Greeting the Sun

Posted on Thu January 24, 2019.

When resident locally the awesome Secretary Birds stand atop their tree roost and greet the newly risen sun.
Stretching and preening with amazing balance they ready themselves for the flight back to earth & another day of hunting ........

One seldom gets the opportunity to see these regal giants of the African skies in quiet mode. They are more usually seen striding across the veld in search of food, and they really do cover a large area of ground quickly.

However here at Amohela ho Spitskop Country Retreat & Conservancy it is a special privilege to share some of these moments, against a background of the sun they present such wonderful silhouettes. These huge birds carry such grace and agility even when standing on very slender branches, their great sails of wings assist them to perform spectacular tree top gymnastics. Standing 1.2 metres tall with a 2 metres plus wingspan and weighing in at 3-4 kg, the hours spent photographing these birds of Africa, for they occur nowhere else, has been a special time for me, what a joy.  

Photographs and text: Allen Jones.

 

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