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.