Bezhoek Private Nature Reserve - Dec 2022

On the 2nd of December, friends Adolf , Richard and myself headed off to Bezhoek Private Nature Reserve to join David, Vic and Nigel for the annual summer bird count which was arranged to be on the same day as the annual Birdlife SA, Birding Big Day event. Eric, who passed away recently was sorely missed over the weekend as he was one of the initiators of this twice annual bird count taking place in Winter and Summer on the farm. 

First River stop.

The trip to the reserve was uneventful and we got to the farmhouse at around 17:45 on Friday. Sightings were good and we had a list of 35 species from the gate to the house including taking a short night drive. Highlights were a passing European Hobby and all the aerial cisticolas, Zitting, Desert, Cloud and Wing-snapping Cisticolas ticked before reaching the house. As the sun set the Rufous-cheeked Nightjars started calling incessantly around the house and in several places on the night drive. We also got some good photos of them and Fiery-necked Nightjar, taken during the sunset drive. Spotted Eagle Owl and Barn Owl were both heard. Freckled Nightjar which was heard, seen and photographed near the house during the winter count was absent this time..Banded Martin, Southern Anteating Chat and Long-tailed Widows were the most abundant species on the drives.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Fiery-necked Nightjar

 Saturday 3rd had an early start and we were all on the game viewer at 04:27 to start our bird count proper. I always enjoy these count weekends as the witty comments between the birders flow thick and fast and the atmosphere is always jovial. The farm has a number of different habitats and the bird diversity is amazing. Our first destination was to the river on the eastern side of the farm where the light was amazing but with few good photo opportunities. Otters hunted in the river but I couldn't get any good shots, just the back of a head and maybe a few ripples. 

Otter, possibly Cape Clawless

Cinnamon-breasted Buntings were seen on the krantzes above the river and a Familiar Chat pair was feeding a squeaking juvenile Red-chested Cuckoo in the trees next to the river. 

Juvenile Red-chested Cuckoo

But the next sighting we had was undoubtedly the best sighting of the weekend when we stumbled across a pair of Denham's Bustards busy with their courtship display. We were probabaly less than 100m from them, an amazing feat for this species, which normally moves off at about 500m as soon as he catches sight of you. The cameras on the gme viewer were sounding like machine gun fire as we rapidly captured image after image on our memory cards. The male was puffing up his ruff and strutting around after the female who slowly moved off when she noticed us with the male in hot pursuit. It was a once in a lifetime encounter in my opinion with the only disappointment being the poor quality of images I managed to capture which I can only ascribe to "bustard fever" and my eagerness to get the shot..Here are some of the better images at least to prove our sighting. 

Denhams Bustard (3)

On the way to our brunch site we had some more good sightings and captured some better images. The highlights being Bushveld and Striped Pipit, Black Sparrowhawk, Lesser and Greater Honeyguides and at the brunch spot we got a Mountain Wagtail on the river bank.

Saturday brunch spot

Striped Pipit

Bushveld Pipit

Mammal sightings were also good with numerous antelope species being sighted including several Klipspringer, Mountain Reedbuck and Kudu. 

Klipspringer were seen on most of the ridges

Healthy looking Kudu bull with his small harem

Mountain Reedbuck were encountered on a few occasions

On our late afternoon drive we got stuck in a marshy area, with storm clouds brewing in the distance it was a bit disconcerting to think that we were walking about looking for rocks to push under the wheels on an exposed ironstone ridge with lightning flashing in the not-so-distant skies! Anyway, we got out okay and ended the day with a great braai, beautiful sunset vistas and a tally of 124 species seen and heard for the day..

Storm clouds on the horizon

 Sunday 4th was our day to do the south side of the reserve, along the river. This is one of my favourite routes and we weren't disappointed. We set off at 05:22 to visit the viewpoint which has amazing views over the river and lodges below, and found several Eastern Clapper Larks performing their conspicuous display flights and calls. At the lookout point, Lazy Cisticolas were calling around us as we enjoyed the views and a confiding Bar-throated Apalis allowed us to take some photos. 

Viewpoint over the Olifants River with the lodges visible below

Ready for more birding!

Dave, our friend and self-designated (excellent) chef for the weekend, missed his wake-up call and overslept so we had to retrace our steps back to the farmhouse to pick him up with the breakfast or go hungry which was not an option given the great food that Dave prepares. 

Bar-throated Apalis

Lazy Cisticolas are very common on Bezhoek

 Breakfast was arranged for the area called "The Zoo" and we added some more new birds to our list here, namely Violet-backed Starling, Yellow-throated Petronia and we had amazing views of an African Pygmy Kingfisher that also allowed a close approach for some photos. 

African Pygmy Kingfisher

After a breakfast of some delicious brekkie buns we headed up to the lodges and along the southside next to the river. Here we found another calling Striped Pipit and the resident Cape Rock-thrush came in to be ticked.. Further up the drive towards the "S'es" we found some nice raptors in the form of a European Honey-buzzard, another calling Black Sparrowhawk who gave us a low-level flypast and an Ovambo Sparrowhawk. We tried for the Grey-headed Bush-shrike but could not locate them. Here we also ticked the Bearded, Bennets and Golden-tailed Woodpeckers and heard the Striped Kingfishers calling their duet. In the grasslands above the ridge, we managed to tick all 4 local widows, White-winged, Red-collared, Fan-tailed and Long-tailed. The grasslands on Bezhoek are great for LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs) and we had some great lark sightings on Saturday and Sunday..

Rufous-naped Lark in the morning sun

Eastern Clapper Lark

Spike-heeled Lark

Greater Striped Swallow

All good things come to an end unfortunately after spending a great weekend on the farm where one can forget all the problems in the world and just enjoy some good bird watching with some great friends we had to get back to reality. Thanks to all for a great weekend and especially Vic for organizing the weekend and Dave for the great food and driving us around most of the weekend. Our final tick was a Black-chested Snake-eagle sitting next to the road and a magnificent Sable Bull seen on the way to the gate.. 

Sable Antelope

Until the next winter count 2023.

Wilge River Valley - 16/08/2020

Last Sunday, my son Mike and I headed off down the Wilge River valley to see if we could get him a few lifers for his list and it turned out to be a great day for lifers indeed. Arriving just after sunrise, we drove really slowly with lots of stops and got some really cool birds. LBJ's abounded and we started with Southern Masked Weavers, Red Bishop in their winter dress, Tawny-flanked Prinia calling from the long grass next to the roadside and a Black-headed Oriole calling from the tall Eucalyptus trees. A Cardinal Woodpecker called and we managed to see him moving around the small branches on the top of a dry tree.

Cardinal Woodpecker Male

We heard and saw several White-throated Robin-chats as we idled down the road but didn't manage to photograph one unfortunately. Southern Black Flycatchers called to each other from the tree tops and we heard Kurrichane Thrush calling a few times but they remained hidden. Brown Crowned Tchagra was seen along with Familiar Chat and three Natal Spurfowl strolled nonchalantly down the middle of the dirt road but took off running and clacking indignantly into the bush as we approached too closely. Shortly after this a lone Lanner Falcon cruised along the valley, hugging the cliff face as it went.

Lanner Falcon

As the sun came over the cliffs and started warming the valley, the birds came alive and started moving around looking for breakfast. Some of the notables were a calling (drumming) Bearded Woodpecker which we saw nicely on the way back later that afternoon. This turned out to be a Gauteng lifer for me.. A small raptor flew into the trees higher up the slope and began to call, identifying itself as an African Goshawk, also a Gauteng special. We again saw the same bird or perhaps another individual further down the valley but it was rather skittish and didn't stick around for a photo shoot. A Puffback was displaying and puffing his back feathers out to look like the snowball he is named after in Afrikaans. This was something new for Mike and he was enthralled to see the little round white feather ball dancing through the trees. By the time I got the camera onto him, his feathers had relaxed...a bit disappointing I thought.

Black-backed Puffback

A herd of cattle were lying along the wide, flat river bank scattered with debris from the floods last Summer. Amongst the broken branches and dead reed clumps were numerous small birds, including Blue Waxbill, Neddicky, Southern Masked Weaver, Red Bishop and another lifer for Gauteng, African Firefinch. While watching them, I heard a familiar call behind us and turned to find a small flock of White-crested Helmetshrike, another Gauteng lifer for me.

As the valley started to flatten out into the floodplain we got a large flock of White-winged Widowbirds in non-breeding plumage, Crowned and Wattled Lapwing, White-fronted Bee-eater, Bronze Mannikin, African Palm Swift, Black Crake and Swainsons Francolin. Eventually we got to Qudesh, a camp and coffe shop on the river, which make some amazing milkshakes. Both Mike and I had Caramel flavoured milkshakes which, according to our host, is her specialty, followed by a toasted sandwich. Suitably satiated we headed down to the river with the hopes of a possible Finfoot or the Mountain Wagtail which had been seen a few days before our visit but we saw neither unfortunately. A Fork-tailed Drongo however decided to pose for a photo in the camp site which had two sites occupied.

Fork-tailed Drongo

 

As we left Qudesh and turned onto the main road, Mike called "Raptor" and on the line was sitting another Gauteng lifer for us in the form of a Lizard Buzzard which is not a common species in the area by any means.

Lizard Buzzard

By this time it was after 12 and we started back up the valley and home. As mentioned earlier we got good views of the Bearded Woodpecker but the light was too bright to attempt photos. When we reached the tar road again we turned North and headed for Renosterkop in the hopes of finding some more lifers for Mike. The wind was really blowing when we reached the top so most birds were taking cover and we only managed a few elusive grass warblers, good views of sheltering Wailing Cisticolas and some Nicholsons Pipits that I tried to turn into Rock Pipits but could not! 

With the total for the day on 73 species we headed for home. Mike was asleep by the time we reached the highway as it was an early start for he who normally only rises when the sun is close to its zenith..at least he managed two lifers for the day which surprised me as we had seen some really good birds.

Have a lekker one! TLB

Home Birding and mammal watching

Hello Campers,

Well I wish we could get out and do some serious camping and birding for a change. I thought that the lockdown would never last this long and I am beginning to realise what cabin fever is all about. It is not all gloom however as working from home, I was able to rethink my feeders and put some up right in front of my study window where I get to watch the birds all day. I have put up some suet cakes, seed and fruit feeders. Attracting ,mainly seed-eaters in the form of Cape Sparrow, Grey-headed Sparrows, Red-eyed, Cape Turtle and Laughing doves, Red-headed Finch as well as Dark- capped Bulbul, Cape Glossy Starling, Crested and Black-collared Barbet. Other birds seen were Black-headed Oriole, which is an extremely rare visitor to the garden, Cardinal Woodpecker, Speckled and Red-faced Mousebird, African Hoopoe, Grey Hornbill, Black-backed Puffback and Tawny-flanked Prinia.

The feeders also produced some interesting results as the Lesser Bushbabies from the neighbourhood came in to eat the apples I put out for the birds. Now we see them regularly every evening and I have created their own feeding station as I can't imagine that they get enough te eat in an urban environment. Although they do eat acacia tree gum as a main source of food (we have a large Acacia karroo which is their favourite gum type I believe) , along with insects and some fruit.

Lesser Bushbaby - Nagapie

Lesser Bushbaby - Nagapie

I also set up a feeding stump for practicing my photography but it has one small flaw....it doesn't get much sunlight, with only small patches shining through the trees until after 12:30 when it is in full sun, so you have to be ready and quick when it happens. However, I think that this will improve as the sun moves towards the summer trajectory.. It is about 12m from our porch with the background another 7m beyond so that the background comes out blurred. Here are two from the weekend..

Cape Robin-chat

Southern Red Bishop

I have also played around with my camera settings, from AV - aperture priority I moved it to TV - shutter priority with much better results I feel. I set the speed to 1/1000 and auto ISO and then point and shoot. It definitely makes a difference with a higher percentage of shots coming out sharper. Here is one taken with this setting in the late afternoon light.

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Until next time!

Marievale - December 2018

Marievale is always a great place to visit to catch up on your waders for the year. I went there on the 19th December after our country had experienced quite a serious drought for a few years and had just had some rain the night before. There hadn't been much rain and the water levels were very low which is normally good for the waders. Oh, and did I mention that a rare Black-tailed Godwit had also been seen here...not that I am a twitcher by any means.

I don't often see Pied Avocet here but conditions must have been perfect for them as there were quite a number, wading belly deep and picking up insects in the mud..

Pied Avocet (2)

The open areas allowed some good views of the other birds as well. Glossy Ibis foraged fairly close to the road and proved friendly enough to pose for a photo.

Glossy Ibis

The rain had left a few puddles next to the road which made a nice bath for some of the smaller passerines. Here a Red Bishop was busy cleaning himself up for some serious displaying..

Southern Red Bishop enjoying a puddle bath

There were nice Palearctic waders around, the usual Ruff and Little stint and a local in the form of a Kittlitzs Plover which are always nice birds to photograph as they stick around for a quick pic. Not like the others that are always on the move..

Ruff or it it a Reeve on the rough road

Ruff in breeding plumage

Kittlitz's Plover

Little Stint

Blackwinged Stilts were also around in smaller numbers with their bright pink legs and pied plumage.

Black-winged Stilt

At the Kingfisher Hide next to the picnic site we heard the raspy call of an African Reed -warbler and with a bit of patience, got to see it and get a dodgy photograph for the record.

African Reed Warbler

Squacco Herons are always quite common here as they stand out in the open waiting for prey to make a mistake and show themselves within striking distance. You can see they are so successful, as they face towards you the profile is extremely narrow and probably hard to see from under the water.

Squacco Heron

Finally into the gated area, with some nice wader habitat to the left of the road. We searched for the Black-tailed Godwit and luckily enough got to see it at a distance. It wasn't going to come any closer so I had to get out the longer lens and get some record shots..

Black-tailed Godwit with Ruff for size comparison

Black-tailed Godwit

My last photographed bird for the day and a new tick for the year, this Great Crested Grebe is always a nice bird to see..

Great Crested Grebe

With that in the bag and total list of 96 species for the morning, we headed the 100km back home to Pretoria feeling rather satisfied with having the rare Blackwit on the year list!