Southern African Forum (2 Viewers)

[Sal]

Yes we have the grumpy grey one with us for a few days - grumpy because he will be cold, but I will still be in shorts. Grey - well at least he still has some hair, unlike me.

Sorry I've been absent for a while - work has been frantic and I've been putting in long hours. Still, I'm on holiday now with only two sleeps to go o
I've nearly finished my packing already. I don't know how I will last till Monday night :-O

Allan

Well Allan I hope you all have a wonderful time and see lots - this last 24hrs or so is almost as good as the real thing I find - expectations at fever-pitch! Travel safe.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Hi, everybody - back again, I hope for a considerable time....too much unwanted travelling lately.

To get the ball rolling...........

My daughters returned today (Sunday 12th July) from Cape Town with this unusual photograph. Not the best pic, because the weather was dull, but it shows a Malachite Kingfisher doing its thing in Cape Town Harbour, just outside the Cape Grace Hotel. I've seen them in brackish water at Rondevlei near Wilderness - but never in a busy, salt-water harbour. If you look at the boat which is bows-on on the left of the second photo, the kingfisher was sitting on her mooring cable.

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

 

[Sal]

Welcome back Dave. That is certainly an amazing sighting! Hope you have a few birding stories to tell us?

 

[Martin Hobbs]

So, back to birds in our Krugersdorp garden............

Just this morning I heard an unmistakeable cackling in the garden, and found these two bandits enjoying an apple. They often come to forage in the loose bark of our Acacia sieberiana tree, but this is the first time I've caught green wood-hoopoes eating an apple.

Sorry about the photographs - I had to sneak these through a less-than-perfectly-clean lounge window.

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

Dave,
Welcome back.
Following your pictures of the Green Wood-hoopoes eating Apples in your garden I have been watching carefully when I hear the cackling, and yesterday after searching in all the trees around our fruit feeders, two of them decide to have a taste of the Papaya. This is the first time I have seen this. The other 4 of them carried on searching the trees and the bushes and ignored the fruit.
I did laugh at the two eating the fruit, as the bill has not exactly evolved for this purpose and they had trouble swallowing it.

Martin

 

[Sal]

Nice sighting Martin, and great to see pics of them trying to eat it, I can see exactly what you mean about the swallowing. I am off to Hluhluwe/Imfolozi for four nights at the end of this month. Can't wait. Hope you have a good few days at Marloth with your bald brother

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Dave,
Welcome back.
Following your pictures of the Green Wood-hoopoes eating Apples in your garden I have been watching carefully when I hear the cackling, and yesterday after searching in all the trees around our fruit feeders, two of them decide to have a taste of the Papaya. This is the first time I have seen this. The other 4 of them carried on searching the trees and the bushes and ignored the fruit.
I did laugh at the two eating the fruit, as the bill has not exactly evolved for this purpose and they had trouble swallowing it.

Martin

Thanks for this input, Martin - so we have at least 4 fruit-eating Green Wood-hoopoes in the country. I guess this proves what I am sure we have all suspected. Wild creatures are opportunists and adaptable, and will do what it takes to survive. Another example of this that springs to mind was a herd of browsing buffalo in a drought-stricken Kruger some years ago, and my apple-eating Lesser Double-collared Sunbird in the Cape.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Thanks for this input, Martin - so we have at least 4 fruit-eating Green Wood-hoopoes in the country. I guess this proves what I am sure we have all suspected. Wild creatures are opportunists and adaptable, and will do what it takes to survive. Another example of this that springs to mind was a herd of browsing buffalo in a drought-stricken Kruger some years ago, and my apple-eating Lesser Double-collared Sunbird in the Cape.

Best wishes,
Dave

Dave,
Nature will find a way....
I still wonder why only these two decided to try the Papaya and the others completely ignored it?

What about the Buffalo in Kruger, what were they doing?

Martin

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Dave,
Nature will find a way....
I still wonder why only these two decided to try the Papaya and the others completely ignored it?

What about the Buffalo in Kruger, what were they doing?

Martin

This occurred between Olifants and Letaba. There wasn't a blade of grass, so they were browsing mopane leaves, not that they looked very appetising either. Cattle/buffalo are normally grazers.....this was the first time I had seen buffalo browsing.

Dave

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Nice sighting Martin, and great to see pics of them trying to eat it, I can see exactly what you mean about the swallowing. I am off to Hluhluwe/Imfolozi for four nights at the end of this month. Can't wait. Hope you have a good few days at Marloth with your bald brother

Sal,
Allan cannot understand why I am dressed in a large coat and beenie whilst we are in Kruger during the winter early mornings and late evenings, while he and the family are dressed in shorts and T-Shirts....even with no hair he still doesn't wear a cap or anything.....
Even though I am his brother he now considers me a wuss for dressing up so warm, he doesn't seem to apprecaite that after 17 years living out here that my blood is much thinner than his now!!!
Anyway, I have the last laugh when they come out here in November when it is just starting to heat up for the summer, then they suffer with their thick blood!!
But it is winter, and I know I am in for some abuse next week....

Martin

 

[Martin Hobbs]

This occurred between Olifants and Letaba. There wasn't a blade of grass, so they were browsing mopane leaves, not that they looked very appetising either. Cattle/buffalo are normally grazers.....this was the first time I had seen buffalo browsing.

Dave

Dave,
Interesting....
I am up in the Letaba and Olifants area next week, I hope I don't see this sort of incident, although if the Lowveld is anything like JHB this winter where we have had some rain, there really shouldn't be a problem up there.
Looking forward to taking the camera and the new lenses to Kruger for the first time. I hope I bring back lots of pics as good as Sal's showing on the SANParks web forum.
Of course if there are any good one's I will post and share..

Martin

 

[Sal]

Sal,
Allan cannot understand why I am dressed in a large coat and beenie whilst we are in Kruger during the winter early mornings and late evenings, while he and the family are dressed in shorts and T-Shirts....even with no hair he still doesn't wear a cap or anything.....
Even though I am his brother he now considers me a wuss for dressing up so warm, he doesn't seem to apprecaite that after 17 years living out here that my blood is much thinner than his now!!!
Anyway, I have the last laugh when they come out here in November when it is just starting to heat up for the summer, then they suffer with their thick blood!!
But it is winter, and I know I am in for some abuse next week....

Martin

Early mornings in Kruger are often around 5C - 10C. Is he really saying that in these temps in England he walks around in shorts and T-shirts???? :eek!: Maybe he is pulling your chain for fun and secretly suffering?

Well, between the two of you, I thought up a book title that should have some appeal out there "Baldy and the Grey One". It has a certain intriguing je ne sais quoi about it and nice rhythm don't you think? :-O

Have fun. I see you are going north - are you spending a night or two up there?

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Early mornings in Kruger are often around 5C - 10C. Is he really saying that in these temps in England he walks around in shorts and T-shirts???? :eek!: Maybe he is pulling your chain for fun and secretly suffering?

Well, between the two of you, I thought up a book title that should have some appeal out there "Baldy and the Grey One". It has a certain intriguing je ne sais quoi about it and nice rhythm don't you think? :-O

Have fun. I see you are going north - are you spending a night or two up there?

Sal,
His whole family dress like that, admittedly not first thing in the morning, but while I am still wearing a jacket they are already stripping off…
The books could be a series… “Baldy and the Grey One visit Kruger”, Baldy and the Grey One in Marloth”, “Baldy and the Grey One – A Birding Adventure”…. With pictures!


Martin

 

[Sal]

Sal,
His whole family dress like that, admittedly not first thing in the morning, but while I am still wearing a jacket they are already stripping off…
The books could be a series… “Baldy and the Grey One visit Kruger”, Baldy and the Grey One in Marloth”, “Baldy and the Grey One – A Birding Adventure”…. With pictures!


Martin

Its beginning to sound like a children's adventure series . . . .

I expect they strip off early to catch the sun on their extremely white English skin, but they're not going to tell you that!

Hope you see masses of exciting birds.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Welcome back Dave. That is certainly an amazing sighting! Hope you have a few birding stories to tell us?

Thanks, Sal -
I don't have anything new on the South African side, but, having had 2 trips to UK in the last 3 months, I've posted some Scottish observations under Your Local Patch/UK & Ireland/Scotland. Take a look, and see how the other half lives!

I'll probably post a few more Scottish observations, and then get back to SA birds, which are a bloody sight easier to see than British ones - i.e. there are so many more species here in SA. We are really very fortunate.

Best wishes,
Dave

PS I've also got a couple of posts under trees, flowers, fungi etc., and under Mammals and Sea Life.

 

[Sal]

Thanks Dave, I will take a look.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Just a quick note - I've posted the picture of a flower taken by my daughter in the Cederberg, near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape. You can find it in Nature in General/Trees, plants, flowers fungi etc. If any of you excellent birders know anything about flowers, I would appreciate an ID.

Thank you
Dave

 

[kevinexzim]

Newbie

Just joined as a beginner. Hoping to get some good bird photo tips & friendly chats on the subject. Based in Westville near Durban. Cheers.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Just joined as a beginner. Hoping to get some good bird photo tips & friendly chats on the subject. Based in Westville near Durban. Cheers.

Welcome, Kevin. We will look forward to hearing more about you and your sightings. Please feel free to ask about anything you wish.........there are some very good birders here, and they will do their best tot help you as much as possible.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[kevinexzim]

Thanks for the welcome, Dave. I'm interested in trying to photo birds in flight. I have a Sony A350 DSLR & 70-200mm zoom. Is there a forum for tips & pics for in-flight photography? I've made some initial attempts with a pair of Crowned Eagles and some sunbirds, but finding it very challenging to track the flight and get decent photos - it's pot luck at this stage!

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Thanks for the welcome, Dave. I'm interested in trying to photo birds in flight. I have a Sony A350 DSLR & 70-200mm zoom. Is there a forum for tips & pics for in-flight photography? I've made some initial attempts with a pair of Crowned Eagles and some sunbirds, but finding it very challenging to track the flight and get decent photos - it's pot luck at this stage!

Kevin, click onto Forums, then scroll down to Photography, Digiscoping, Art & Equipment. I am sure you will find sub-forums within that section where you can discuss your photographic problems.

Dave