You should always stop for the little things while in the bush, because you never know where a sighting might lead! For this group, stopping for a family of warthogs lead to them watching a live kill!
It was a quiet, uneventful drive along the S114 where I was filming Impala, Spurfowl and some elephant along the way before coming across a warthog family.
At first, just filming the warthog, it appeared to be an uneventful, run-of-the-mill drive. For some reason, I kept filming as the piglets ran from beneath one tree to the next before crossing over the road. My family and I were completely unaware of the Martial Eagle who remained hidden until the piglets crossed the road in the open.
My son was first to notice the eagle swoop in from the left, just out of shot and thankfully I maintained a steady hand and kept the piglets in focus. Only once the Eagle hooked its target did I realise just what a remarkable sighting I had just caught! Excitement naturally took over… We remained with the kill despite the many cars which stopped to investigate the sighting but who left soon after.
2 hours later, once the eagle felt comfortable enough and flew down from the nearby tree again, it secured the piglet in its talon and walked it across the S114 to a nearby bush under which it fed. At that point, given the number of cars also jockeying for position to see this, we left with an amazing memory.
This sighting is even rare than a big cat kill, as there is very little to none easily available footage of a martial eagle kill in the Kruger Park.
This wondrous wildlife haven we call the Kruger National Park can turn the most mundane, uneventful sighting into something memorable, if one is but patient. I would advise visitors to stop and enjoy everything of interest and not just chase that elusive cat sighting… Given time, as this video proves, anything can happen at any time.
The Martial Eagle is one of the most majestic and elegant of the eagle species. Seeing one execute a successful kill after remaining so well hidden is a once in a lifetime sighting. I hope all Kruger and bird lovers enjoy this video as much as my family and I did of the sighting in person.”
