I was fortunate to spend the week in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with a group of photographers. We hit the jackpot with a pair of Martial Eagles starting to breed next to the road in a large camel thorn. Typically the birds would do some nest building in the morning and then leave to hunt. By late afternoon, the female would appear as a speck high above the red dunes and descend in a series of stoops . The final approach was always made very low and fast, almost skimming the dune grass before pulling up and landing at the nest. I caught her here just before she entered the tree canopy. The Martial is a an impressive bird, with a large female weighing up to 5kg with a wingspan of up to 2.4m. Prey includes mammals up to the size of impala fawns. Even Black-backed Jackal and Bat-eared Fox have been recorded.
Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Date/Time: 2008:07:29 17:22:35
Shutter speed: 1/4000 sec
Aperture: 6.3
Exposure mode: Av
Exposure compensation: +1/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 640
Lens: 600mm
Focal length: 600mm
Well Chris that is a vast improvement over my picture from a few weeks ago!
A marvelous shot, of a wonderful bird.
I had always thought that the African Crowned Eagle was the largest, I have only ever seen one Juvenile. Looking in SASOL it appears that they think that the Verreaux's Eagle is the largest! Can anyone out there clear this up?
Not that this in anyway changes the stunning qualities of this capture.
Thanks for the comments. It is generally accepted that the Martial is the biggest in terms of weight, but the African Crowned Eagle regularly takes larger prey, therefore it is generally regarded as more powerful. The Verreauxs' weighs a shade less than the Martial, but interestingly, the latest Roberts Birds of Southern Africa (7th edition) gives its maximum wingspan as 2.8m! I'm a little sceptical of the latter figure - I have often watched Verreauxs' Eagle and Cape Vulture flying together with the vulture appreciably bigger than the eagle, and the vulture has a well documented average wingspan of 2.55m. Be as it may, all these birds are truly magnificent creatures:-)
Hi Chris,
This is impressive. You managed the whites well. Sharpness is good with enough dof. I would love to see it landing directly in-front with both the wings symmetrically stretched....would love to see more of this species. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this is an impressive species, Chris! You captured a powerful view with those huge talons and the bright, yellow eye. I'm getting picky now, but a bit wider wing stretch would have really shown off this species. Very nice work on the exposure too.
Africa's largest eagle
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