African Hawk Eagle

Raptors are pretty darn majestic as predator birds go. Watching them purposefully soaring over the savannah with wings spread wide in search of a critter for dinner is a stunning sight. This beauty is an African Hawk Eagle. At least, I think it is an AHE. Identifying species of birds in the bush can take years. And years.

My friends and I watched this bird for a long time because it looked in distress. Notice the bump in the back of his neck; doesn’t it look a bit malformed. We watched as the bird hacked and choked and did a little neck stretch dance, and we were concerned it was going to fall off its perch and die.

After many minutes, we watched in awe as the bird projectile vomited a big bunch of yuck.

As it turns out, this behavior is normal. Predatory birds gobble down their prey, digest the good stuff, and then regurgitate up the bad stuff - like feathers and fur, and sometimes bones. All the detritus that has no nutrition.

I wonder how come humans don’t have that capacity to hurl up all the junk we eat. Life would be fantastic if I could upchuck all the chips and chocolate, gooey cheesy noodle dinners, and fatty burgers I love to eat but don’t because these foods are soooo bad for me. Eating these yummy, rich foods would be fantastic if I also ate nutritional foods like salads and veggies, lean protein, and good fats like olives or avocados.

Then again, I hate to puke, and I think running to the bathroom to eliminate all the delicious yet non-nutritional food I consume would be a real pain in the buttocks.

Oh well, I guess there’s a reason for this behavior. Unlike humans, birds and animals only consume what they need to survive. They don’t indulge in excessive eating or binge eating like many people.

I have learned a lesson from this bird.

#personalessays #birdbehavior #writing #womenwritersoverfifty #lastmonthsinsouthafrica #preditorybirds #ilovethebush #tandala #learnfromnature

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