Hello wildlife lovers.

I have added two new pages this week.

I will try to add to pages per week of new bird and animal species. This week I have introduced Coucals and Klipspringers.

A Burchell’s Coucal in flight over the reed beds in the Chobe River. Stunning red eyes and beautiful ochre -coloured wings.

A White-browed Coucal seen in Borokalalo Game Reserve. This was unusually far south as they are more likely to be found along the Limpopo river or Northern Botswana. He was skulking down at the water’s edge for insects.

The Coucal’s call is so distinctive, a watery flute-like sound which would impress any sax player.

I have found Klipspringers all over South Africa and the shots I have shown were taken in Mashatu, Kruger Park and in a rocky kloof at Eagle’s Rock . They are incredibly agile on what looks to be permanent tip-toes.

This young Klipspringer was very comfortable sunning itself on this boulder at the base of a kopjie in Kruger Park.

This male was seen at Eagle’s Rock late one afternoon as a major summer thunderstorm was building.

I hope you enjoy these two new pages. I have also added some shots to the Kingfisher and Heron pages.

I have added two new categories in Mammals – Kudu and Sable Antelope, and two new categories in Birds – Rollers and Bishops.

This a selection of shots taken yesterday at Marievale Bird Sanctuary, about one and a half hours drive SE of Johannesburg, South Africa. The variety of waterbirds and grassland birds is superb. At this time of the year the migrants have arrived such as Amur Falcons. The birds displayed here are the Yellow-crowned Bishop, Long-tailed Widowbird (displaying as it is flying), Black-winged Stilt feeding, Squacco Heron taking off, Yellow-crowned Bishop sitting in some beautiful grass and a Wiskered Tern plucking insects off the water surface but doing it in style – cross legged.

This Waterbuck bull was about to jump across the channel when he suddenly saw the water moving in front of him and braked hard. He probably thought is was a crocodile. It was an idyllic morning on the Chobe River and we came across a small herd of Waterbuck grazing. The youngsters were prancing around the adults powered by the sheer joy of youth.