but every now and then an individual will land. Usually the raptor will land on the rocks at the far end of the feeding terrace and check to see if there are any threats. If they sense the all is clear they fly closer to feed on the bones. These approaches create the best photographic moments.

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

Have fun, Mike

Helen and I visited Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve, one of our favourite places in South Africa, in November last year. We try to visit this reserve at different times of the year to experience the differences in the wildlife, flora and scenery each time.

“There is no time to be bored in a world like this.” ~ Unknown

Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve is located in the southern end of central section of uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. The latter is a World Heritage Site. The Drakensberg rises to more than 3,475 metres and extends roughly northeast to southwest for 1 125 km parallel to the southeastern coast of South Africa.

The most-elevated stretch of the Drakensberg, in eastern and southern Lesotho, is composed of severely eroded basalt capping a sandstone base. Its pinnacles, broken and fractured blocks present a steep eastern scarp of 3 000 to 3 300 metres in elevation along the length of the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal; a steep southern scarp of 2 400 to 3 000 metres in elevation lies along the length of the Lesotho–Eastern Cape province border.

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” ~ Edward Abbey

The main hutted camp in Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve overlooks the Bushman’s river. Looking west from the camp up the Bushman’s river you will see Giant’s Castle peak which is 3 314 metres high. Giant’s Castle gets its name from the outline of the peaks and escarpment that combine to resemble the profile of a sleeping giant.

Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve is about four and a half hour’s drive from Johannesburg depending on road conditions. After checking in and getting settled in our chalet we went for a late afternoon walk along the Bushman’s river trail towards the main caves. This walk revealed many birds on the rocks and on the trees, shrubs and proteas alongside the path. November is summer in South Africa so most of the birds had already adorned their breeding colours. They looked like jewels in the sunshine.

A male Greater double-collared sunbird in full breeding colours perched on a twig jutting out of a lichen encrusted branch of an Oldwood tree.

A Green white eye perched on a young shoot of an Oldwood tree in front of our chalet.

We can see three species of White-eye in South Africa, the Cape, Green, and Yellow. The Green White-eye has a broken white eye ring at the point closest to its beak and has a greenish breast and belly colouring. By contrast, the Cape White eye has the same broken white eyering but its flanks, breast and belly colour is grey.

A Bush Blackcap in a deciduous shrub in front of our chalet. This species has a distinct blackcap and a coral red beak and its underparts are light grey.

The Bush Blackcap has a melodious call. It is musical and varied. With this character singing so beautifully in front of our chalet and sitting in such an open position I just had to pick up my camera and photograph it.

There are numerous Kurrichane thrushes in and around the Giant’s Castle camp. More often than not you will find this species on the ground flicking through loose leaf litter with its beak, probably searching for earthworms. This species has an orange beak and orange flanks. It had been raining so the black malar stripe was not evident. It has the typical repetitive thrush whistle.

“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” ~ Hans Christian Andersen

On our walk out of camp along the trail to the main caves we found this male Buff Streaked chat which was very talkative from his prominent position on the large rocks alongside the path. He has a distinct buff eyebrow, a black face mask and neck and an orange breast which fades to white at his belly and vent. He has distinct black wing and tail feathers. The female is a buff colour but not nearly as strikingly coloured.

A male Malachite sunbird in the process of regrowing his breeding colours. He was perched on a protea stem trying to hang on in a stiff wind. Once he has grown his full breeding plumage he will be a bright metallic green all over and will have a yellow shoulder sash. His tail will consist of two long middle tail feathers.

“The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are.” ~ John Burroughs

A male Malachite sunbird in full breeding plumage perched on a dead shrub next to a large boulder trying to get some protection from the strong wind gusting down the Bushman’s river valley.

A male Cape canary on a lichen encrusted rock. The male has a grey nape and mustard yellow face throat, breast and belly.

This male Canary was on his own. The female is a buff colour with heavy streaking on her breast and belly.

A Cape long claw watching the passers by from a prominent bush. This species is one of three in Southern Africa. It has a distinctive orange throat. Like all longclaws it has a black colour, cryptic upper parts and a long hind claw to help it climb over long grasses.

The Bush Blackcaps were very obliging on this trip. In the past I have struggled to see them out in the open.

An adult Gurney’s sugarbird perched on top of a shrub soaking in the late afternoon sun after a rain shower. This species of sugarbird looks and behaves in a similar manner to sunbirds but is in a different family and is much larger than all the sunbirds. This species can often be found on the protea roupelliae, the Silver sugarbush.

“May I dust you lightly with my charisma.” ~ Peter Carroll

In South Africa we can see two species of sugarbird but only the Gurney’s sugarbird is found in the Drakensberg. It has a rufous breast and cap. It has a yellow vent similar to bulbuls. The Gurney’s sugarbird has long tail feathers but they are much shorter than those of the Cape sugarbird.

These were just a few of the birds we saw on our first afternoon at the Giant’s Castle Camp. The weather was variable with sunshine, heavy clouds, winds and sporadic rain showers all of which we expected in late November in this part of the world.

Sunset looking up the Bushman’s river toward Giant’s Castle.

The main purpose of the trip was firstly to get into the wild to refresh our souls with mountain air and allow our eyes to glide over spectacular vistas. The second reason was to spend five days in the Bearded vulture hide. With the weather being so variable we decided one or two days at the hide would be a hit an miss in terms of photographic and avian sighting productivity.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

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

Have fun, Mike

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

On day four, we were just over half way into our six day visit to the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. We had seen many fly-bys by the fledged juveniles and adult Bearded vultures. At times the fly-bys were far away in the middle of the Bushman’s river valley. At other times they were way above the hide and at other times the juveniles and adults flew close to the valley floor.

“… there’s a silent voice in the wilderness that we hear only when no one else is around. When you go far, far beyond, out across the netherlands of the Known, the din of human static slowly fades away, over and out.” ~ Rob Schultheis

There were many occasions when the juvenile and adult Bearded vultures flew very close and had a good look at what was the on the terrace in front of the hide. Not once during the first three days in the hide did we see a Bearded vulture land on the terrace or the rocks at the edge of the terrace in front of the hide, despite many good looks at the available food.

We had frequent visits from Jackal Buzzards where they landed and spent quite a while feeding on the meat on the bones that we had put out on the terrace. We also had fly-bys from a lone Yellow billed kite, a Lanner falcon and a Rock kestrel. The latter landed on the rocks close to the hide but never tried to feed on the meat, marrow and fat on the bones as they feed mainly on insects, small rodents and reptiles. We saw many lizards on the rocks and I am sure there must have been many rodents attracted by the meat and fat on the bones.

“Wildness is more a quality than a place, and though humans can’t manufacture it, they can nourish and husband it…” ~ Michael Pollan

At last, on our fourth morning after a landing by a Jackal Buzzard, we saw a young adult Bearded vulture flying in the Bushman’s river valley. It flew progressively closer and from just above the far edge of the feeding terrace in front of the hide this Bearded vulture looked to be approaching the terrace on “finals”. Helen was my spotter and she called the species, direction, and elevation. Helen called out “adult Bearded vulture at 2 O’ clock approaching from deep in the valley”. With great excitement we got ready for a possible landing. With their wings at full span this vulture is three times its body size. This is a critical estimate to prevent clipping its open wings in the image.

There were so many times that we thought a Bearded vulture was on “finals” to land, only to veer off and fly on by along the ridge. The thrill of watching this massive vulture coming in to land was huge. This was one of the sightings we were hoping for. The other was to see a mid-air courtship display but it was the wrong time of the year for that.

Little did we know, in our initial excitement, that this young adult Bearded vulture would stay at the far end of the terrace from the hide for about 45 minutes. Roberts Bird Guide has a Bearded vulture aging chart which shows the progression in head feather colours from black to white with age. Its body feathers change from a mottled brown, black and white to white, which over time, through dust bathing, becomes a strained rich rust-orange colour. This young adult Bearded vulture looked to be around six years old.

For a while this Bearded vulture walked around the far end of the terrace collecting bones. Some of the bones had a small amount of meat and fat on them.

Bearded vultures are uniquely specialised to live on a diet of bones and bone marrow. This Bearded vulture picked up a large bone with its beak, tilted its head back and began to progressively swallow this huge bone. Its esophagus is highly elastic and the walls of the esophagus are thicker than those of other vultures, which prevent potential internal injury from bones with jagged edges. (Source: Bone Dropping Bearded Vulture, Reed College, Biology 342 Fall 2012 by Ivy Hellickson).

“Much of human behaviour can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.” ~ Suzy Kassem

Bearded vultures are known to be able to swallow bones as long as 25cm. This vulture lacks a large crop but has an unusually large stomach and intestine. Its stomach acid has a ph of less than one. This high degree of acidity enables this species to break down large chunks of bone within 24 hours.

If the bone is too large to swallow, Bearded vultures pick up the large bone either with their beak or talons and fly above large open flat rocks called ossuaries then drop the bone from a height of up to 60 metres. The drop usually shatters the bones into smaller pieces which enables them to swallowable size. The long strong tongue enables this vulture to access the hollow centre of the bone to extract the nutritious marrow. The Bearded vulture diet comprises between 85% and 90% bones.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

The vulture hide was built with a view to feeding the Bearded vultures with bones under controlled conditions. The increased population pressure and changing rural farming practices have reduced wildlife and stock mortalities and so shrunk the size of this vulture’s feeding ground. The bones provided by Giant’s Castle staff as part of the hide booking provide the necessary supplementary food which is poison and pharmaceutical free

We watched this adult Bearded vulture swallow two large bones before taking off from the far end of the terrace. The next image shows the huge bulge in its chest due to the bones.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

This vulture is not a carrion eater like other vultures but is capable cutting through ligaments and removing bones from a carcass with its large strong beak with a sharp tip. It was such a privilege to watch this species swallowing bones.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Vulture Conservation Foundation research showed a 27% reduction in breeding range and 20% reduction in breeding densities between the first study period (1960 to 1999) and the second study period (2000 to 2020). The adult vultures prefer open grasslands and avoid forested areas and built up rural and urban areas. In southern Africa, much of the breeding range reduction had taken place away from the eastern Cape and Lesotho resulting in an isolated population concentrated in the Drakensberg-Maluti mountains.

Projectvulture.org.za estimates that only about 350 individual Bearded vultures and 100 breeding pairs remain in southern Africa and are now considered critically endangered. The global Bearded vulture population has been classified in the IUCN Red List as near threatened since 2014. Today, the Bearded vulture lives and breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, southern Africa, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Tibet, and the Caucasus.

The Bearded vulture is a magnificent raptor because of its size, plumage and unique physiology. This species’ role in ensuring biodiversity is unique and necessary and so has a special place in the conservation efforts.

“Most people are on the world, not in it — have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them — undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” ~ John Muir

It was interesting to visit the hide outside the breeding season where we saw more landings than during breeding season (June to August). In the last post from our six day experience in the Bearded vulture hide, I show some unusual behaviour by Bearded vultures that we have never seen before.

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

Have fun, Mike

The main attraction of the Bearded vulture hide in Giant’s Castle Reserve is the sightings of rare raptors such as the Bearded and Cape vultures. These vultures are not around the hide all the time. While waiting for the vultures to appear above the Bushman’s river valley there was plenty of wildlife activity in front of the hide to keep Helen and I occupied.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching.” ~ Gerard Way

This post shows a selection of the wildlife that we saw in front of the hide when the vultures were elsewhere. The Orange-throated or Cape longclaw was a regular visitor. It has brown and cryptic upperparts. Its underparts are striking with its throat which is a deep orange colour which is bordered by a broad black necklace, and its belly is yellow with buff flanks. It has white-tipped tail feathers that make the tail distinctive in flight. Similar to a pipit, this species has a long hind claw.

It is summer in the southern hemisphere in January so it was light when driving up to the hide at 6h00. This was the first time we had seen a Secretary bird on the plateau leading up to the hide. This Secretary bird took no notice of us and continued to stride across the plateau looking for snakes, small mammals and birds, and reptiles and various invertebrates, such as insects, scorpions, and millipedes.

Another bird not seen at the hide but while driving up to the hide was an adult Southern Bald-headed ibis. The Southern Bald Ibis is endemic to a restricted region in South Africa with its main range lying in the north-eastern Free State, Mpumalanga and the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg. The distinguishing feature of an adult Southern Bald Ibis is its crown which is naked, bright red and domed. This species of ibis prefers grasslands in high rainfall and high-altitude areas. This species is classified “Vulnerable” by IUCN with an estimated population of 6 592 individuals which is in a declining trend according to the Southern Bald Ibis Species Champion Project of BirdLife South Africa.

“I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence – that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light.” ~ Lynn Thomson

You know when you are getting close to the hide because you can see the White-necked ravens sitting on the rocks near the hide and many Red-winged starlings waiting in the trees next to the hide. This pair of Red-winged starlings had been enjoying the fat and marrow offered by the bones.

One of the advantages of visiting the hide in summer is that the smaller birds have moulted into their breeding plumage. The Yellow bishop is also known as the Cape bishop, Cape widow or Yellow-rumped widow. Its breeding plumage is black with a bright yellow lower back, rump and shoulder patches. This bishop is a seed eater and was attracted by the grass on the terrace in front of the hide which was relatively long with plenty of seed.

“The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them.”~ Julie Zickefoose

This trip was the first time we had seen Black crows in front of the hide. Black crows are also known as Cape crows. Their plumage is completely black with a slight gloss of purple in the feathers. The Black crow has a sharp narrow beak which is differently shaped to the White-necked raven and so feeds differently. In front of the hide it pecked at the marrow in the bones. It normally eats seeds and fruit but will also feed on reptiles and invertebrates, small birds and their eggs. These crows are known to be highly intelligent.

The Greater striped swallows were challenging to photograph because they fly fast and do not have a constant flight path and are highly agile in flight. Fortunately, they flew past the hide regularly so gave me plenty of practice.

Several pairs of Greater striped swallows flew around the hide each day for most of the day. We assumed there must have be plenty of flying insects for them to feed on. The insects could have been attracted by the meat and fat on the bones and also borne up onto the terrace from the updraft from the Bushman’s river valley below.

A male Speckled pigeon. This pigeon is a seed eater and was not visiting the terrace in front of the hide for the bones but for the plentiful seed on the long grass in front of the hide. The Speckled Pigeon has strong, fast flight. We normally did not see these pigeons arriving until the last moment as they flew up from below the ridge.

A female Cape Rock thrush. There was only one pair around the hide. They were there mainly for the fat and marrow in the bones. The female is differentiated from other rock-thrushes by her shape and rich buff underparts broken only by a small white patch on the centre of the throat. This female’s underparts were mottled and not a uniform rich buff indicating she was a young female.

“Creative expression, whether that means writing, dancing, bird-watching, or cooking, can give a person almost everything that he or she has been searching for: enlivenment, peace, meaning, and the incalculable wealth of time spent quietly in beauty.” ~ Anne Lamott

A male Cape rock thrush. This species is larger than the other species of rock thrushes and has darker uniform grey-blue breeding plumage on his head and neck. His underparts and outer tail feathers are a rust-orange, and his wings and back are brown. This pair of rock thrushes were feeding on the fat and marrow on the bones but had to regularly submit to the larger Red-winged starlings and White-necked ravens.

A Streak-headed canary. This small seedeater only visited the area in front of the hide once. I have never seen this species of canary before or since around the hide. This little seed-eater was not there for the marrow but the seeds on the long grass in front of the hide.

An African pipit visited once and foraged for insects mainly on the rocks. This is a slender bird with an erect stance. It has dark brown upperparts with buffy-brown leading edges to its primary wing feathers and coverts. The underparts are white or pale buff with a streaked breast and plain belly and flanks. The face is boldly patterned with a pale stripe over the eye and a dark malar stripe. The legs are long and pinkish and the slender beak is dark with a yellow/pinkish lower mandible.

A Familiar chat was very busy trying to get at the bone marrow while avoiding the larger birds. This chat was the smallest bird competing for the bone marrow in front of the hide. It was, and needed to be, the artful dodger.

A male Malachite sunbird stayed briefly in the trees just below the edge of the terrace. This male was adorned with his breeding plumage which is a iridescent copper green colour with dark green primary wing and tail feathers. Its central tail feathers are around 25 cm in length.

We did not see the female Malachite sunbird which has much duller plumage with brown upperparts and a light yellow coloured throat, chest and belly with malachite green flecks. She has shorter central tail feathers around 15 cm in length. The male spent some time in the coral tree below the hide and seemed to be looking for nectar.

A Black-backed jackal. One or two members of the jackal family appeared through the day to steal bones that still had meat and fat on them. The jackal family must have lived in the rock shelves further along the ridge. The jackals certainly claimed their fair share of the bones despite being very skittish.

There is a fascinating variety of wildlife activity on the terrace in front of the hide. The weather affects the dynamics of the activity. In summer the weather in this part of the Drakensberg can be highly variable. It might be heavily overcast and raining at 5h30 but a break in the clouds later in the morning can produce beautiful light. The clouds do provide dramatic backgrounds and the mist adds mood to the backgrounds.

We spent six days in the hide in an attempt to better understand the avian behaviour in front and around the hide. Each day the weather was different and birds that appeared differed. There were the perennials such as White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings but different seedeaters, insectivores and even nectarivores appeared.

The longer time in the hide took off the pressure from expectations and gave repeated opportunities to practice my bird in flight photography.

“Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world– fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don’t know their names– though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them.” ~ Lyanda Lynn 

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

Have fun, Mike

The Bearded vulture hide in Giant’s Castle National Park is sited on the eastern section of a terrace on the edge of a plateau which falls away into the Bushman’s River valley some 700 metres below. The hide is a perfectly positioned to observe and photograph a variety of birds in their natural environment.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough

In this post I show a selection of birds which flew past and around the hide. The main attraction for most of the birds was the bones that we put out on the terrace. The bones were placed to attract raptors but many other birds, mostly insectivores, sought the fat on, and marrow in, the bones.

Several pairs of Greater striped swallows flew around the hide each day. We assumed they were hawking insects attracted by the meat and fat on the bones. Insects must also have been swept up along the ridge by the updraft from the Bushman’s River valley.

The bones were dominated for most of the day by the White-necked ravens and the Red-winged starlings. These two species competed with the larger ravens frequently pushing the starlings off the bones, but the ravens could not protect every bone. Every time the ravens bullied their way onto the bones the starlings would fly up and move to the next closest unoccupied bone.

“Birds chirping around you is a beautiful realisation that life is incredibly good. Let this sound be a gentle break in your routine.” ~ Hiral Nagda

The White-necked ravens ruled the bones when the major raptors were not present. They fed on the meat and fat on the bones during the morning but once the wind strengthened in the afternoons the ravens preferred to folick in the wind and updrafts.

White-necked ravens were very playful in the afternoon winds. They sparred with each other mid air and liked to dive bomb each other. They are wonderfully skilled fliers.

“Don’t just fly – soar!” ~ Kelly Markey

White-necked ravens were surprisingly strong and often flew off with large bones to feed in peace.

For about an hour one morning we were visited by a lone Yellow-billed kite. Kites are also very accomplished fliers who relish the updrafts and strong winds. While Yellow-billed Kites feed mainly on mice and rats, they will eat almost anything they can scavenge.

On occasions this lone Yellow-billed kite flew straight at the hide providing some wonderful photographic opportunities. Its forked tail was doing most of the lateral control. You can differentiate the Yellow-billed from the Black kite as the latter as a black tip to its beak, otherwise they look very similar.

Each day we saw Jackal buzzards fly in to feed on the meat, fat and marrow on the bones. On one occasion we saw this fledged juvenile Jackal buzzard fly by, but it did not land. It was much more skittish than its parents.

The adult Jackal buzzards were quite habituated to the hide and as soon as they knew there was food on the terrace they would fly in. The Jackal buzzard adults always flew to the outermost point of the terrace and had a good look at the activity around the hide. Once satisfied that it was was safe they would fly closer to feed on the meat on the bones.

“I look in wonder at a raptor with wings fully extended. The span always surprises me and slotted wingtips look like fingers playing with the wind.” ~ Mike Haworth

Besides the Bearded vultures, Jackal buzzards were the other main raptor to visit the terrace in front of the hide. There was a pair that visited the hide daily, usually arriving singly. They were not intimidated by all the ravens and often attempted, and succeeded, in flying off with a bone to feed away from all the competition.

By mid-morning the temperatures had risen and the updrafts had developed enabling the Bearded vultures to start their daily “fly-bys”. Some “fly-bys” were very close and other some distance away in the centre of the valley. A mature Bearded vulture has white to rust strained head and neck feathers. This Bearded vulture flying above the Bushman’s river valley had relatively white head feathers signalling that it was not an old adult whose head would have been more oxide stained rust-brown in colour.

“Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly.” ~ John Lennon

A fledged juvenile Bearded vulture had a good look at the bones on the terrace in front of the hide while flying by. Its black neck and head feathers showed that it was about two to three years old. The colour of the head feathers changes and turns whiter as it matures. Its body plumage also changes progressively from a pattern of black, brown and white blotches to rust-brown and white plumage.

Often the Bearded vultures would fly very close to the ridge and the hide. When doing so they had a good look at what is inside the hide.

Over the six days we were in the vulture hide, a single Cape vulture visited on two occasions. It invariably approached from high up in the Drakensberg mountains. The Cape vulture tucks its neck in when flying to retain longitudinal flight balance much like herons.

It was alway a thrill to see this impressive vulture coming in to land. Their final approach took them to the furthest point of the terrace. This vulture was not intimidated by one or two ravens but was not comfortable with a gang.

On occasions we saw four Bearded vultures flying above the Bushman’s river valley. Each vulture flew singly and they seldom flew in pairs and never in a group.

There was plenty of activity on the terrace around the bones and plenty of “fly-by” activity from the ravens, starlings and raptors. The frequent “fly-bys” gave me many opportunities to practice my “bird in flight” photography. The sun rises from the east which was behind the hide so by 7h30 it had begun to illuminate the terrace. The direction of the light was perfect in the mornings when photographing birds flying past the hide.

“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” ~  E. O. Wilson

The afternoon light became more problematic at it progressively fell behind the birds so timing and position of the subject became more important. Raptors are larger so shooting needed relatively lower shutters speeds(1/4000sec) but the smaller ravens and starlings required high shutter speeds (1/6400sec and higher) to freeze their wing movement. I tried to keep my shutter speeds as high as possible to try and capture the sudden surprise interactions. The ravens and starlings were active around the hide all the time but the raptors seldom gave any signal they were flying by or flying in so we had to remain alert all the time. On rare occasions we heard a Jackal buzzard calling in the Bushman’s river valley before in approach the terrace.

“Wild animals, like wild places, are invaluable to us precisely because they are not us. They are uncompromisingly different. The paths they follow, the impulses that guide them, are of other orders. The seal’s holding gaze, before it flukes to push another tunnel through the sea, the hare’s run, the hawk’s high gyres : such things are wild. Seeing them, you are made briefly aware of a world at work around and beside our own, a world operating in patterns and purposes that you do not share. These are creatures, you realise that live by voices inaudible to you.”
~ Robert Macfarlane

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

Have fun, Mike