Every time you go out on the evening game drives, it's always a matter of expecting the unexpected. No matter how many times you have been before.
I have always been fascinated by nocturnal birds and how they feed, recently I was lucky to witness one of these birds of prey in action. The bird was a Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) which measures 43-50cm in body size. It is a common owl in the area, so to see it at night is not unusual.
One evening when I was driving back from an afternoon game drive, I stopped to view a lovely White Tailed Mongoose, which was wondering along the road looking for its dinner. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big shadow appeared and landed in front of the car, it happened to be a Spotted Eagle Owl. It sat on the road for a while, and then started walking towards the side, not at all concerned about the spotlight. All of a sudden it kicked with its sharp talons at something we could not see. It came back out onto the road with a centipede hanging in its beak, and took off immediately. It came as a surprise to me, as I have known owls to be rodent eaters.
There are some African tribes who believe owls are associated with evil, such as the Nguni tribe. Zulus believe if an owl flies over your hut, or sits on a close tree and starts its huu-whoo song, that a member of the family is going to die, or that very bad luck is coming. So a traditional healer must be called to stop the oncoming bad-luck using traditional muti, which includes an owls head.
I was also surprised by how the owl spotted such a small creatures in the long grass at night; I thought it may be because owls are blessed with night vision, like all nocturnal hunters.
I have always been fascinated by nocturnal birds and how they feed, recently I was lucky to witness one of these birds of prey in action. The bird was a Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) which measures 43-50cm in body size. It is a common owl in the area, so to see it at night is not unusual.
One evening when I was driving back from an afternoon game drive, I stopped to view a lovely White Tailed Mongoose, which was wondering along the road looking for its dinner. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big shadow appeared and landed in front of the car, it happened to be a Spotted Eagle Owl. It sat on the road for a while, and then started walking towards the side, not at all concerned about the spotlight. All of a sudden it kicked with its sharp talons at something we could not see. It came back out onto the road with a centipede hanging in its beak, and took off immediately. It came as a surprise to me, as I have known owls to be rodent eaters.
There are some African tribes who believe owls are associated with evil, such as the Nguni tribe. Zulus believe if an owl flies over your hut, or sits on a close tree and starts its huu-whoo song, that a member of the family is going to die, or that very bad luck is coming. So a traditional healer must be called to stop the oncoming bad-luck using traditional muti, which includes an owls head.
I was also surprised by how the owl spotted such a small creatures in the long grass at night; I thought it may be because owls are blessed with night vision, like all nocturnal hunters.
Sandiso Shabangu - Field Guide