Places to visit nearby

Last week we drove through the Strijdom tunnel up to the escarpment. It's an hour drive. We camped at beautiful Graskop and visited the surrounding forests, waterfalls and vistas. Long-crested eagle, Purple-crested Turaco and othe forest and higher altitude species abound.
It's a nice cool-down to go up there when it gets steaming hot down here in the Lowveld.

Gardens on the wild-side

Having a wild-garden with wild grasses, indigenious trees and shrubs has it's benefits with birds but snakes also enjoy the environment. A black mamba, boomslang and brown house snake wa seen in the garden for November alone!!

I took this photo of Arrow-marked Babbler in a shrub near the fence. They are a noisy bunch but do warn you when there is a snake around when they make a huge commotion.

Fisherman at the pond!

The guidebook says Brown-hooded Kingfisher occasionally fish and I've caught it catching my Koi from the pond this week! White-crested Helmet Shrikes pass through the garden more often now. The masked weaver has builb 9 nests in the Flamboyant Tree but only two females have reared chicks in them and the male kas stripped my palm trees from almost all there leaves for nesting material. The Diederik Cuckoos are mating and a couple tumbled to the grass a few feet from me completely oblivious of my presence.

I photographed this Cape Buffalo who was part of a herd of 300 animals which crossed the road betwwn Letaba and Mopani camps during our viist to the Kruger park in August.

Summer Birds are here!!!

Jacobin's and Klaas's Cuckoo are both back and letting everyone know. Golden breasted bunting has become a daily vistor to the garden. The Groundscraper Trush is nesting. Booted eagle has been seen catching a snake inside the fence!!
Pair of African Cuckoo Hawk has become regular visitors as well as a Gymnogene which now perch up to 30m from the house. African Green Pigeons are having a feast in the Jackalberry tree. Paradise Flycathers are back and nesting. Tambourine dove has been seen several time 50m from the front door on the ground!!

Here is a photo I took of a Melba Finch a few weeks ago.

MORE BIRD FRIENDLY

OUR NEW GARDEN IS SLOWLY TAKING SHAPE. THE FISH POND HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND THE LITTLE BIRD BATH WAS FINISHED YESTERDAY. I HAVE ADDED PAPAYA TREES, A BANANA AND SOME FERNS. WE GOT REEDS IN THE NEARBY RIVER AND PLANTED THEM IN POTS BEFORE SUBMERGINGING THEM IN THE POND. NOW LET'S WAIT AND SEE WHAT NEW BIRDS WILL SHOW UP!

NEW WINTER GARDEN BIRDS!!

THE BLACK CUCKOOSHRIKE, MARICO SUNBIRD, BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE AND GREEN-CAPPED EREMOMELAS HAVE BEEN SEEN TODAY IN THE GARDEN. SEEMS LIKE AS THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE GETS DRIER MY GARDEN BECOMES MORE ATTRACTIVE.
THE PUFFBACK HAS BEEN ALL OVER TODAY WITH HIS CHIT-CHAT CALL.

GOOD BIRDING SITE NEARBY

WE SPENT 3 DAYS CAMPING AT NEARBY SWADINI CANYON RESORT. BIRDING IS EXCELLENT. KUDU ANTELOPE AND BUSHBUCK PASS FREELY BETWEEN THE CARAVANS AND TENTS. A HIKE TO THE WATERFALL OR A BOAT TRIP ON THE DAM OFFER GOOD BIRDING. EVEN THE CAMPSITE IS PROMISING. WE SAW RED-BILLED SHRIKE WHILE SWIMMING IN THE WARM WATER POOL!!
I took this picture in April this year.

NEIGBOURHOOD REPORTS!!

TWO STRAY ELEPHANTS WERE FOUND IN OUR NEIGHBOORHOOD A WHILE AGO. THEY HAD TO BE SHOT AND THE COMMUNITY DEVOURED THEM, CUTTING MEAT WITH AXES. A HIPPO KILLED A YOUNG LADY LAST YEAR. THERE ARE TWO CROCODILES IN THE DAM BELOW THE HOUSE. SOMETIMES IT IS JUST GOOD TO REMEMBER THAT AFRICA IS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD, YOU KIND OF FORGET ABOUT IT.

I took this photo of an elephant on our last visit to the Kruger Park.

TODAY'S GARDEN BIRDS

THE YELLOW HORNBILLS HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THE GUAVAS. MANY BLUE WAXBILLS AFTER WE CUT THE GRASS. A BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE CAME TO INVESTIGATE THE MARULA TREE TODAY BUT THE FRUIT HASN'T RIPEN YET. EARLY LAST NIGHT A SQUARE TAILED NIGHTJAR WAS FLIGHING AROUND THE GARDEN CATHING INSECTS.

DAY TRIP TO KRUGER PARK, 1 JUNE 2006

WE LEFT HOME AT 06:00 IN THE MORNING AND ARRIVED AT THE PHALABORWA GATE AT 07:10. IT WAS A WARM DAY WITM MANY BIRDS ON THE ROAD. A BREEDING HERD OF ELEPHANT AND A HERD OF BUFFULO CROSSED THE ROAD ON THE WAY TO LETABA CAMP.
NEAR THE RIVER WE SAW SADDLE-BILLED STORK, SPOONBILL AND MARABOU STORK. NEAR THE CAMP RESTAURANT A BIRDING PARTY OF YELLOW-BREASTED APALIS, CROMBEC, PARADISE FLYCATHER AND CHIN-SPOT BATIS WERE MOVING THROUGH SOME ACACIA TREES. A PUFFBACK FOLLOWED THEM. TWO BROW-HEADED PARROTS WERE NOISILY FEEDING IN THE WILD FIG. WHAT A NICE DAY IN AFRICA!