They were circling above a spot in nature and I decided to investigate.
A Happy Friday to all. Here above was the youngster and I will show you what they were after. (Prey of course)
I knew that there had to be some animal or young birds that they were after, but nothing was going to happen on my watch and as we reached the area where they were circling, I jumped out of the car to have a closer look.
The youngster came down closer to have a look at me.
And his mom was right above him. They are called African Harrier Hawks (Polyboroides typus) and their old name was "Gymnogene"
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.
Source
I saw what they were after and I stood and waved my arms, as they fear humans as much as the little birds fear them.
So they circled higher in the air and maybe they thought that I had a stick that makes a loud noise and that can kill them (A rifle).
Finally they started to go away with the youngster squawking and leading his mom.
**This is what the hawks wanted to attack! **
The Egyptian Geese also saw the hawks and they saw me, so they hustled their babies to the denser parts near a river.
You can see the mom at the right was watching the sky.
The little gosslings were saved to live another day.
Almost as if the babies were saying thank you to me for being around.
Oh yes, the harrier hawks are very interesting birds, as their legs are double jointed that enables them with the ability to climb trees.
Small birds normally mob the hawks when they come near their nests, but the hawks are very aggresive and they simply go in and grab the babies.
Can you believe that now, right now we have snow a few days before the official start of the Spring season. And much rain and even hail as usual, but I will show you in my second post later today.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge camera.
We hope that you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
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Snow predicted in many parts of the country over the weekend, rain for the coast, dress warm and send photographs, we can never get enough of them Stephen.
Now those Harrier hawks will go further afield to find a breakfast where there is no one protecting, such is nature my friend, eat or be eaten!
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wild is nature and it's a life cycle for them to eat and be eaten no?
I hated the cameramen who filmed the wild big cats eating deer and not helping them but now think the big cat has to eat and also feed there cubs
So true, the more water the more joy. I just cannot understand why more dams are not being built in our water scarce country, as millions of tons of flood waters runs into the sea.
Yep, the hawks are very good hunters and they will get their fill out of eyesight.
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African Harrier Hawk is fly so high and child are so cute.
yeah i haven't seen one in my area for a while now
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I like the gray underwings and also these little gosslings furballs so cute
Thank you and yes, they are indeed very cute.
Its not possoble for me to see such birds and geese in my country. It is strange that the African harrier-hawk is omnivorous, I think seagull, too.
Many birds are omnivorous and even the sunbirds that are known nectar feeders eat also insects.
Seagulls will eat anything and if I could make a word for them it would be maxivorous.
They are so beautiful birds and I know they need to eat and to feed their kids, but still I hate it to see when they hunt smaller birds or animals like squirrels. So it's good that you are around to protect them.
Btw, how are the little geese doing?
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Yeah, I know and some people like to see it when they grab the babies, but I also take no pleasure in it.
Nothing to play the protector my friend as there are much food all over for them.
Which little geese? The ones in the photo? I don't know.
Bur here's the suprise, Harry and Sally are back as you will see in my post. Childless of course and we don't know what happened to their babies.
Cheers and thanks.
Oh, you think the little geese have been caught by a predator? That's not the answer I was hoping for, but how would you say?...
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Yep, totally childless and the predators had a feast again, but it's a normal thing and we understand it now. They vanished for a long time, maternity leave methinks and now they are back and ruling their territory and our garden again 🙂
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I wonder how we would be or think if we would get new children every year ... I just thought of the blackbirds whose babies a crow ate befor their eyes - the birds cried.
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No space on this planet if we were to have children every year, as we have no predators exept other humans. Imagine how the growth of our polutions will explode, making the planet heavier and it will run out of it's cycle to crash into the moon 🤣
We were watching a lovely Hadeda baby in its nest until a falcon grabbed it and flew off with it. So I think that the birds are used to losing their kids and they just go on with life.
Cheers and thanks.
I think if it was like that there would be other predators and maybe we even would already live on the Mars 😉
Such is life, I know, but I wouldn't want to watch it.
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