What do a bateleur eagle, a group of vultures and two large male lions have in common? In this epic sighting by 27-year-old Nadav Ossendryver, founder of LatestSightings.com, the predatory birds and lions shared a single impala kill.
Nadav was treated to a magic moment of memorable viewing when an impala carcass attracted a succession of some of the bushveld’s most impressive birds and animals – a bateleur, a group of vultures, and two male lions.
A slow start to an epic morning
Nadav had taken a mid-morning drive down the Bravo Loop just east of the Skukuza camp in the Kruger National Park. His first sighting of a the day was of a lazy pack of wild dogs.
He spent some time watching them. However, the pack wasn’t very active and Nadav decided to move on!

Bateleur sighting brings car to a halt
Driving towards Echo Loop, a lifeless impala at the side of the road caught his attention. What made the impala stand out among the dusty shades of the bushveld was a juvenile bateleur eagle. This bateleur was perched on top of the lifeless animal.
In the bushveld, it is ‘first come, first serve’. As bateleurs naturally fly low, they are often the first ones to a fresh kill. This one was feasting on the impala.

The predatory bird was magnificent in stature and just its presence was enough to flil the air with some kind of anticipation.
What typically happens is that vultures will notice when bateleurs and other eagles descend towards a kill, seeing this behaviour as an indicator that there is food beneath the canopy of shrubbery and trees.
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Knowing this, Nadav decided to wait in his car to see what would happen next.
He was right to have been expectant. A group of vultures must have seen the bateleur and realised there was a free meal on the cards . Nadav first saw the vultures circling overhead, before they descended upon the impala.
“The excitement in the air was indescribable,” he says.

Armed with knowledge about the behaviour of wildlife around an animal kill, Nadav wasn’t about to move his car in a hurry. He enjoyed the spectacular sight of the vultures brooding over the kill; anticipating even greater things.

Much as descending bateleurs and eagles attract the attention of vultures, due to the promise of food; the presence of vultures, especially groups of vultures on the floor of the bushveld, attracts large predators and scavengers.

A royal pause before the story heats up
Nadav describes how the feasting vultures suddenly paused and looked to one side.
“This place has lots of lions around. Lions tend to check out when vultures descend in the masses, meaning they’ve found something to eat. So, if a bunch of vultures land here, nearby lions might come over to see what’s going on,” he said.

A young male lion emerged in all his glory and made his way towards the carcass. He initially ran past the impala, only to double back and carry the entire carcass in its jaws.
This in and of itself could have been the pièce de résistance of the sighting. However, Nadav was about to be treated to an even more spectacular conclusion to his spectacular morning of viewing.

A second male lion enters the scene
The impala carcass was definitely hot property and another animal appeared. A male lion, larger than the first, joined the scene, chasing the first lion from his stolen prize. With the bateleur, vultures and smaller lion scared off, it would seem a prize-winner had emerged.

The impala of course was none the wiser to the great commotion it had stirred up.

But Nadav, who understood all things in the bushveld are connected and that one thing can lead to the next in a most surprising way, knew to wait – from when he saw the eagle on the carcass.
Nadav believes this is one of the reasons its always best to arm oneself with knowledge of animals and birds and the ways of the bushveld before visiting a game reserve.
It could mean the difference between seeing just an eagle on an impala kill, to seeing an eagle, a group of vultures, a lion, and a lion chasing off another lion. You could say he – the one who saw it all – was the real prize-winner of the day!