She stops to look at us as we approach towards her on the track When we sat quietly observing her she continued down the track towards us A slight detour into the grass to pass the vehicle Once back on the track behind us she stopped to listen to some monkeys that were alarm calling in the nearby trees Below are the three close-up images which allow for facial spot pattern recognition to assist in identifying individuals
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Male Narina Trogon I finally connected with this magnificent beauty and it obliged by presenting front on so all its striking colouring was visible. A mega tick for my records! An additional interesting feature is the syndactyl toe formation
An obliging Cinnamon-breasted Bunting allows me to get my best image to date of this species The more often seen Golden-breasted Bunting by way of comparison Female Green-winged Pytilia Female Village Weaver Male Red-headed Weaver Cape Glossy Starling Male Red-crested Korhaan This Dark Chanting Goshawk decided to buck the trend and turn the other cheek
I came across the pride resting up on the edge of the tree line in the shade near the dam Later in the evening they all went down to the waters edge for a drink The cubs lay up in the shade waiting for a lead from the lioness The lioness made good use of the view from on top of the dam wall to sum up her options before heading off
A curious Crested Francolin Comb Duck female Comb Duck male Cape Glossy Starling enjoying a bath Female Dusky Indigobird. Thanks to Mike Pope for assistance on the I.D. A family of Bronze Mannikins Yellow-billed Stork coming into land at the dam Posing nicely for the camera Cardinal Woodpecker White-backed Vulture on the remains of a carcass Hooded Vulture also trying to get a piece of the action Yellow-billed Kite overhead Brown-hooded Kingfisher on the look-out for a meal A grey-headed Bush-Shrike concentrating on missing the massive knob-thorns as it hops along the branch
In early August the presence of an Eagle-Owl nest was discovered which was very exciting news. This is our largest owl species. It is widespread but uncommon Parent owl sitting on the nest. Image taken on the 10082020 shortly after the nest site was discovered Having a short catnap as it incubates what is usually a clutch of two eggs, but sometimes only one. Note the diagnostic pink eyelids I went back to stake out the nest on the 06092020 given that incubation is approx 38 days to see if I could see any signs of chicks having hatched. Note how the spring foliage in the canopy has emerged My patience was finally rewarded when I managed to pick up a small ball of downy feathers in the nest through my binoculars. I will continue to check to see if perhaps there is a second chick present
The Mistletoe plant which has allowed me hours of observation and plenty of images has sadly been discovered and mostly destroyed by a troop of Vervet Monkeys. If you look closely you will notice three branches that have been snapped off. This is part of the damage inflicted as they pulled off and ate most of the flowers. Thankfully a small portion of the plant is still intact and hopefully over time the plant will recover. This male White-bellied Sunbird arrived to feed only to discover the damage The good news is that the Weeping Boerbean trees in front of our house are for coming into flower for the first time since we have lived here.I am looking forward to a busy period of birding action to follow. One of the early visitors, a male Village Weaver gleans insects in between the emerging flower buds A nearby female Village Weaver gives me a polite wave, or the "bird" depending on your interpretation A female Lesser-Masked Weaver was also present A male Red-headed Weaver is busy transitioning into his breeding plumage
Here the Lion pride has a team drink early one evening. This is my first image of the whole pride in the frame Notch seen relaxing in soft evening light Mullet posing nicely for the camera Something has caught the attention of Collar
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April 2024
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