We finally managed to get our act together and drove up into the Berg (That’s the Drakensberg in Kwazulu Natal for those
of you who don’t know) to visit Falcon Ridge, and with that I managed to do a bit of wildlife photography……if you can call it that. Falcon Ridge is a bird of prey sanctuary where injured, sick or birds raised in captivity are kept. They do a little show everyday where they give some info and interesting bits and bobs about birds of prey, and throw chicken all over the place for the raptors to catch out the air. Pretty cool, I know.
Did you know that Owls can’t see in front of their eyes due to very short sightedness? Or that their face shape acts like a radar dish to catch sound, so they don’t just rely on their sight? Or that one ear is lower than the other, with one listening for sounds on the ground, and the other for sounds higher up? Together with this, the radar shaped face and a neck that turns 360° and a head that can go upside down, they can pin point exactly where their next victim is, making them extremely accurate in the dark. Imagine that with absolute soundless flight, and you’ve got a lethal hunter. Pretty damn amazing. They also swallow their food whole, so an Owl that is 20 years old have never tasted what its food tastes like. Bummer.
Some of the other birds that were doing tricks were Peregrin Falcons, which can reach speeds in excess of up to 400km/h when they dive, Yellow Billed Kites that was catching food out of the air and eating it on the wing so other predators can’t rob them of their food, a Veraux Eagle that was scared of, or more annoyed, by a breeding pair of Ravens, and a Fish Eagle with very little manners. Below are some images of the birds. I would really recommend visiting this spot. The awesome scenery and the show makes it well worth the R50!
One Comment
wow!