The joys of spring abound at Scottburgh’s Crocworld Conservation Centre as the team celebrated the first-ever hatching of a jackal buzzard chick on the premises at the start of October.
Crocworld’s bird curator, Ryne Ferguson, explained that the breeding pair of jackal buzzards had been residents at the centre for a while, but this was their first chick. Ferguson said: “Last year, they laid two clutches of eggs, but they weren’t fertile.
“The pair was then relocated to the new Raptor Wing, which is much more spacious and even has a ‘room with a view’. I think they felt calmer in this more natural environment, and we were happy to see them start building a nest.
“The two-week-old chick is being well cared for by its mother, is very healthy, and growing well.”
Jackal buzzards are monogamous, and most build their nests on cliff faces or in the upper branches of trees. They can have about three nests in their territory and can alternate between these nests. They are territorial and feed on small mammals, birds, frogs, invertebrates such as termites, grasshoppers and spiders, and reptiles.
This is the second exciting spring arrival for the centre which welcomed little Mojo, a spotted eagle owl, earlier in the season.
Visitors are welcome to go and view the new feathered residents. All relevant Covid-19 protocols are followed. Mask wearing, sanitising and family group social distancing regulations are in place, with the centre and on-site Fish Eagle Café open from 9am to 4.30pm. To find out more, visit www.crocworld.co.za or call 039 976 1103.
The Independent on Saturday