12/09/2022 by Anne

FIRST STOP NANAGA

For any journey south from the town where I live the first stop must surely be the Nanaga Farm Stall off the N2. I extolled the virtues of this popular place earlier this year, so you won’t be surprised to know that this is where we stopped for an early breakfast before tackling the long road ahead of us.

This farm stall is not only well known for its delicious pies and other things to eat and drink. Its pleasant surroundings, luscious lawns, indigenous plants and an array of picnic tables make it a very pleasant place to take a break from driving. We sometimes see a cat or two, but this time were greeted by a pair of ducks that waddled quietly between the tables.

If you take the time to look around, you will become aware of several birds in the bushes, on the ground, or dipping into the water at the edge of a small pond. Some of the birds – like this Pied Starling – make their presence felt by scuttling towards you on the ground, flying in to land on your table, or perching on the back of a metal chair with a sidelong look to see if you have dropped any crumbs from the delicious pastry of the pie in your hand.

Then there are weavers, such as this Southern Masked Weaver, that take time off from chasing each other over the garden or building their nests in the fever trees to emulate the starlings and arrive to see what pickings are on offer.

More subtle, or perhaps this is because they are less flamboyant looking, are the small flocks of Cape Sparrows that hop about on the lawn or scour the ground around the tables.

The garden is filled with indigenous trees and flowers: definitely a topic for another post. However, as they still boast beautiful flowers alongside the spring flush of green leaves, I have to leave you with this beautiful sight of a young Erythrina lysistemon, one of several planted in this beautiful setting.

Feeling refreshed, we tackled the next section of our long journey much further south.

18/01/2022 by Anne

PIED STARLINGS

A bird one cannot help smiling at is the Pied Starling (Lamprotornis bicolor), called a Witgatspreeu in Afrikaans. They are endemic to South Africa and cover a large range – although do not appear to frequent urban areas. I sometimes spot them in the grassland on the edges of our town yet mainly enjoy their presence when visiting the Mountain Zebra National Park. This is where one can get very close to them to observe their antics.

Pied Starlings spend a lot of their time on the ground looking for insects which form the bulk of their diet. I once observed one catching and eating a spider that was walking across a lawn.

These birds are also known to eat fruit, nectar and seeds.

They are fairly large birds with an upright posture that allows one to see their white vent and belly. Very noticeable too are their white eyes.

The eyes of juveniles are dark, as you can see in the photograph below.

Their bills – black above and yellow below – sport a yellow wattle at the gape, which gives them a comical look as if they have a down-turned mouth.

27/01/2019 by Anne

A HUNGRY PIED STARLING

Imagine you are a beetle, a shongololo, a worm, a spider, or anything else a Pied Starling might decide is tasty to eat: this is not the view you would enjoy at all!

14/01/2019 by Anne

IT IS DRY

… and very hot! The sun sucks the moisture from the ground and desiccates the grass. It beats down on the rocks, creating shimmers of heat waves above them. The bees and flies seek whatever water they can find.

Bees and flies seeking water.

There have been recent newspaper reports on the plight of vultures in South Africa suffering from dehydration in this drought – everything needs water to survive. A tiny leak in a pipe becomes a welcome source of hydration for Pied Starlings.

Pied Starling

Even though we are at the height of summer, there is little in the way of green grass to be seen.

Black Wildebeest

In places one can only wonder how the animals find enough food to sustain them.

Springbuck

Beautiful vistas of the Karoo show how yellow the grass is – what will be left for winter grazing if the rains do not come?

Mountain Zebra National Park

We have spent a few glorious days camping in the Mountain Zebra National Park. It is a peaceful wonderland with an abundance of interesting birds, animals and insects to see.

Cape Mountain Zebra

The swimming pool at the rest camp is a ‘life-saver’ though after a game drive during which the temperature has soared to 38°C.

NOTE: Click on the photographs for a larger view.

29/11/2018 by Anne

THERE ARE BIRDS IN ADDO

Far too many tourists drive about seeking one species of animal after the other in their quest to chalk up as many as they can – even driving past elephants, zebra and kudu because of a “we’ve seen them” attitude – with eyes peeled for the ultimate prize: the sight of a lion. We see bored faces in vehicles as the day progresses, listless looks of bafflement when a passing vehicle asks what we are looking at and we respond “birds” or even tell them what bird we might be looking at. “Birds,” one might say or simply give a nod of the head as they move on in their quest.

Watching out for birds in any game reserve adds to the enjoyment of the environment as a whole. Here are a few of the many seen on our recent trip to the Addo Elephant National Park:

A ubiquitous Common Fiscal. Note how it is holding on to the twigs to keep it steady in the stiff breeze.

A young Olive Thrush perching inquisitively on our picnic table. Notice that it is still covered with speckles.

Cape Bulbuls, such as this one abound in the rest camp.

Large flocks of Pied Starlings can be seen all over in the park.

It is always fun seeing Speckled Mousebirds fly across the road or to working their way through bushes as they look for leaves, berries or flowers to eat.