Martial Eagle Sunset

 

The Martial Eagle is a very large bird of prey, 83cm tall with a wingspan that can reach up to 2.4m. It usually hunts on the wing, potential prey can be spotted up to 6km away. It kills small prey by impact, larger prey it can not carry into a tree will be returned to regularly to feed on. The Martial Eagle is not threatened globally, but is vulnerable in South Africa, due to persecution from farmers.

African Civet

This small nocturnal carnivore is common, but difficult to see, especially during the day, coming back from the Kiba airstrip one evening, I noticed this civet fast asleep out in the open, after a while he turned to look at me, yawned then went back to sleep!

The African Civet is an omnivorous  generalist, taking small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is capable of taking on poisonous invertebrates (such as the millipedes most other species avoid) and snakes. Prey is primarily detected by smell and sound rather than by sight.