On our way to Durban before catching our flight in the morning to Ethiopia we stopped by the Africa Birds of Prey Center to get an up close look at some of the raptors we saw (or missed) during our visit to Southern Africa and some raptors we hope to see in Ethiopia.
Pygmy Falcon
Bateleur
I love this bird’s name
Cape Eagle Owl – We saw this bird near Creighton, South Africa
Barn Owl
African Grass Owl
Crowned Eagle
Southern White-Faced Owl
Verreaux’s Eagle Owl
Don’t you just love the pink eyelids?
African Wood Owl. We saw this species on our Namibia tour.
Spotted Eagle Owl. We saw this species in Naimibia too.
Lanner Falcon
Brown Snake Eagle
Up Close and Personal
Hooded Vulture
Palm Vulture. We missed seeing this bird, which has a very restricted range.
Rock Kestrel
Rock Kestrel
Lanner Falcon
African Harrier Hawk
This one I guess can be quite friendly
Or maybe not ….
Of course I don’t blame the bird, I wouldn’t want to be caged up either
Yellow-billed Kite – probably the most prolific raptor in South Africa
Beautiful birds
Cape Vulture
African Hawk Eagle, I believe
I’m not sure what I think about raptor rehabilitation places. While it does serve as an education tool, allowing people to see these raptors up close and maybe appreciate them more, I hate seeing the birds in cages. The birds we saw cannot be released back into the wild due to debilitating injuries.
We also saw a very nice Amethyst Sunbird. Wow, when the light reflected off the feathers on the bird’s throat – beautiful.
Next up …. Birding in Ethiopia
It is always A GREAT DAY TO BIRD
Wow, you have a nice collection ofAfrican raptors now. Nina