Image: Aquila verreauxii-nes, Roodekrans, Walter Sisulu NBT, a

Description: View of a Verreaux's eagle nest at the Roodekrans, beside Witpoortjie Waterfall in Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden. At the time of the photo in December 2015 it was one of two nests, the second, newer nest was a few meters higher against the cliff face. The resident eagle pair consisted of female Emonyeni and her third breeding partner, Thulani. Emonyeni was over 46 years old in 2015, as she arrived in 1970. Earlier in 2015 they had raised a chick in this "bottom nest", which was to be their last. Emonyeni disappeared in April 2016, after she was seen flying with a third eagle, perhaps a younger female, and there was no breeding attempt that year. The dynamics of her departure are not understood.[1] Prior to 1994 only the "bottom nest" existed, and the breeding pair then consisted of female Emonyeni and her second partner Quatele. Spray from the falls was sometimes blown into this nest, possibly the cause of death of some chicks. The bottom nest was utilized in a second and successful breeding cycle in 1994, and a second but unsuccessful breeding cycle in 1996. The lower nest was used exclusively from 2003 to 2015. It was washed away by rains in March 2018, by which time the new female, Makatsa, had built a new nest.[1]
Title: Aquila verreauxii-nes, Roodekrans, Walter Sisulu NBT, a
Credit: Own work
Author: JMK
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
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