• MATJIESFONTEIN BLOG
    MATJIESFONTEIN BLOG

Our Black-Chested Snake Eagles & the thinking path

Posted on Fri April 1, 2016.

Look up. You just may be lucky enough to see a Black-Chested Snake Eagle carving across the sky.

Matjiesfontein is home to a breeding pair of Black Chested Snake Eagles. In honour of our winged residents The Snake Eagle Thinking Path was created. The first permanent geoglyph as part of the Karoo Geoglyph Project.

Black-Chested Snake Eagles are large dark brown, black, and white eagles with a range that spans from upper northern and western Africa down through the southern part of the continent.

Clearly visible from the air (and for our eagles we imagine too) take a look at a video of the geoglyph. Land artist Anni Snyman who created Snake Eagle Thinking Path says: “Land art is a way of interacting with the natural world. You don’t have to have a degree in art history to appreciate it.”

The geoglyph is made up of lime dots 'the size of a small dinner plate'. The perfect choice as lime is not only a natural material, but it neatly contrasts with the earth, making it easy for it to show up on satellite pictures. The dots are said to evoke South African rock art.

Next time you visit us, enjoy a meander along The Snake Eagle Thinking Path, and remember, don’t forget to look up.