SHADOWS

Summer is blasting us with heat as though it is reluctant to make way for autumn. Seeking shade is one way of coping with the hot weather and this set me thinking about shadows. Herewith is a group of pictures that inadvertently illustrated shadows. The first shows shadows cast by trees lining an extension of our street:

These donkeys sheltering in the shade of trees are a short way from where I live:

Here is the Bell Cow – a member of the Urban Herd we have not seen for a very long time – casting a shadow of her own:

A Red Hartebeest does the same as it grazes next to a road in the Mountain Zebra National Park:

As does a Crowned Lapwing:

Lastly, this baby elephant seeks shelter within the shadow of its mother in the Addo Elephant National Park:

ANIMALS IN ACTION

While exchanging comments with one of my regular readers the other day, we concluded that far too often we overlook what is common to us and go in search of something new – quite forgetting that other people are willing to pay money to seek out the very things we ignore! This conversation sent me looking through my photographs for pictures of animals in action – hence the title.

I will start with one you might have seen before – or a similar one – of a group of suricates on the alert:

You will frequently find that one of them at least appears to be ‘on guard’ such as the one in the middle that is sitting down. These ones had, however, all been made aware of some potential danger (which we couldn’t see) and were ready to defend themselves.

I admit to frequently driving past warthogs simply because there are so many of them both in the national parks and around the area where I live. Occasionally though I stop to watch them as if through the eyes of a stranger – they really are interesting animals to observe, such as this one kneeling down to eat:

There are grazers and browsers. This kudu bull is a fine example of the latter – although kudu are often seen grazing too:

All animals require water at some time during the day. Their caution and patience is most remarkable. Animals are often vulnerable to attack while they are drinking and so they might not only approach a waterhole slowly and look around carefully, they might stand at the edge of the water for some time before dipping their heads down to drink. Even then, many will take a sip or two and look up to check their surroundings again to make sure the coast is clear. Here is a herd of zebra and a lone red hartebeest approaching a waterhole:

Given their large size, elephants do not need to exercise the same caution. This small herd is almost racing towards the water:

What about the smaller creatures? This leopard tortoise is taking advantage of a puddle in the road after some rain. It too approaches the water with caution and looks around before drinking:

I can never take these creatures for granted and feel blessed to be able to see them just over an hour away in the Addo Elephant National Park when I experience a need to spend time in the wild again!

GLISTENING RED HARTEBEEST

While the Red Hartebeest might not have the size or attractive features of a kudu, for example, I think they have a beauty in their own right – especially when they glisten in the bright sunlight.

Red Hartebeest tend to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon and so one can see them lying down to rest during the warmest parts of the day. They do not depend on water as much as some other antelope do and mostly graze on grass. Both cows and bulls carry horns and  have scent glands below their eyes and between their front hooves. As you can see, when viewed from the front, the horns are V–shaped, while they are lyre-shaped when viewed from the side. The complex curving horns join at the base and their tips are smooth.

SCENES FROM NATIONAL PARKS

South Africa is blessed with several national parks. It takes time and travelling long distances to visit even some of them, yet none disappoint. Today I will feature scenes from a few of them. The Addo Elephant National Park is not very far from where we live and so, every now and then, we go there for a day visit. Given its name, visitors naturally expect to see elephants there:

It is also a good place for birding, where one might be fortunate to see raptors such as this Jackal Buzzard:

The Mountain Zebra National Park is also easily accessible to us and is the perfect place to spend a few days. Visitors here would obviously expect to see mountain zebras:

However, one might also be fortunate to spot a cheetah lying in the yellow grass:

There are red hartebeest in the Karoo National Park – which makes a good stopping point between where we live and Cape Town:

One can also enjoy seeing ostriches striding along the open veld:

The world famous Kruger National Park is several day’s journey from here and hosts an enormous variety of plants, birds, insects and animals. When we consider the alarming rate at which rhinos are killed in this country, we cannot help but feel privileged to see them from close quarters here:

The name on every visitor’s lips is ‘lion’. Mention the word and people speed up and jostle for space to see even the tip of the tail of one. Equally exciting to see though are leopards:

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is the furthest away from us and – despite its remote location – is such a popular destination that one has to book accommodation about a year ahead. This is an incredible place for seeing lions:

It is also a marvellous place for seeing the very beautiful crimson-breasted shrike:

ANIMALS EATING

Warthogs are omnivores whose diet includes roots, berries, bark, bulbs, grass and a variety of plants. Their rounded cartilage snout is hardened on the upper side so that it can act as a kind of shovel to dig up bulbs from under the ground – as this one is doing:

Elephants on the other hand often break branches in order to gain access to the leaves, roots and nutrients in the tree:

Although kudu are well known as browsers, they also eat a variety of fruit, pods, forbs and creepers as well as succulents such as spekboom and aloes. This one is taking advantage of the many forbs that have grown after a long period without rain:

Red Hartebeest are predominantly grazers. While they usually prefer medium-height grass, they also tuck into the fresh re-growth of grass growing after rain:

Like the warthogs, bushpigs are omnivorous. Apart from insects and carrion, they also eat fruit, roots, bulbs and forbs:

We tend to think of zebras being predominantly grazers, yet they also include shrubs, bark, twigs, leaves and herbs in their diet: