South Luangwa (Zambia) - Raptors and Scavengers
The 'African fish eagle' (Haliaeetus vocifer).
An equally imposing as majestic bird.
While on foot, we spotted it at some distance perched on a branch overlooking the Luwi riverbed below. A beautiful sight to enjoy.
Applied the regular 'play-safe' birding photography strategy. Made a full distance shot to start with and then progressed closing-in slow-mo .......keeping a watchful eye on its 'body language'.
On a following day afternoon drive, we encountered this juvenile 'African fish eagle'. It might have been on its maiden flight as it demonstrated poor flying skills. Hopping rather away from us into the shrubs vegetation. Obviously it had very risky days ahead staying out of potewntial predation harms ways. We wished it good luck on its treacherous journey into adulthood.
The White-crowned Lapwing (Vanellus albiceps)
Playing David against Goliath, this white-crowned lapwing takes on an African Fisheagle, which has only good intentions (just eating his fish). The lapwing kept pestering the eagle for quite a while, making its repeating dives. Finally, the annoyed eagle winged off to a quieter dining place.
The Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus).
A juvenile one. One tends to see this bird much more often on its wings. That typical distant dark silouet soaring in a blue sky. With its very characteristic steadied wings in a left-right-left ....sinusoid sailing flight, also described as a the "tilting actions of a tightrope walker".
The lappet-Faced Vulture (Torgos Tracheliotus)
By its sheer enormous size and its dominance among vultures on a kill, one could readily call it 'king-of-the-vultures'.
On a late afternoon drive we spotted a congregation of several vultures perched in a tree and some on the ground. Clearing out the last meager leftovers of a prior days impala kill. These two gave me good time for several shots. The deeply grooved dead tree-top branches adding nicely to the muscled 'roughness' of this vultures portrait.