The Crested Serpent Eagle Hunt

On jungle trips, the usual focus is on the glamour species....the Tigers, Leopards, Elephants and so on. Birds are rarely if ever looked at, unless you happen to be a Birder or a serious wildlife photographer, looking for behaviour shots.

The opportunity for a trip to Kabini in Sept 2020, was a God sent opportunity to break free from the Covid Pandemic inflicted lockdown. While the trip report itself will be a separate note, this piece is about the trip highlight.

We were on our last safari of the trip and while the outing itself was refreshing, glamour sightings were disappointing to say the least. We waited a long while for a tiger to come out of the bushes, but our wait was in vain. Forlorn and despondent, we were returning back to camp, when we saw a Crested Serpent Eagle (Pilornis cheela) sitting on a tree by the roadside. Typical of such sightings, we shot a few pics of the bird and were about to move, when we realized that the bird was intently looking down into the bushes below the tree and sensed some action about to happen. 

With the jeep's engine off, we waited intently and were rewarded with a complete sequence of a hunt, kill and eat. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think....

Searching intently for breakfast, the CSE spots something in the grass

Locking on to the target, the Eagle is now primed.

Tally Ho! The Eagle kicks off from the branch

Swooping down to the ground, the bird lands on the prey

The triumphant look signifying a successful hunt.

Look intently and you may just see the catch

Do you see it now?

The catch is a snake as befits a Serpent Eagle

Here it is.. an Eliot's Shield Tail Snake

The Snake is fighting for its life

The Eagle lifts off with the catch back to the Tree

Once settled in, the bird begins to eat

Trying to rip the snake into pieces

The finally deciding to swallow the prey whole

The satisfied look after a successful meal