At last, I got him close up.

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And he even posed for me for a while, until a crowd arrived.
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We were driving on a narrow single lane road, and thankfully my wife saw him, as he sat on a tree at the car's passenger side.

So, I slammed on brakes and pulled the car hurriedly as far as I could to the side of the road.

But what is this? The famous Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus), and over the past few months, I could only get him on camera high up in the sky. So, it is rare to get them so close on a high tree trunk top. This was a very big tree, but if you look at the center of the trunk where it was cut off, then you will see that the core is rotten, due to a beetle infestation. I presume that at some time the entire tree will be removed, but at this stage the tree stump was still high up.
The photo below will show you how high up he was.

The cut trunk was higher than the tops of the surrounding trees, and the bird had an excellent spot to search for rodents, snakes or anything else that moved.
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A pair of eyes sunk into caverns that will be the last that any little animal will see during the bird's attack.
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I was wondering what he was looking at, as I was so intent on getting the bird on camera, that I didn't look around me. People on bicycles and some cars had arrived and everyone was staring at the bird that I was taking photos of. I saw that I was standing in the road, and I moved out of the way, but they didn't move on, as everyone was oohing and aahing.
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You can see below that the bird gave me an angry look for disturbing his peace, and I knew that that he was going to take off.
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Yep, I was right, as there he went.
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I followed his flight and he settled far down in another tree down the road. Thankfully my zoom was on his case.
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Yep, he gave me a last look, and then we had to depart as the people in the cars could not get past us.
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Finally, buzzards are hunters on the lower mountain slopes, and the surrounding areas.
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One guy on a bicycle asked what kind of bird it was, and I told him that it was a jackal buzzard, so he went to tell his friends. People are amazing in this place, as everyone, or almost everyone has a deep love for nature, and they were kind enough to wait until the bird left. I was happy to get the bird and also happy that I can share it with you now.
If you want to know more about the buzzards, then you can visit a Wikipedia link HERE
I love the big birds of prey and they are elegant in flight.

Hope that you have enjoyed my find.

Photos by Zac Smith -All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

Thank you kindly for supporting this post.

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Oh wow, what a lucky day for you! I can imagine the joy as you slammed the brakes realising what was waiting for you. The closest that I have come to these were at sanctuaries where they help the birds of prey that got hurt. Such a lucky moment and I am glad that it waited for you to press the camera button to get the photograph!

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Ever rushed out of a driver's seat slowly in order not to scare something? I slipped out there like a ghost. !LOL
Our eyes are always on the treetops and imagine how happy I was when I got an African Fish Eagle on a telephone pole. Every time I am just at the right place at the right time. We visited one of those sanctuaries once, but never returned as it is too heartsore.

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It is really a heartsore. Will share some posts in the coming weeks about our visit to one. Makes for stunning photography but for the most sad and awful reasons.

So true! I know those moves. I am really jealous of the lens of yours though! The zoom on that one is unheard of and no wonder you get all of the best shots!

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Yep, we came away very heartsore, and it was the same at the cheetah rehab centre. Now we don't visit there anymore. You can tag me in the posts.

It all started with my longing for a cheaper camera to get clear and big photos of the moon. I had a small PowershotSX450 and the zoom was just too short to get a bigger moon. So, when I saw the pictures that the bigger zoom of the PowershotSX650 take, I simply got one. Since then, I have upgraded to the SX70, which is smaller in bulk, but with the same zoom. I don't know if a SX75 will be made, as the talk is that Canon will stop the manufacture of the Powershots.
There is a Nikon with a similar zoom on the market, but way too expensive for me to get.

!BEER

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It is incredible what they can do these days with cameras. I seriously need to upgrade someday, but for now, I am waiting a bit, checking things out. With new technology, my father always told me, to wait a bit until they sort the bugs out and then buy the newer versions with fewer problems! Soon, I will leap and make the investment.

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Well, they are in a fight with the new cell phones, except for the zoom reach, as only a good camera has a good zoom. Canons and Nikes call the tune in the zoom department, unless you have millions to pay for cameras with ultra long lenses that cost more than a car !LOLZ

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That is the problem right, some of these cameras and lenses cost more than a car! Or the deposit of a home. It is crazy that they can get so expensive, and the thing is we hobby photographers will never use all the fancy features that cost so much. Buying things we will never need.

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Indeed, and that's why I stick with a fixed lens. Some lenses can be screwed onto it, but I don't need them for my purposes. A new thing is that I have been asked to take head shots of all of the staff on a wine farm, for their website, and I have never done that before, so it's going to be an adventure.
Luckily my camera has settings for "Portrait" photos, and let's see how it performs.
Exttra lenses are for profesionals like you !LOLZ

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Oh wow, what a great opportunity to get some nice photographs! I am jealous. Portrait photography is fun and you can experiment nicely with it, lighting and so on. Haha, yes, the different lenses you can buy and play with it fun but very expensive. I think I have a couple of them, bought them very long ago when things were still reasonably priced, and I got some nice lenses from friends and family that threw out old cameras. (Nice thing about the changeable lenses is that if you find your lens size, you can use lenses as old as 30 years old and it will still work! In fact, I am using just such a lens and it takes some of the best photographs between all my lenses.)

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I hear what you say, and maybe you should come along when they contact me for the photo session. I am a nature photographer, and taking pictures of people is not quite my thing. I do have a set of lenses here, as an uncle left a complete photo kit for me in his will, but I have never used it. So, play nice and I might give them to you mahala.

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Oh that is a piece of treasure! It might be a piece of art you are sitting on.

I would love to come along! If the event has not yet happened that is.

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No idea, as it's all packed into a case with the camera, so maybe the lenses might fit your rig.

Will let you know when I get their call.

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I hope that I will be back in town when they call you! Would be an awesome opportunity to tag along. Maybe I can even bring my other half with!

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I am not in a hurry for them to call me, and if they do, then I will schedule a date with them somewhere in September. Your other half will be most welcome. So behave and enjoy.
!BEER

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Will most certainly do so! She is taking an internal exam in the Cape in September, so we have some confirmed dates when we will be back. Will be nice to meet up again then.

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Maybe you guys must think about establishing your permanent base up there until the end of your studies? This continued flying up and down is not only expensive, but also not very healthy. Sure, you can visit the Cape in between for breaks, but I just think that it will be better for you guys, as you also need a lot of time for the studies.
Will be great to see you guys again.

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For sure, and I wish we could have this kind of stability. It is just hard with work; as we spoke on the phone, I am starting my old position as an assistant again in the coming month or so, so I need to be back in Stellies on campus. But soon, the travelling will end, and we will get more stability.

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Yeah, I am aware of your current nomad situation, but the good thing is that it will not endure forever. Sooner or later you guys will become stabilized, and then the long distance story will become history. Just make sure that you enjoy every day now, as it will become great memories in later years.
Blessings.

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If all of the plans work out as they should, we will end this type of lifestyle in the next couple of months! Last time for long distance and all of the travels. But as we know there is a Higher hand involved, so we just keep praying.

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I like your last sentence, as it means that you have the correct foundation. Grace will see you guys through whatever happens. Glad to see that it's only a couple of months more.
Blessings.

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Wow! Wow! I just lack what to say. I just feel like saying Wow, Wow. I love the snapshots. thanks for sharing the beauty of nature and creation.

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I sometimes overlook the beauty of nature around us, but your story and photos remind me how important it is to appreciate these moments.

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You are not alone, as we see so many simply ignoring nature. But, as you saw in my photos, we regularly have many precious moments out there, and you can certainly do the same, as nature is a great healer, especially to release one's stresses.
!PIZZA

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