Male Cheetah Male Cheetah about to scent mark Inquisitive young Lion Spotted Hyena Spotted Hyena A crash of Rhino Slender Mongoose Waterbuck female and calf A young Waterbuck male Nyala female
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Highlight of the week for me is this Half-collared Kingfisher. This is my second ever sighting and first image of this species. Checking my records I ticked this bird for the first time in Livingstone, Zambia way back in August 2002 Also at the same spot was this Malachite Kingfisher A Yellow-billed Hornbill seen here in soft evening light feeding on the ground A White-backed Vulture warming up in the morning sun A non-breeding Green-backed Heron perched in a tree. Normally they are found skulking in the reeds at the waters edge. In breeding plumage the eyes are orange with the legs orange to orange-red An African Pied Wagtail sunning itself at the waters edge Here I am trying to get a ground level perspective on a Fiery-necked Nightjar after sunset as it warmed itself on the road It never goes to plan. The Nightjar flew off, but luckily it perched nearby on this branch so I was able to get an image A view of our mountain early one morning
The cold snap continues but despite this the birding is still interesting A male Saddle-billed Stork put in a brief appearance at one of the waterholes. These are Uncommon residents listed as Endangered in South Africa This male Red-backed Mannikin is a new tick for my Leadwood List. I came across it in amongst a party of Blue Waxbills and Bronze Mannikins Here a colourful Green-winged Pytilia drops in for a drink Joined soon after by a juvenile Greater Honeyguide This Long-billed Crombec was part of a bird party gleaning small insects off the leaves in a large tree in front of the house A Dark Chanting Goshawk on the look-out from this lofty perch A female Chinspot Batis A rather grainy image of a scarce near-endemic male Double-banded Sandgrouse coming to drink just after sunset. Image taken with the use of a handheld spotlight One of my favourites, the Little Bee-Eater
I am being pleasantly surprised by the variety of birds on offer in the middle of Winter here. We are experiencing cold weather even down here in the Lowveld but the birding remains good A pair of Purple-crested Turacos came to check out our waterhole. Here is hoping they become regular visitors A Red-billed Hornbill enjoying the sunshine A juvenile or female Yellow-fronted Canary checks out the area before flying down to the waters edge to drink A juvenile Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove at the waterhole About a dozen of these near-endemic Cape Vultures flew overhead our house the other day. They are listed as Vulnerable in South Africa A Brown-hooded Kingfisher seen here in soft evening light A magnificent Purple Roller. They are sparsely distributed and are the least common Roller in the region A female or a non-breeding male Red-headed Weaver busy gleaning insects in the tree canopy This Crested Barbet came for a drink at the waterhole The Mistletoe plant continues to attract. Here a near-endemic Acacia Pied Barbet is seen busy feeding on the fruit I came across several Red-billed Ox-peckers in the company of some Impala. A pair of Red-billed Firefinchs seen at the waters edge The African Green Pigeons continue to feed on the ripening figs I regularly come across the resident Striped Kingfishers and they allow me to approach to within several metres to get great images
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April 2024
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