Rehabilitation and release of a Secretarybird: Full Circle mission

In November 2025, The Bateleurs supported the relocation of a rehabilitated sub-adult Secretarybird (an Endangered raptor species) from Gauteng to Calvinia in the Northern Cape, to give it the best possible chance of successful rewilding. This was a “full circle” mission: in April 2025, our Bats pilot Allan Thomson flew the same bird from its rescue site to the rehabilitation clinic in Mpumalanga, and now assisted in returning it to a suitable release area.

Calvinia was selected as a relatively safe release site, with HawkWatch International actively researching Secretarybirds in the area. GPS tracking will support post-release monitoring and enable a rapid response if any issues arise. Air transport was essential, as the 15+ hour road journey would have placed unnecessary stress on a recently rehabilitated bird and reduced its likelihood of surviving the transition back to the wild.

PILOT REPORT: Allan Thomson

Thursday night, after work, emails are usually to be studiously ignored until the following morning. However, an email call-up on my mobile phone originating from the Bateleurs,  required immediate attention. The subsequent mail contained detail of a rehabilitated Secretary Bird requiring transport “home" and my name mentioned in the despatch, demanded instant action.

I contacted Steve. I had the view that being the pilot who originally flew this particular bird from Orania to Dullstroom, I had some sort of duty, if not preferential right, to fly this bird back “home” and hopefully back to the “wild”. It would make a pleasing story and a gratifying conclusion to the entire episode. Some background is required for the uninitiated. A secretary bird was discovered abandoned and alone, (I gather its siblings were not as strong as it) in a nest, on a farm, in Calvinia.  I now understand that to be the farm of Francois van der Merwe.

The young, emancipated chick was brought to Ronel of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, who subsequently hand-reared the chick into rude adolescent health. In order to survive back in the wild, the bird was required to be taught how to hunt and be able to successfully integrate into its natural environment. The only solution - boarding school for birds at the Raptor Centre in Dullstroom. Hence, the decision was taken to fly the bird from Orania in the Northern Cape to Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, utilising the Bateleur conservation air force. I, and my co-pilot for the day, Nikki Bush,  successfully transported the bird to its new college in Mpumalanga.

Having successfully graduated in all things stalking, hunting and Secretary bird-ish, it was time for a release back to Calvinia. Once again, a flight was decided on to minimise trauma to the bird. 

The appropriate weather window (and family timing to meet my sons and daughter in Stellenbosch was decided on Sunday the 30th of November. I wanted wheels up at approximately 08:00. That time slot required Magdali to drive from Dullstroom to Rand Airport to meet me at the hanger by 07:30.

Transporting the bird to Dullstroom originally, was a relatively simple exercise as the “birdy" was ensconced in a cardboard box and remained compliant the entire journey. The return trip proved somewhat awkward as the birds was now far less docile , considerably larger and stronger and by necessity now housed in a large sturdy wooden container.  The ample container was eventually shoe-horned into the Bonanza by way of removing the second row of seats. Something more easily accomplished than I had imagined. Wheels-up was a few minutes later than planned, due to the travails surrounding the box and the now no longer present seats.

The first leg of the journey, of just over one and a half hours, was in clear summer skies to New Tempe, Bloemfontein, for some coffee and avgas. I like to approach the Cape mountains with more than sufficient fuel - which translates into options in the event of a clouded Cape weather system. The second leg the flight  at flight-level eight five, in the heat of a Karoo midday provided almost three hours of continuous turbulence and a bumpy cockpit.

As the Calvinia airstrip appeared visual, I noticed a larger than expected welcoming committee. I suppose it was Sunday afternoon in Calvinia and the inbound aircraft was carrying an interesting passenger. Once on the ground, the box and bird were far easily egressed from the aeroplane than had been the case of placing them there earlier in the morning. Megan expertly and confidently removed the bird and a quick inspection revealed he/she was no worse for wear after the turbulent flight.

As the bird box was summarily extracted, to my surprise it was replaced by a large white polystyrene box containing frozen meat. This was a gift from Francois for which I am extremely grateful. A visual sweep of the area left me very worried about the future wellbeing of my recent passenger. I desperately hope he/she has been taught extremely well to hunt for its food, as the surrounding terrain offered, to my untrained eye, scant opportunity for a decent meal of any description.

The ground-based entourage rapidly departed to take care of the bird's immediate needs, and I got airborne shortly thereafter. An uneventful flight to Stellenbosch and an early Christmas dinner with my sons and daughter, capped off a perfectly rewarding days flying.

CONSERVATIONISTS REPORT: Dr Megan Murgatroyd, HawkWatch International Secretarybird Relocation

Secretarybirds have experienced widespread population declines and range contractions through Africa, leading to them being classified as Endangered. Despite being such a charismatic bird of prey, with their long legs, red-yellow facial skin, and feather quills on the back of their heads, relatively little is known about their ranging behaviour and what we can do to improve their conservation status.

Megan Murgatroyd (HawkWatch International) and Wesley Gush (University of Pretoria) have been actively monitoring Secretarybirds in the Hantam area of the Northern Cape since 2023.

Earlier this year (Feb 2025) they visited a nest which was being monitored with a camera trap. It had a single Secretarybird chick in the nest which was going to be with a GPS tracker, but when they removed the chick from the nest, it was immediately evident that there was a serious problem. The chick was severely dehydrated and malnourished, and the nest camera showed it had not been provisioned for 10 days. Although it is not known what caused this abandonment, we suspect one of the adults had died and the remaining adult couldn’t provision the chick by itself.

Considering that there was no way the chick would survive on its own and the Endangered status of the species, the decision was made to intervene and seek rehabilitation for it. It was initially rehabilitated in the Northern Cape by Ronelle Visage (EWT), but as it recovered a larger facility was needed. Dullstroom Bird of Prey Center (Magdali Theron and Frith Douglas) said they could help, but with a drive time of over 9 hours, we needed help. The Bateleurs stepped in to fly the young bird to Dullstroom.

Once under the care of Magdali and Frith, the Secretarybird continued to gain weight and confidence, until the time came that they were satisfied that it was ready for release, which everyone agree was best done back in its natal area.

Once again, the team assembled. Permits were gathered, and a call went out to the Bateleurs. Allan volunteered his time and plane to assist us again, making the full circle journey for our bird back to the wild. HawkWatch International team (Meg Murgatroyd, Vanessa Stephen, and Rebecca Muller) and Francois van der Merwe received the bird from the airstrip, and fitted it with a satellite GPS transmitter, donated by Marshall Telemetry and the MBZ Raptor fund. The bird was released close to the nest it came from, and although ruffled from a long journey, and with a Jackal Buzzard hot on its case, it ran off up the hill to explore its new home.

This was a huge collaborative effort to help an individual, but now we can rest happy that there is one more wild Secretarybird back in the population, and we can keep a close watch on its journey from here.