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Guys a predator is nearby. Where?What? How do you know? Well, the birds told me so..
I love seeing the faces of my guests when 2 minutes later, a Leopard comes onto the road from nowhere. This is how it usually happens. The signs were all there, learning to see them, Well that just takes time. I've learned that a Bateleur & a Tawny Eagle perched together or close by usually indicates a Leopard kill. Or a Hooded vulture alone usually means lions are nearby because they have a habit of eating their scat.
Learning to see through the eyes of my Shangaan tracker opens up a new world. So Share your experiences if you saw the signs.. Maybe Leopards sightings will improve

Very interesting But thst leads me to a question about the Tawny&Bateleur that could indicate a leopard kill. I have never seen pics or heard of raptors that were feeding on a leopard kill on a tree. But I'm sure that most of the carcasses in a tree are sooner or later discovered by some raptors. Are they to scared the leopard could come back before they notice it

Thanks Flying Cheetah for the comment. The Tawny & Bateleur indicate a kill on the ground, Leopard kills are usually well hidden under bushes etc. They are the first to see it most of the time. Hope that makes more sense.?

Chavaluthu, thank you for opening my eyes and will now make "my dreams" come true
I will start looking for the signs to read.

This is what i like about the Forum, it is "a learning curve"

Ps. May your dream come true

Welcome Chavaluthu

Chavaluthu = Scipio ?

Thank you Chavaluthu for the quick response But a carcass that's even spotted by us humans should also easily been found by the raptors with their perfect eyesight!
Thank you Scipio for that amazing pic Where did you take it?

Kite

Nope, but he posts very well and informative.

Chavaluthu I like you already - it's all about behavior.

Bateleurs are the early morning risers with the best eyesight that finds the kills that happened during the night before any other raptor. They must then wait for their larger billed cousins to open up the carcass for them to be able to feed on the scraps.

Great comments guys, thanks for the warm welcome to the forum. It's great to find so many people with the same love of the wild. As soon as I figure how to upload pics il post a few other behavioral signs that I have seen.

Chavaluthu,

There is a lot one can observe by looking at the behaviour of animals. Each time I have spotted leopard in KTP, the jackals gave it away in their behaviour of none stop howling or yelping and looking in a specific direction.

It very interesting to learn about the tawny and bateleur. Nearly 4 years back my SO was busy taking pics of a tawny my LO was capturing something on video but aiming in another direction. When asked what he was doing he said he is taking a video of the bateleur. I think I need to find that video and see if there was not more on than the bateleur. Will remember next time.

I also read that the appearance of side-stripe jackal signals the presence of lion. The only time I have spotted one I was also lucky to find a leopard not walking to far away from the jackal. Not sure about this one but maybe others had the same experience.

The other interesting one is that you must be on the lookout for honeybadgers when you see black-back jackal and pale-chanting goshawk moving from one bush to another. I have often seen these 3 friends together.

Me never! But it sounds like fabulous sighting Any pics?

Hi there,

Last year in December we found this leopard and cub in tree next to road with small half eaten impala kill.





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Mom was chilled and baby climbing, playing etc . Then a bateluer landed about 180 yards away on the other side of the road. In a flash, mom was down the tree, across the road and after the bateluer, with real intent. The eagle took off, went to perch in a tree, mom came back and went to chill out in the same tree again.

This thread makes sense of it . Why a bateluer and a hooded vulture together ?

Thanks,

neil.

Thanks Son Godin. I have seen the same Behaviour by jackal's often & been rewarded with Leopard. I here Leopard's can be a big threat to Jackals but I haven't seen them in conflict. Also interesting that a Jackal call's as soon as Lion or Leopard is vocal, almost in sync with them?

Pale Chanting Goshawk's are often with honey badgers while they forage, often the Badger flushes out Rodents & Reptiles which is Ideal prey for the Bird. I read that as much as 6 goshawks have been seen with 1 badger.
I haven't heard of the side striped & the Lion's so thanks for that. Very interesting to read about these relationships.