As I drove out of camp yesterday, I caught sight of the very distinctive tear-drop breast plumage of a juvenile African Goshawk in a thick bush at the side of the road. It was behaving strangely by remaining in the bush even when I was nearby, and I couldn’t work out what was the problem. As I reversed, it did fly off but only to another branch and without breaking cover.
I went back to camp to get my binos and camera since I thought that it might be injured, and returned to find it back in its original location, feeding on a squirrel. Only then did I notice the Snake Eagle in a nearby tree which would certainly mob a juvenile Goshawk and steal its kill. This explained its clandestine behaviour. All the better for me as it sat still long enough for a photo.
