Thanks Dave, much appreciated, and a good record shot nevertheless!
And thanks Allan, nesting too! Oh well, I am sure i'll catch up with this finch one day...
No more stories of how easy it is to see please
Andrew
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Southern African Forum (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dave Kennedy
- Start date
Thanks Dave, much appreciated, and a good record shot nevertheless!
And thanks Allan, nesting too! Oh well, I am sure i'll catch up with this finch one day...
No more stories of how easy it is to see please
Andrew
Dave Kennedy
Well-known member
Kruger Park, 12th-16th December 2009
Letaba has always been one of our favourite camps, and never disappoints when birding. Among the better sightings here were White-browed Robin-chat, Brown Snake-eagle, Amethyst Sunbird, African Goshawk, White-fronted Bee-eater, Jacobin Cuckoo (juvenile), Cardinal Woodpecker, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Violet-backed Starling, Brown-headed Parrot, Marico Sunbird, Cut-throat Finch, Southern Ground Hornbill, Pygmy Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, and Pale Flycatcher.
Anytime you're looking for parrots, especially in the far northern part of the park up around Pafuri where the Grey-headed parrot is found, look out for fruiting Purple-pod Terminalia Terminalia prunioides. Grey-headed Parrots love its highly-coloured fruit. Brown-headed Parrots are fond of ripe figs, as are African Green-pigeons.
Woodland Kingfishers (first photograph) dominated the scene both visually and aurally, their brilliant blue plumage and trilling call part of the very fabric of the bush.
We photographed a nice little vignette (second photograph) of three different white egrets together, a Great Egret, a Little Egret and a pair of Cattle Egrets, all down by the edge of the Letaba River. 25 kms to the south, in the rain-swollen Olifants River, a Yellow-billed Stork (third photograph) took up position in a reed-bed in the centre of the swiftly-flowing brown river. He must have known something that we didn't, for within a very short space of time he grabbed a fish that was large even by his long-billed standards. It would seem that, in high-water conditions, the fish may seek refuge in such reed-beds from the swiftly-flowing water. Back at camp, a walk along the river frontage to the restaurant yielded a very fine Pygmy Kingfisher - only my 3rd or 4th sighting of this elusive bird. A Broad-billed Roller perched atop a fig tree in front of and to the left of the restaurant building.
In the evenings the insects came out in force, including a beautiful Speckled Emperor Moth Gynanisa maja (fourth photograph), gangs of cicadas which made despearte efforts to fly into our food, and a large and persistent Solifugid (Order Solifugae) or Sun Spider which found our braai fire irresistible, his repeated visits sending the girls up onto the bench seat outside our rondavel. Yes, I know this is not an insect, but its many-legged creepiness and lightning-fast scuttle has exactly the same effect.
A visit to the road bridge on the H1-6 over the Letaba River produced, beyond some Little Swifts, a Hamerkop and a Wood Sandpiper, little in the way of birds, but we did manage to capture an unusual aspect of a hippopotamus. So if you have ever yearned to peer into a hippo's nostrils, this is your big chance (photograph 5).
More to follow.
Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy
Letaba has always been one of our favourite camps, and never disappoints when birding. Among the better sightings here were White-browed Robin-chat, Brown Snake-eagle, Amethyst Sunbird, African Goshawk, White-fronted Bee-eater, Jacobin Cuckoo (juvenile), Cardinal Woodpecker, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Violet-backed Starling, Brown-headed Parrot, Marico Sunbird, Cut-throat Finch, Southern Ground Hornbill, Pygmy Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, and Pale Flycatcher.
Anytime you're looking for parrots, especially in the far northern part of the park up around Pafuri where the Grey-headed parrot is found, look out for fruiting Purple-pod Terminalia Terminalia prunioides. Grey-headed Parrots love its highly-coloured fruit. Brown-headed Parrots are fond of ripe figs, as are African Green-pigeons.
Woodland Kingfishers (first photograph) dominated the scene both visually and aurally, their brilliant blue plumage and trilling call part of the very fabric of the bush.
We photographed a nice little vignette (second photograph) of three different white egrets together, a Great Egret, a Little Egret and a pair of Cattle Egrets, all down by the edge of the Letaba River. 25 kms to the south, in the rain-swollen Olifants River, a Yellow-billed Stork (third photograph) took up position in a reed-bed in the centre of the swiftly-flowing brown river. He must have known something that we didn't, for within a very short space of time he grabbed a fish that was large even by his long-billed standards. It would seem that, in high-water conditions, the fish may seek refuge in such reed-beds from the swiftly-flowing water. Back at camp, a walk along the river frontage to the restaurant yielded a very fine Pygmy Kingfisher - only my 3rd or 4th sighting of this elusive bird. A Broad-billed Roller perched atop a fig tree in front of and to the left of the restaurant building.
In the evenings the insects came out in force, including a beautiful Speckled Emperor Moth Gynanisa maja (fourth photograph), gangs of cicadas which made despearte efforts to fly into our food, and a large and persistent Solifugid (Order Solifugae) or Sun Spider which found our braai fire irresistible, his repeated visits sending the girls up onto the bench seat outside our rondavel. Yes, I know this is not an insect, but its many-legged creepiness and lightning-fast scuttle has exactly the same effect.
A visit to the road bridge on the H1-6 over the Letaba River produced, beyond some Little Swifts, a Hamerkop and a Wood Sandpiper, little in the way of birds, but we did manage to capture an unusual aspect of a hippopotamus. So if you have ever yearned to peer into a hippo's nostrils, this is your big chance (photograph 5).
More to follow.
Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy
Attachments
Last edited:
Sal
Well-known member
Letaba sounds wonderful Dave. I have been there before, but it was several years ago, think I must make a plan to go back. Great pic of the Woodland Kingfisher, and the Speckled Emperor Moth is beautiful. Also rather like the hippo's nostrils . . . . Pygmy Kingfisher - nice. Thanks for the post, very interesting.
Sal
Well-known member
Day 3 Kruger Park 14 November (Berg-en-Dal to Pretoriuskop)
We leave just before seven. It is a lovely 21C and the roads are very wet under a lowering sky. We spot a couple of wet Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves as we leave the gate and soon see Marabou Storks all over the place, still standing proud in the trees where they spent the night. I guess they need to dry out a little before they take off – they are mostly stretching out their wings and shaking and preening. Their long white legs, washed clean by all the rain, remind me of dancers’ legs in white tights – but missing the dancers’ muscle. The Marabou we are looking at now is tagged with a large yellow tag on the leading edge of the wing, with the number S108 on it. The light is appalling, but we try to get a photo for SAFRING. We drive on towards Matjulu waterhole, picking up Common Waxbill, Blue-billed Firefinch Cape Turtle Doves, Green Pigeons and Golden-breasted Bunting. We decide to take the S110 to the tar and mosey along gently, splashing in the puddles and slipping slightly in the mud patches. A little family of Swainson’s Spurfowl runs for cover in front of us and a Tawny Eagle perched on a bare tree on the left is being mobbed by Fork-tailed Drongos – they are literally dive-bombing the eagle, seeming to comb through its feathers on occasion, and the eagle is retaliating by opening its bill wide each time they pass, maybe hoping to snatch a drongo out of the air, but each time it misses. The eagle, in disgust, puts its head under its wing and this seems to convince the drongos that it’s not actually an eagle after all, because after a few more passes they leave it alone. A Brown-hooded Kingfisher, in a flash of electric blue, swoops down into the road, snatches an insect from puddle and flies back into the bush. By now - half past eight – the temperature is 25.5C and it is still very pleasant and comfortable after the awful heat we’ve been enduring. We pass a huge nest in a tree built by Red-billed Buffalo-Weavers – some of them are flying in and out as we watch. Then – at last – a new tick for me: a Striped Cuckoo!
Near Afsaal a Southern Black Tit flies into a nearby tree and a Brown-crowned Tchagra skulks low in a bush and then we come across a large raptor mostly hidden in the grass. It appears to be limping quite badly, putting all its weight on one foot. We follow it as it heads over towards a tangle of grass and thorn. A tawny swoops overhead before the grounded bird gets into the cover of the thorns. Whilst we worry about its survival, it puts its head down and appears to be pulling at its foot – then it pulls up a great long strand of blooded intestine and starts feeding on it with relish! So it fooled us as well as the Tawny. It was limping because it was holding something in its talons. It turns out to be a Steppe Eagle. Everywhere we go we hear the call of the Woodland Kingfisher constantly trilling out of the landscape. It’s a bit like driving along inside my cellphone – think I’ll change the ringtone because I keep reaching for the wretched thing even though I know it’s switched off . . . .
We cross Biyamiti Bridge, and, as usual, stop to investigate the river bed. There are a couple of elephant in the distance and a Pied Kingfisher flashes downstream. Eventually we arrive at the Lake Panic Bird-hide. The water-lilies are coming out and there are Black Crakes trotting from leaf to leaf, picking up tiny water-snails and other organisms in their bright yellow beaks. In the distance we can see African Jacanas doing the same thing. On the sandy stretch to the left are a Goliath Heron and her two half-grown chicks. They seem to be very demanding of her attention and eventually she takes off and lands on a log in the water whereupon they scurry up and down their piece of shoreline uttering hoarse squawks and reaching out their necks to her in yearning. One of them hopefully stretches out its rather puny-looking wings but doesn’t attempt to fly. They are quite charming to watch, their ginger crests mostly raised, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing or stalking up and down the shore as they anxiously watch the female tranquilly standing on her grey log staring hypnotically at the water.Southern Masked Weavers and Lesser Masked Weavers are flying back and forth between the reeds and the nests they are building, long streamers of green trailing from their bills. In the distance a Darter perches on a fallen log.
There are also Grey Herons here and Malachite Kingfishers We see a Green-backed Heron staring into the water from a low branch and a little group of White-faced Duck fly over the water. Then, of course, there are the hippos frolicking around in the background, whilst a small crocodile secretes itself amongst the lily pads – luckily the Black Crakes have moved on! Egyptian Geese and Hadeda Ibis add to the noise made by the herons and the weavers and a couple of Pied Wagtails move up and down the shore.
At Skukuza there is a pair of African Black Duck in the river and in the tree above are Common House Sparrows and a few starlings, but we are surprised at how few birds there are around what is normally an easy source of food. From here we move on towards Pretoriuskop. At Transport dam we see Wood Sandpipers, Three-banded Plovers, Egyptian Geese, White-fronted Cormorants, Water Thick-knees, impala and waterbuck. Lesser-striped Swallows and White-throated Swallows are sweeping overhead, and mingling with them are masses of European Bee-eaters hawking over the water. Closer to Shitlhave dam we find a Red-crested Korhaan on a termite mound. It stares at us, and then scuttles off into the grass.
Before we get to camp - we see a leopard!
I forgot to mention that we also saw Paradise Flycatcher on Day 2 at the Berg-en-Dal Dam.
We leave just before seven. It is a lovely 21C and the roads are very wet under a lowering sky. We spot a couple of wet Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves as we leave the gate and soon see Marabou Storks all over the place, still standing proud in the trees where they spent the night. I guess they need to dry out a little before they take off – they are mostly stretching out their wings and shaking and preening. Their long white legs, washed clean by all the rain, remind me of dancers’ legs in white tights – but missing the dancers’ muscle. The Marabou we are looking at now is tagged with a large yellow tag on the leading edge of the wing, with the number S108 on it. The light is appalling, but we try to get a photo for SAFRING. We drive on towards Matjulu waterhole, picking up Common Waxbill, Blue-billed Firefinch Cape Turtle Doves, Green Pigeons and Golden-breasted Bunting. We decide to take the S110 to the tar and mosey along gently, splashing in the puddles and slipping slightly in the mud patches. A little family of Swainson’s Spurfowl runs for cover in front of us and a Tawny Eagle perched on a bare tree on the left is being mobbed by Fork-tailed Drongos – they are literally dive-bombing the eagle, seeming to comb through its feathers on occasion, and the eagle is retaliating by opening its bill wide each time they pass, maybe hoping to snatch a drongo out of the air, but each time it misses. The eagle, in disgust, puts its head under its wing and this seems to convince the drongos that it’s not actually an eagle after all, because after a few more passes they leave it alone. A Brown-hooded Kingfisher, in a flash of electric blue, swoops down into the road, snatches an insect from puddle and flies back into the bush. By now - half past eight – the temperature is 25.5C and it is still very pleasant and comfortable after the awful heat we’ve been enduring. We pass a huge nest in a tree built by Red-billed Buffalo-Weavers – some of them are flying in and out as we watch. Then – at last – a new tick for me: a Striped Cuckoo!
Near Afsaal a Southern Black Tit flies into a nearby tree and a Brown-crowned Tchagra skulks low in a bush and then we come across a large raptor mostly hidden in the grass. It appears to be limping quite badly, putting all its weight on one foot. We follow it as it heads over towards a tangle of grass and thorn. A tawny swoops overhead before the grounded bird gets into the cover of the thorns. Whilst we worry about its survival, it puts its head down and appears to be pulling at its foot – then it pulls up a great long strand of blooded intestine and starts feeding on it with relish! So it fooled us as well as the Tawny. It was limping because it was holding something in its talons. It turns out to be a Steppe Eagle. Everywhere we go we hear the call of the Woodland Kingfisher constantly trilling out of the landscape. It’s a bit like driving along inside my cellphone – think I’ll change the ringtone because I keep reaching for the wretched thing even though I know it’s switched off . . . .
We cross Biyamiti Bridge, and, as usual, stop to investigate the river bed. There are a couple of elephant in the distance and a Pied Kingfisher flashes downstream. Eventually we arrive at the Lake Panic Bird-hide. The water-lilies are coming out and there are Black Crakes trotting from leaf to leaf, picking up tiny water-snails and other organisms in their bright yellow beaks. In the distance we can see African Jacanas doing the same thing. On the sandy stretch to the left are a Goliath Heron and her two half-grown chicks. They seem to be very demanding of her attention and eventually she takes off and lands on a log in the water whereupon they scurry up and down their piece of shoreline uttering hoarse squawks and reaching out their necks to her in yearning. One of them hopefully stretches out its rather puny-looking wings but doesn’t attempt to fly. They are quite charming to watch, their ginger crests mostly raised, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing or stalking up and down the shore as they anxiously watch the female tranquilly standing on her grey log staring hypnotically at the water.Southern Masked Weavers and Lesser Masked Weavers are flying back and forth between the reeds and the nests they are building, long streamers of green trailing from their bills. In the distance a Darter perches on a fallen log.
There are also Grey Herons here and Malachite Kingfishers We see a Green-backed Heron staring into the water from a low branch and a little group of White-faced Duck fly over the water. Then, of course, there are the hippos frolicking around in the background, whilst a small crocodile secretes itself amongst the lily pads – luckily the Black Crakes have moved on! Egyptian Geese and Hadeda Ibis add to the noise made by the herons and the weavers and a couple of Pied Wagtails move up and down the shore.
At Skukuza there is a pair of African Black Duck in the river and in the tree above are Common House Sparrows and a few starlings, but we are surprised at how few birds there are around what is normally an easy source of food. From here we move on towards Pretoriuskop. At Transport dam we see Wood Sandpipers, Three-banded Plovers, Egyptian Geese, White-fronted Cormorants, Water Thick-knees, impala and waterbuck. Lesser-striped Swallows and White-throated Swallows are sweeping overhead, and mingling with them are masses of European Bee-eaters hawking over the water. Closer to Shitlhave dam we find a Red-crested Korhaan on a termite mound. It stares at us, and then scuttles off into the grass.
Before we get to camp - we see a leopard!
I forgot to mention that we also saw Paradise Flycatcher on Day 2 at the Berg-en-Dal Dam.
Attachments
Allan Hobbs
Body in the UK, heart in South Africa
Well I hope all in the SA Forum had a great Christmas, and I wish you all a terrific New Year. May you spot everything on your wish-list!
By the way, I don't think I'll post any more photos as the standard is now getting so good! Well done everyone.
Allan
By the way, I don't think I'll post any more photos as the standard is now getting so good! Well done everyone.
Allan
Sal
Well-known member
Thanks Allan. :t: Please continue to post photos - its not the quality that counts, its the bird! :-O
cossypha
Well-known member
Dave and Sal both posted a wonderful kingfisher shot I see! I love the moth Dave, and the hippo. Sal how lucky of you to see a leopard!
I know what you mean! But like Sal said, the quality dosent matter really.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas
I know what you mean! But like Sal said, the quality dosent matter really.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas
cossypha
Well-known member
Thanks Sal. I actually went a week or so ago, and decided next time I must bring the camera... We went again yesterday, and of course I forgot to take it!!! :-C
I'm actually hoping a Yellow wagtail will show up here at borrowdale brooke - theres already Cape and African pied wagtails, so maybe sometime soon!
I'm actually hoping a Yellow wagtail will show up here at borrowdale brooke - theres already Cape and African pied wagtails, so maybe sometime soon!
heidivisagie
Member
black headed heron
looking for southern african readers, can anyone give advice on feeding a juvenile black headed heron? Fell out of his nest three days ago, have been feeding him Pronutro, tried a frog yesterday - disaster. Help?
looking for southern african readers, can anyone give advice on feeding a juvenile black headed heron? Fell out of his nest three days ago, have been feeding him Pronutro, tried a frog yesterday - disaster. Help?
Dave Kennedy
Well-known member
Heidi, hello -
No personal experience of feeding Black-headed Herons, but Roberts (Sixth Edition) lists frogs, fish, crabs, insects, rodents, birds (up to size of Laughing Dove), small reptiles, worms, spiders, scorpions, snails, moles. They are obviously predatory, and probably swallow their prey whole. They will eat any live prey small enough to subdue and swallow. The problem may be that you do not resemble a Black-headed Heron - the sight of one or other of its parents may trigger the feeding response in the chick. Do you know of any bird rehabilitation centres you could contact? Somebody there may have a better idea.
Good luck,
Dave
Dave Kennedy
Well-known member
Heidi,
Here area a couple of contact details - perhaps you could try them.
Wings in Need – 0027 (0)83 290 2326
Free Me Wildlife
Rehabilitation Centre
Johannesburg - Tel: 0027 (0)11 807 6993
Cell: 0027 (0)83 558 5658 (a/h and emergency)
E-Mail: [email protected]
Fax : 0027 (0)11) 807 6814
Best wishes,
Dave
Here area a couple of contact details - perhaps you could try them.
Wings in Need – 0027 (0)83 290 2326
Free Me Wildlife
Rehabilitation Centre
Johannesburg - Tel: 0027 (0)11 807 6993
Cell: 0027 (0)83 558 5658 (a/h and emergency)
E-Mail: [email protected]
Fax : 0027 (0)11) 807 6814
Best wishes,
Dave
Sal
Well-known member
Heidi failing the ones that Dave has given you, another place that would be able to help with info/suggestions would be
The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
P. O. Box 53007, Yellowwood Park 4011
Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.
2 Coedmore Avenue, Yellowwood Park, Durban.
Tel: +27 (31) 462 1127
Fax: +27 (31) 462-9700
E-mail: [email protected]
The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
P. O. Box 53007, Yellowwood Park 4011
Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.
2 Coedmore Avenue, Yellowwood Park, Durban.
Tel: +27 (31) 462 1127
Fax: +27 (31) 462-9700
E-mail: [email protected]
Dave Kennedy
Well-known member
Kruger Park, 12th-16th December 2009
Road trip, Letaba to Satara
Weather nowadays is fickle, no doubt about it. Having enjoyed a couple of days at Letaba with blue skies and a benign 33 degrees C, we awoke to strong winds, gusting rain showers, and a temperature around 14 degrees. Well, at least it wouldn't be too serious,for we would be transferring this day from Letaba to Satara, and it would be nice and cool in the car.
It wasn't only us that was peeved about the weather: most of the avian population, if this gang of Wattled Starlings (first picture) was anything to go by, felt exactly the same, and sought out shelter as best they could.
We saw little between Letaba and Olifants, where we stopped for a coffee break. The public area has been largely rebuilt, and was due to re-open the day after our visit. The best new feature is a fabulous elevated deck built around the trunks of the the trees which grew between the old restaurant building and the viewing position at the cliff edge. From here (providing it isn't bucketing with rain as it was during our visit) you wiill be able to sit at your table overlooking one of the finest views in Africa. Despite the weather, the view was still spectacular, and from the new deck we had an uninterrupted view of all the heavy rain coming up from the south to get us (second picture).
The Olifants River marks the boundary between the Mopane veld north of the river, and the savannah, mixed Acacia thornveld and grassveld to the south. This vegetation change mirrors a change in animal and bird types as well. Once out of the somewhat monotonous Mopane, with its relatively small number of specialists, there is an increase in species diversity which can make exciting birding. As we traversed the open, park-like plains south of Olifants, we spotted an obliging Bronze-winged Courser, a species which I had previously seen only at night (third photograph).
Some way further on, we were forced to halt because the biggest camera lens I had ever seen in my life was sticking out of the driver's window of a very small car. So big was this lens that the guy's wife was sitting in splendid isolation on the rear seat of this vehicle, her nose buried in a book, which neatly summed up her feelings about her husband's/boy friend's/brother's obsession. Clearly this thing was so large that when not in use, he needed the whole of the front seat to plonk it, thus banishing that nice lady to bored indifference in the back seat. Now what, we wondered, was this over-compensating photographer photographing? I inched forward, getting as close as I could to his car. And there was a juvenile Martial Eagle with bulging crop, enjoying his lunch (photo 4). He had been obscured by a small bush near the side of the road. Unfortunately his lunch was hidden in long green grass, so we could not make out what he/she had caught.
We drove on, with Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrikes on virtually every bush. As we moved out onto open grassland we kept a particular eye out for Montagu's and Pallid Harriers. On a previous occasion we had spotted these grassland specialists, but at some distance, and ever since that day we had argued aboout which we had seen. The males can be distinguished if you get a good look, but the females are really hard to differentiate. Well, if we had been hoping to settle that question, we would be disappointed. Not a harrier did we see. As some compensation, small groups of White Storks patrolled the veld (Photo 5).
And so, with the weather lifting slightly, we came to Satara. What we did and saw there will be the subject of the next instalment.
Best wishes,
Dave
PS I hope the bloke with the world's biggest lens and the banished wife/squeeze/mistress wasn't one of you lot!
Road trip, Letaba to Satara
Weather nowadays is fickle, no doubt about it. Having enjoyed a couple of days at Letaba with blue skies and a benign 33 degrees C, we awoke to strong winds, gusting rain showers, and a temperature around 14 degrees. Well, at least it wouldn't be too serious,for we would be transferring this day from Letaba to Satara, and it would be nice and cool in the car.
It wasn't only us that was peeved about the weather: most of the avian population, if this gang of Wattled Starlings (first picture) was anything to go by, felt exactly the same, and sought out shelter as best they could.
We saw little between Letaba and Olifants, where we stopped for a coffee break. The public area has been largely rebuilt, and was due to re-open the day after our visit. The best new feature is a fabulous elevated deck built around the trunks of the the trees which grew between the old restaurant building and the viewing position at the cliff edge. From here (providing it isn't bucketing with rain as it was during our visit) you wiill be able to sit at your table overlooking one of the finest views in Africa. Despite the weather, the view was still spectacular, and from the new deck we had an uninterrupted view of all the heavy rain coming up from the south to get us (second picture).
The Olifants River marks the boundary between the Mopane veld north of the river, and the savannah, mixed Acacia thornveld and grassveld to the south. This vegetation change mirrors a change in animal and bird types as well. Once out of the somewhat monotonous Mopane, with its relatively small number of specialists, there is an increase in species diversity which can make exciting birding. As we traversed the open, park-like plains south of Olifants, we spotted an obliging Bronze-winged Courser, a species which I had previously seen only at night (third photograph).
Some way further on, we were forced to halt because the biggest camera lens I had ever seen in my life was sticking out of the driver's window of a very small car. So big was this lens that the guy's wife was sitting in splendid isolation on the rear seat of this vehicle, her nose buried in a book, which neatly summed up her feelings about her husband's/boy friend's/brother's obsession. Clearly this thing was so large that when not in use, he needed the whole of the front seat to plonk it, thus banishing that nice lady to bored indifference in the back seat. Now what, we wondered, was this over-compensating photographer photographing? I inched forward, getting as close as I could to his car. And there was a juvenile Martial Eagle with bulging crop, enjoying his lunch (photo 4). He had been obscured by a small bush near the side of the road. Unfortunately his lunch was hidden in long green grass, so we could not make out what he/she had caught.
We drove on, with Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrikes on virtually every bush. As we moved out onto open grassland we kept a particular eye out for Montagu's and Pallid Harriers. On a previous occasion we had spotted these grassland specialists, but at some distance, and ever since that day we had argued aboout which we had seen. The males can be distinguished if you get a good look, but the females are really hard to differentiate. Well, if we had been hoping to settle that question, we would be disappointed. Not a harrier did we see. As some compensation, small groups of White Storks patrolled the veld (Photo 5).
And so, with the weather lifting slightly, we came to Satara. What we did and saw there will be the subject of the next instalment.
Best wishes,
Dave
PS I hope the bloke with the world's biggest lens and the banished wife/squeeze/mistress wasn't one of you lot!
Attachments
Last edited:
Sal
Well-known member
Very interesting photos Dave and an interesting write-up. That weather coming up looks most daunting and the Oliphants river looks pretty full. How lucky you were to see and photograph a Bronze-winged Courser. As for the Martial, what an amazing picture of that bulging crop. Looking forward to the Satara episode.
Martin Hobbs
Well-known member
Dave,
Thanks for the information on the Grey-headed Parrot, as it is one I have on my wish list for our trip in January. We have two nights in Punda Maria and so Pafuri will be our first area to go to.
Martin
Martin Hobbs
Well-known member
Sal
Well-known member
January! Wow, just round the corner. I am so envious - yes I know it's my turn to be . . . ! Hope you have a really great visit. Take lost of pics. I plan to go up there in 2011 and I want to know what it's like :-O
Martin Hobbs
Well-known member
Dave,
I am pleased that they have finished the work on Olifants as I was hoping to take my Wife's visiting family to there to show them the view on the way down the Park.
When I, Allan and family were there earlier this year we were a bit cramped in the temporary 'eating area'. It sounds lovely now.
The guy with the big lens could probably only afford a small car after paying for the lens... it possibly cost him more than his car!!
Martin
Sal
Well-known member
Sure is Martin. This is my ninth new sighting this year - the best year for a long time. Normally I achieve anything from none to two . . . . (Mostly none!)
