Expect the unexpected

When heading toward the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park it is always with a high level of expectation, from the that I will be entering one of the wildest parks in South Africa and will have many interesting and exciting sightings.

On our last trip, instead of stopping at Upington, which was the plan, we pushed through and spent the night at the Kgalagadi Lodge. It is about five kilometres from the Twee Rivieren entrance, so it meant we could get an early start to the day, and be in the Park when it was still cool.

As the main gate only opens at 7:00 am we spent the first few hours of the day relaxing and walking about at the Kgalagadi Lodge, enjoying the local bird life and then this arrived............

One expects to see the unusual when coming to the Kgalagadi.....you expect to see lions and jackals around the camps, or snakes and scorpions...........but to be confronted by something this ugly, is something else.

Who would expect to come across an Emu in this part of the world.

After the initial feelings of surprise and realising that it was not predatory, we spent some time in its company, until it wandered off.

Where it came from I do not know, but it was last seen striding down the road in the direction of Twee Rivieren.

When visiting the Kgalagadi..........expect the unexpected.

Skywatch Friday - Kgalagadi Sunset and Bateleurs

The Kgalagadi has definitely become one of my favourite spots in South Africa, in spite of its harsh and inhospitable climate, but for me that is part of the attraction.

Add to that its rugged beauty and its variety of wildlife from antelope to predators and the unbelievable variety of bird-life from the little brown jobs to the magnificent raptors. It is no wonder the place is fully booked a year in advance. Once it gets into your soul you can't get it out.

This sunset scene was captured along the Nossob River, with the clouds starting to build up at the beginning of the rainy season.

I usually keep my posts to one picture, but today I have decided to also include some of the magnificent raptors I was waxing lyrical about. The Bateleurs do not subscribe to the old adage that the early bird catches the worm. They are late risers and prefer to wait for the sun to rise before they do. Bateleurs are scavengers and set off as soon as the air to warms up, so that they can catch the thermals and look for their prey, or should that be carrion.

For more super pictures from around the world visit the Skywatch site.

Lappet-faced Vulture - Kgalagadi

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park can become a special place, if you allow it to get into your soul. I did not feel like that on my first visit last month, because the place is so hostile. It is almost as though it is conspiring to see how it can make life uncomfortable for you, but the heat, wind storms, dust storms and thunderstorms all become part of the experience and is what sets it apart from other parks.

Processing my photos after the trip is what has done it for me and I will have to start planning the next trip soon. It's not as though you can just decide to jump in your car and go there. You have to book your accommodation a year in advance - that tells you something about the place and its popularity.

One of the amazing features of the Park for me was the variety and number of raptors that one gets to see there. The Lappet-faced Vulture is just one of these - a magnificent bird, always ready to clean up after the predators.

Bateleur

This was one of those moments in photography that you dream of.....getting this close to a Bateleur. We disturbed him while he was on the ground at Melkvlei in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and followed him to a tree where he had settled.

After taking a number of photos from various distances before  he was frightened off, we were eventually parked under the tree with him peering down at us through the sunroof.

These are truly magnificent birds.

Red-necked Spurfowl

Since the birding specialists decided to harmonize the names of birds around the world, I along with many other mortals, have had to adapt to the new names. It's not that I resist change, but let's face it, the new names very often do not have a good ring to them.

Take this Red-necked Spurfowl for example - it used to be called the Red-necked Francolin and I still think of them as Francolin. My grandfather called them pheasants and so did I for many years, until I adapted to Francolin.

I suppose those massive spurs on its legs give credence to its new name and so I will just have to adapt.

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.

For more super pictures from around the world, pop in to the Skywatch site

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

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.

Inner City Birds - Yellow-billed Egret

A Yellow-billed Egret captured at the Donkin Reserve today. It is not a bird I have seen in the inner city before, but it is number 25 in my collection.

Birds of the Inner City - Common Fiscal

Juvenile and adult Common Fiscals surveying the scene

Juvenile pouncing on some unseen prey

Skywatch Friday - Birds and Clouds

A smattering of clouds and a Kelp Gull are enough to make one look skyward with interest..........

......but sometimes the sky, with the help of a few clouds, just takes your breath away.

For many wonderful pictures from around the world visit the Skywatch Friday site.

Birds of the Inner City - Burchell's Coucal

I started a project a few months back, to see how many birds I could photograph in the inner city. Though many of the birds live quite happily in the concrete jungle, we are fortunate to have some well treed public open space alongside our neighbourhood, which makes it attractive for the more shy birds, like the Burchell's Coucal.

So far I have managed to photograph 24 birds and am still trying to get some elusive characters such as the Cape Eagle Owl and the Cape White-eyes.

Birding in the RSA - African Hoepoe

African Hoepoe photographed at Addo.

Birding in the RSA - Ostriches

It is easy to take these birds for granted, because they are fairly common and have also been domesticated. So, you've seen one ostrich you've seen them all. I find them fascinating birds and always have time to stop for a photograph.

Domesticated ostrich photographed on the side of the road near Oudtshoorn.

These ostriches are taking the gap at the Camdeboo National Park.

Birding in the RSA - Rock Kestrel

The power of these raptors is truly amazing - he was really struggling with this rat, but still managed to fly with it

Sitting with his capture and resenting the intrusion.

Birding in the RSA - "The Opportunists"

This was a rare sighting, for me any way, of Cape Glossy Starlings removing ticks from a warthog. This guy must have realised that these birds were doing him a service by removing the ticks, because he stood quite still for a long time, while they got on with their business.

I love the sheen of these birds and the beady bright orange eye. I can never resist photographing them and this episode merely added an interesting new dimension to the task.

Gotcha............

Birding in the RSA - African Spoonbill

I photographed this African Spoonbill near Jack's Picnic Place at Addo. Birding is such fun.

Birding in the RSA - Black-shouldered Kite

I find the beady red eye of the Black-shouldered Kite very intriguing. This one was trying to escape the heat of the day in the shade of the tree at the Addo Elephant National Park. One usually sees these birds perched on the tops of trees or on power lines, where they are able to see all around.