Thanks Sal, I'm still here, waiting to be picked up, so heres a few more pics.
Even as I'm sitting here a pair of firefinches are in the birdbath, and a Heuglin's Robin-Chat is hopping around in the bushes and singing his/her song.
I went to Mazowe dam yesterday with my dad for a bit of kayaking and birdwatching. I didn't take my camera, which i greatly regret now because the birds were wonderful and the boat was easily stable enough.
First we saw African Jacanas, Red-Billed Teals, and lots of Wire-Tailed and another unidentified species of swallow. Then a group of about 100 White-Faced Ducks flew past, all uttering their whistling calls. Next we went into the river mouth, where it got really good. Black Crakes in the reeds to one side, a lifer for me. A small mud bank held two Three-Banded Plovers, and never seeing any of the small plovers before, I was astonished at how small they were. We stopped for a rest a bit further on, where a log was slightly overhanging the water. It seems the log is a favourite perch of kingfishers, as there were fish scales on the ground, and the log looked as though it had been whacked by numerous fishes. Further on we saw Pied Kingfisher, but the river got too shallow and we turned back. My dad says when he used to go kayaking there he saw little blue kingfishers, either Half-collared or Malachite, with nest holes in the banks. We didn't see any though, maybe the season was wrong for breeding.
First pic is a Spectacled Weaver, next is a Long-Crested Eagle, next a Village Indigobird male, in transitional plumage. All taken in my grandparents' garden.
Last is a Cape Glossy Starling from Jo'burg, and I'm wondering why it's got an orange face... any ideas?
