This is what happens when you snooze in the bush and don't have one eye open. I had noticed a Black-crowned Tchagra sitting next to the road not fussed by vehicles passing by. Very unlike this species, which usually heads for the thickets rather than to stay out in the open. He/she was also seemingly sleeping in the early morning sun. I actually wondered if it was ill.
After seeing the tchagra next to the road I drove on, only to find a small group of Southern Ground Hornbill's about a 100m further up the road. They were moving in the direction of the tchagra, and I knew what would happen if they caught it napping. I turned around and decided to wait at the tchagra to see what would happen. As the hornbills got closer a part of me was hoping the tchagra would just open its eyes and see the danger approaching. I was even tempted to shout out to give it some warning, but refrained from doing so.
The moment the one hornbill noticed the tchagra it attacked in lightning speed. The tchagra took off, but was snatched from mid air. It all happened very fast, and I wished I could have videoed the entire thing, but I was ready to take some photos instead.
