Another Harrier Hawk that is, and this time round I won the fight to scare it away. It is not a juvenile like the previous one, but an adult and they all eat baby birds.
The white Acacia tree thorns cannot deter these birds, as they simply ignore the pricks of the thorns.
In a previous post I have shown you the successful raid of a sparrow nest by a juvenile harrier hawk and you can have a look at the post HERE
Now in the new spring season, one has to keep an eye out on the nests at our place, as the raiders are plenty.
Burrowing down to have a look if there was any life in a nest.
I rushed out of our gate to the neighbors sidewalk next door.
Hey, hey, hey, "voetsek" you bugger! I shouted at the top of my voice as I approached the tree and he looked at me. Luckily I have a voice as loud as a ships horn and the hawk was not deaf. Oh, and "voetsek" is the Afrikaans word for scram.
The hawk worked himself up carefully through the thorns.
At last, at the top of the tree with wings flapping open.
And then we had a lift off. Sadly, he dived sharply to the left behind another tree next to this one and the leaves of the other tree were too dense for me to get a shot of him in flight.
So now that hawk knows me and I heard all of the little sparrow and weaver parents cheering and clapping their hands, (wings) for me. I think that they will now start to call me the Hawk Buster, instead of the Ghost Buster :)
The one little male Cape Sparrow even brought me his idea of a flower as a medal for my bravery :)
And like I always say, such is life. We are thankful that there was no killing to witness again, as even as we are used to it in nature, it is still not a pleasant sight. So I will rather walk around screaming in the road than to see the predators killing little lives. I think that you can sense my happiness as I like to keep things peaceful, especially here at home.
Life is what it is, and we have to make the best of it. Not that we have a problem free life, as who hasn't, but now with the increased daily power cuts everyone is on edge.
So be it.
I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and the fun.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
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