Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing on the Grasslands is a photograph by Morris Finkelstein which was uploaded on January 25th, 2016.
Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing on the Grasslands
The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a short-tailed, crested eagle that soars high, perches conspicuously on tall trees, and hunts for large... more
Title
Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing on the Grasslands
Artist
Morris Finkelstein
Medium
Photograph
Description
The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a short-tailed, crested eagle that soars high, perches conspicuously on tall trees, and hunts for large birds and medium-sized mammals. It measures about 38 inches in length and about 13 pounds in weight, and has a wingspan of about 8.5 feet. It is the largest eagle in Africa and the 5th heaviest in the world! It is distinguished for its very sensitive eyesight, and can spot prey from great distances. This eagle is sub-Saharan in range and prefers habitats including open woodlands, savannah, and thornbush. The Martial Eagle is an opportunistic predator and may feed on birds, reptiles, and mammals; most of its prey is smaller than 11 pounds in weight. It hunts while circling high and stooping sharply when it spots prey. Because of declining populations, this species is considered 'near threatened'.
Wildebeest (Connochaetes bellicosus) are a species of large antelope, in the hundreds of thousands, that are part of the 800 km circular, seasonal migration from Serengeti to the South, and back. The females synchronize their calving to a 3 week window during the rainy season in February and March, with their calves on their feet within minutes of birth
The powerful Martial Eagle in the foreground was perched on a tree overlooking grasslands occupied by thousands of migrating Wildebeest in Serengeti National Park on 1-16-2016. I used a Nikon D810 camera body and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 vr2 lens to capture this image.
I am honored that my photograph was featured in the Fine Art America groups:
African Theme Artwork, 10-11-2016
FAA Portraits - Birds, 2-24-2017
Uploaded
January 25th, 2016
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Comments (3)
Morris Finkelstein
Thank you Scott for featuring "Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing On The Grasslands" in your "FAA Portraits - Birds" group. Very much appreciated!
Morris Finkelstein
Thank you Geordie for featuring "Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing On The Grasslands" in your "African Theme Artwork" group. Very much appreciated!
Mr Bennett Kent
Great perspective at eye level with the Eagle and looking down at the Wildebeest (and a lone Zebra!!) ........L/F
Morris Finkelstein replied:
Thank you Mr. Kent! This was quite a scene to view, made sweeter by the Martial Eagle!