All puffed up - Cape Glossy Starling

A Cape Glossy Starling all puffed up and taking some time out from its busy schedule.

An interlude in the rain

Today brought some very welcome rain to the Eastern Cape and while many of the animals at Addo did not appreciate the cold that accompanied it, this Cape Longclaw took full advantage of the situation by having a bath in a puddle, in the road.

Skywatch Friday - Out on the plains

A pair of guineafowl foraging in the plains beneath a cloudy sky.

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Cape Weaver

No trip to the Addo Elephant National Park is complete without a trip to Domkrag Dam, where the Cape Weavers are regular visitors. It is so easy to look out for the big game and lose out on the pleasure of seeing the small birds and animals

Skywatch Friday - Grey skies and grey bodies

A family group of elephants at the Addo Elephant National Park.

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The little grey birds

I have met many people over the years who come to Addo, or to Africa and just want to see the big five. They travel around the parks so intent on looking for the big animals that they miss the joy of seeing and experiencing the little creatures, like this Bar-throated Apalis.

They are usually referred to as LGBs - little grey birds, because they seem so nondescript when one catches a brief glimpse of them.

But if anyone misses seeing them they can be forgiven, because they are tiny and spend most of their time flitting through the dense bush, looking for prey - they seldom sit still long enough for you to take a photo.

This one popped out of the bushes at Jack's picnic spot and fortunately stopped long enough for me to focus the camera on him.

Meet Roy...the undisputed king

Roy was born in the Park in 2007 and at the moment he is definitely the dominant male at Addo. His father was one of the Kalahari dark maned lions introduced to the Park many years ago, but he has since been relocated.

Roy was on the move when I took this shot and was walking directly towards the car. He passed so close by that I could have reached out and touched him, but there are some things you do not do where lions are concerned.

Warthog

These guys are so ugly they are beautiful

Kudu time

Someone once said in a post that he never wasted his time photographing kudu cows, because the males were so magnificent. I beg to differ on that score - I will always photograph the cows, before the bulls, but then I am biased. If you want to know why click on the link to Thumpy - a kudu's tale.

Who can resist this face.......................?

For those who prefer the males with their magnificent horns, here is a pair of bulls in their prime.

Meet Gina

Gina has become one of the iconic lionesses of the Addo Elephant National Park. Everyone loves to see her. I was hoping to get a glimpse of her cubs when I took this photo, but no luck there I am afraid, maybe next time.

Skywatch Friday - Harvey's Tree

I don't know who Harvey was, or why one of the roads at the Addo Elephant National Park was named Harvey's Loop, but I do know that near the Southern entrance to the loop is a ficus tree that has its own Facebook page and followers.

Harvey's tree as it has come to be know was systematically demolished by the elephants that moved into the Southern part of the Park, soon after it was opened. There was a lot of debate over the future of the tree and we all believed that the elephants would eventually destroy it completely, so we started a Facebook page to appreciate its resilience and monitor its demise or survival.

So far Harvey's tree has survived.

The tree has been photographed with a wide range of animal species grazing there, or just appreciating the shade. To name a few, these include lions, elephants, zebras, warthogs, hartbees and ostriches. When I took this shot there was just one humble Hadeda Ibis scavenging through the grass.

This view is looking south towards Algoa Bay which has disappeared in the horizon.

Gina, one of the lionesses from the park was enjoying the shade here some month's back, She has three delightful cubs now and does not show them off too often and I am hoping to see them soon.

Looking northwards towards Harvey's tree from Vukani Loop on a gloomy day, with the Winterhoek Mountains in the background. Click on the photo for a better view.

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