The flamingo quest

The salt pans on the old Uitenhage road are usually teaming with flamingos and every time I drive past them I vow to stop and take a few pictures. Yesterday afternoon I took the opportunity and turned off the main road, but as I climbed out the car those nearest the road took off.

As with all my other attempts to photograph flamingos over the past few years, I was only able to snap a few fuzzy pictures of them in the distance.

 When they spread their wings there is quite a bright display of colour.

I knew their necks were long, but when extended they enter another realm.

These are the greater flamingos and if you want more information on them pop into the Wikipedia  site.

I am definitely going to have to make time to get some quality shots one day. Shy birds in the distance, camera shake and howling winds do not make a good combination, so next time I will use a tripod.

Spring has sprung

Today is the first day of spring and a beautiful day in the Eastern Cape. I also realized with dismay that I had left a file at the office in Uitenhage, 40 kilometers away that I needed for a meeting, on Monday morning. No problem it was a perfect day for a drive.
So why not make an adventure of it. I do the trip at least four days a week, but there is always something new and interesting to see. Uitenhage must be the antique capital of the Eastern Cape.

So off we went to browse the antiques shops

Boy's treasure!

I had a truck exactly like this half a century ago (ouch), which was my pride and joy. And I know a little boy (my grandson Ethan) who would probably like this one. Alas it was not for sale.

And so we did the rounds.

Top hat but no tails

Time to be macho
World War 1 helmet, a bit too heavy for a little man to wear without support.


It is always worth stopping to see the flamingos at the salt pans. They were not that pleased to see us and immediately strolled off.


Ethan was not too fussed by their lack of cooperation.
After all with so many rocks about why not try and fill the lake. Boys will be boys.


Oops where did that one go?


And what would spring be without flowers. These Gazanias are growing along all the roads giving a bright and cheerful splash of colour to the landscape

The Flamingos Are Back

Great news. The flamingos have returned sooner than expected. Must be the unseasonably warm dinner. A colleague told me today that she had seen hundreds on Sunday. So I left work earlier today and yes their numbers have increased since Saturday. Most of them were too far away to get a clear photo.

Flamingos and Salt Pans

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. According to Roberts Birds of South Africa they are spread over southern Europe, Asia and the greater part of Africa and America.

This summer I was concerned by the lack of flamingos at the Swartkops salt pans and was delighted to spot some a few weeks ago. I wanted to stop and photograph them, but every time I drove past I was in a hurry to get to Uitenhage and was unable to do so, or the light was not right.

Today I drove out to the salt pans and found this group. Even though there were not vast numbers of them and they were far away it was still a thrill to be able to watch them and photograph them.

My concern was that their scarcity was another symptom of man’s encroachment on their habitat. The centre picture shows how the suburb of New Brighton has been developed right up to the edge of the salt pans. According to a former colleague there were wetlands, where the N2 and the Settlers Freeway intersect about 50 years ago, which abounded with flamingos. Today those wetlands no longer exist.

Roberts also says flamingo numbers are also subject to annual fluctuations, which may explain why they have been so scarce this summer. I am hoping that they will return in larger numbers in the coming summer.