Last weekend, Helen and I returned to Mashatu Game Reserve. The main reason for the trip was to take a converted game vehicle from Polokwane in South Africa to Mashatu. With an early start, we were in Polokwane by around 8h30 on the Saturday morning and were due to meet a Mashatu representative to collect the new vehicle and get the appropriate papers for border clearance. The idea was that once cleared at the South African customs we would drive the vehicle across the Limpopo river get border clearance on the Botswana side and deliver the vehicle to main Mashatu office which is located about 100 metres from the border post. The Limpopo river had been passable by vehicle up until that weekend.

“Life is adventure, not predicament.”  

– James Broughton

The next image shows how the river had filled in one day and by Saturday was very deep and flowing fast. The steel wire cables carry the ponte across the river. When the river is up it is the only way to cross the river, which only adds to the adventure of the trip.

Needless to say there was problem. The paperwork would only allow us to cross the border at Ponte Drift. To cut a long story short, we never collected the new converted game vehicle in Polokwane because of the specific border clearance requirement. We had booked a two night stay in Mashatu main camp to take advantage of the trip and we were already half way to Mashatu from Johannesburg so we decided to just have a fun weekend anyway.

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I’ll pelt.’
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged–though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.”
― Robert Frost

The next shot was taken looking upstream of what the Kolokolo Bird said, in the Elephant Child story in Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, was the “great grey–green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees“. As you can see the sky was heavily overcast and dark and it looked like there was more rain way on the way. This image was taken at midday.

One of the many magical things about Mashatu is that with a little rain the bush springs back to life very quickly. It is mid-autumn in southern Africa and the rain had transformed the bush from a drying green-brown colour into a verdant green Eden with carpets of yellow Devil-thorn flowers. 

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.” 
 – Rabindranath Tagore

On the way to the main camp we crossed the Majale river. This is a seasonal river but was now filled with many pools of water. With all the water around the game was likely to be dispersed as it no longer needed to come down to the rivers.

We were lucky to see this young Lioness as the bush was thick and access was much more difficult because it was so wet and muddy. The predators have a tougher time during the wet season because the game is more dispersed and with the abundant food the prey is fitter, healthier and more difficult to catch. 

The rest of the pride, which we did not see, must have finished off a Wildebeest the night before but this lone Lioness was left gnawing at the skull. We found her as a number of Hyaenas were lurking around her and a few white-backed Vultures were patiently waiting on top of a Shepherd tree close by.

The next day, intermittent spears of sunlight pierced through the heavy cloud layer creating brief photographic opportunities with wonderful light. The sky was very heavy but made a wonderful dark moody background.

“I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.”

– Adeline Knapp

The rain had brought the “garden of Eden” to life providing enrichment for all. Everything from Elephants to Steenbok and Guineafowl seemed to like the Devil-thorn flowers and this photographer was reveling in the beauty and bounty of it all. 

We came across a pair of Steenbok feeding on the new flowers. These are beautiful, dainty, small buck with a reddish-brown coat and a white belly. Only the males have horns.

Steenbok are browsers and grazers and seemed to enjoy the yellow Devil-thorn flowers.

Both ram and ewe Steenbok are territorial and have separate territories which they scent mark with their pre-orbital, inter-digital and inter-mandibular glands. They are diurnal and often rest up in the shade of a tree in midday heat. Leopards love Steenbok!

The pre-orbital glands are clearly visible below the eye along the nose. The male Steenbok has two short straight horns and those big eyes are ” all the better to see you with”.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” 

– Martin Buber

Not five minutes after we were watching the pair of Steenbok, our guide Eric and tracker Albert alerted us to a Martial Eagle in a tree close by. 

It had caught a Guineafowl and its prey was still alive and wriggling around so this raptor had its wings open to balance and stop the Guineafowl from escaping. We moved closer but the background changed from being dark to the bright sky making the contrast more tricky.

“The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask.” 

– Rich Ridgeway

This Martial Eagle was agitated and vocalising because a large Tawny Eagle had seen what had happened and had come to check out the possibilities.

The Tawny Eagle was very relaxed and waiting patiently.

The Martial Eagle was not relaxed and flew into a higher tree nearby. This made the photography even more difficult because of the stark contracts with the white cloud-filled sky.

Eventually, the Martial eagle decided there were too many interested parties watching its meal and it flew off to feed in private.

The Kori Bustard is Botswana’s national bird. It will not let you get close and will quickly walk away in much the same way as the Secretary Bird. The male Kori Bustard is considered to be the heaviest living animal capable of flight. Like most Bustards, the Kori Bustard is a ground-dwelling and an opportunistic omnivore. A male Kori Bustard can be more than twice as heavy than the female, and are definitely not monogamous. The name kori is derived from the Tswana name for this bird –Kgori

When driving around Mashatu you will come across many of these talkative Long-tailed Starlings and great at giving away the position of predators such as a Mongooses, Wildcat or snake. They have this stunning iridescent sheen in the morning light, even when it is so cloudy.

We were also fortunate enough to find the female Cheetah with her four cubs. They were growing fast and had grown in confidence since we last saw them in February.

This is one competent Cheetah mum to have raised four cubs to this point in a wild place filled with competing predators.

For those of you who have been to Mashatu in the winter season when it is bone dry, brown and dusty, this image will be quite novel for you. The dirt roads were saturated and indentations were filled with water. You had to be careful when going off-road as it was very easy to get stuck in the mud. Thank goodness for those tough 4×4 Landcruisers.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”

– Sir Rannulph Fiennes

At last light just before we got stuck in the mud, we found these two young males lying on top of the dam wall. We got stuck in the mud about two hundred metres further on. With all the commotion whilst trying to get out of the mud, these two Lions came down to investigate. Fortunately, we had got the vehicle out of the mud and were safety ensconced in our vehicle before they arrived.

Some of our close relatives having a relaxing day in the park.

The troop leader would sit away from his harem and keep a wary eye on the party.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my ship.”

– Louisa May Alcott

More often than not Spurfowl will run away from you but every now and then a photographer gets a break and one individual does not flee. This male Swainson’s Spurfowl was declaring his position with great gusto.

The background was perfect and he was perched in an ideal position. It is very satisfying when it all comes together.

I could not believe this young female Hyaena gnawing at this old desiccated Elephant pelvic bone. We must have watched her breaking bits off the bone off for about half an hour. It was quite remarkable that she did not break any teeth and is testament to her bite strength.

The Majale river had a small stream of water flowing from pool to pool, a wonderful sight considering it will be bone dry in a few months. Perhaps this winter season there will be more water around than usual because of the late rains. You can see how dark it was even at mid-morning.

“Life is like a flowing stream; once the flow stops, our life becomes stagnant. When we remove the dams and debris we have accumulated and encourage it to flow freely, it becomes a source of sustenance and renewal and growth for us and for all with whom we share it.”
― Tom Hackett

I hope you enjoyed the eclectic mix of images and the moody rain-laden skies. I will do one more post from the weekend next week.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at it interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

Friends Bill and Judy Pierce invited us to join them at their lodge in Eagle’s Rock Estate last weekend. This is a wildlife estate located about 15 kilometres due north of Witbank in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The estate is characterised by its sandstone formations and a wonderful deep, rugged valley down which the Olifants river flows, fed by the Witbank dam and feeding the Loskop dam some 25 kilometres downstream.

“What a joy it is to feel the soft, springy earth under my feet once more, to follow grassy roads that lead to ferny brooks where I can bathe my fingers in a cataract of rippling notes, or to clamber over a stone wall into green fields that tumble and roll and climb into riotous gladness!”

– Helen Keller

I got up early on the Saturday morning to catch the sunrise. The next image was taken around 6h00. I awoke at 5h30 and looked out of the window to see the sky ablaze with the first light shining on the clouds well before sunrise. I was surprised as it had been very overcast and cloudy the day before but sky had cleared beautifully.

I moved a short distance up the valley to change the perspective. Even though it was mid-autumn, the flora was still remarkably green because of the recent rains. The sky was painted with warm, early morning light.

The colours changed as the sun climbed higher in the sky. I waited until the sun moved behind a bank of clouds to take the next shot. When editing the image, I saturated the colours to emphasise the mist in the valley.

A short while later when the sun was well up in the sky, I took the next image of the vista looking north-west. It was still early enough for long shadows.

“Cherish sunsets, wild creatures and wild places. Have a love affair with the wonder and beauty of the earth.”

 – Stewart Udall

On the estate, apart from the main Olifants river valley, there are a number of lesser valleys but there is one along which a stream flows into two small dams. This valley has lush flora and its sides have rugged, steep sandstone faces about 30 metres high. There is plenty of wildlife which also seems to like this valley. The next image shows one of the many pairs of Natal Spurfowl which forage along the valley road. The males grow spurs which they use for fighting. You can tell the age of a male Spurfowl by the degree to which his spurs are worn down.

As a photographer, one of the of the aspects I am constantly intrigued by is the remarkable colours and moods the backgrounds can provide. I liked the heavy dew on the grass where this Natal Spurfowl was foraging.

Another member of Francolin/Spurfowl family which you are likely to see in the main valley in Eagle’s Rock estate is the Coqui Francolin. It gets its name from its call. As with most Francolins and Spurfowl they would rather skulk away through the undergrowth than fly away from you. The next image is of a female Coqui Francolin with its distinctive white throat bordered by a black ring and black facial markings. The female is more cryptically coloured than the male.

The male Coqui Francolin has a distinctive ochre/golden head and throat. Its colouring becomes black and white stripped along its neck, nape and belly. Its back is cryptically coloured. The male Coqui Francolin has rudimentary spurs. This Francolin is smaller than the normal Spurfowl.

I have only ever seen Coqui Francolin at Eagle’s Rock and in the Pilansberg National Park in the North West province of South Africa.

“Wisdom begins in wonder.”

 – Socrates

The  valley I was wandering down was characterised by steep, rugged sandstone sides. This is a perfect home for Rock Hyraxes. The  Rock Hyrax ( Dassie) in the next image gave itself away with its distinctive barking. Rock Hyraxes  spend the night in dark, cold cavities in the rocks so early in the morning they sit on the rocks to warm up. Rock Hyraxes are territorial which makes they a convenient and constant source of prey for the resident pair of Black Eagles.

Being rugged sandstone terrain, this is also a perfect environment for Klipspringer. This female was watching me intently for a short while.

As I was moving down the valley road around 8h00, this pair of Klipspringers were alarmed by something they could see among the grass and boulders below them. They hardly took any notice of me and were transfixed on what must have been a potential threat. They were clearly alarmed and called to each other continuously. I never saw the threat but there are Leopards resident on the estate. Most antelope are territorial and the Klipspringer uses its pre-oribital scent gland below its eye to mark twigs and grass much like a Duiker and Oribi.

Sometime later, the threat had disappeared and the Klipspringer family were out on the sandstone boulders. The male and female were on the right hand side and the youngster on the left. Smaller antelope tend to be solitary and monogamous, and occupy constant territories throughout the year. Klipspringers are browsers but are unique antelope by virtue of the hooves and hair. Their hooves are cylindrical and blunt allowing them to walk on “tip toes” on the rocks. Their hair is very coarse and brittle and stands on end providing excellent insulation. This adaption has taken place because they generally live in areas with wide temperature variation, heat in the day and cold temperatures at night.

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

 – Helen Keller

One of the signature species on the estate are a pair of Black Eagles.  The last time I was photographing these Black Eagles they had a chick which was standing but had not yet grown its feathers. Last weekend the female Black Eagle was busy relining her nest in preparation for the next brood.

The nest was about 100 metres up on a sheer sandstone cliff face. They do this to minimise predation from baboons and other nimble cliff climbers.

Having positioned the green leaves in the right place the female would sit in the nest to flatten the leaves.

Even though I was a good fifty plus metres away she was very wary of me perched on top of the rocks.

She flew back and forth a few times collecting dead branches and free leaves for the nest.

I have included the next image just to show you the Eagle’s launch along the cliff face and show the size of this Eagle’s talons. They take off and fly along the cliff face to catch the updraft to enable them to gain altitude.

Being perched on the edge of the cliff face an enthusiastic photographer has to be very careful not to walk of the edge of the cliff in their excitement. A walk over the edge would mean  that  you would have about three or four seconds to learn to fly.

 I have included the next image of a male Black Eagle standing as sentinel on a jutting sandstone rock in a steep cliff close to the pair’s nest. It gives a sense of the steepness of the cliff face.

“The eagle likes to fly above the world, not to look down on people, but to encourage them to look up.”

 – Unknown

Watching these Eagles fly by is a real thrill especially when they tuck their wings in and tip into a dive.

This female was carrying nest material back to reinforce the existing nest structure.

Full extension at launch! 

Once they extend their wings they are impressive raptors. Their Black and white colouration makes them even more dramatic.

The Black Eagles dominate the cliffs, but they do not get it all their own way as a pair of Lanner and Peregrine Falcons also nest on this cliff complex. Needless to say, every now and then the Lanners and Peregrines give the Black Eagles a “rev” by dive bombing them but usually well away from the cliff face.

Away from the cliff faces on the flat open grasslands we came across this Cape Longclaw or Orange-throated Longclaw. It is a passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which comprises the Longclaws, Pipits and Wagtails. It occurs in Southern Africa in Zimbabwe and southern and eastern South Africa. This species is found in coastal and mountain grassland, often near water.The Cape Longclaw is usually found in pairs throughout the year. It feeds on the ground on insects and seeds.

Other than Klipspringers there are a number of other herbivores on the estate. There are Zebra, Black Wildebeest, Impala, Eland, Duikers and Springbok. There are also Blesbok but I have not seen them recently. The Zebra breed successfully as there are no big cats on the estate other than Leopards. The smaller antelope are more threatened by Leopard predation.

Another species which adds a unique character to the estate is the Black Wildebeest. They look quite different to the Blue Wildebeest. The Black Wildebeest is much darker giving them the black appearance and their horns do not grow laterally but drop forward and curve up sharply. Black Wildebeest occur naturally in the high altitude grasslands of the highveld in South Africa.

The Black Wildebeest are very wary and will not let you get close so a long lens is needed.

The vistas on the estate are exceptional and there is an incredible diversity of flora. The latter character is the result of no farming taking place on the estate as it is too rocky for crop farming and the grasses are not suitable for cattle ranching. 

This is the view looking west from Bill and Judy’s lodge. You look over the indigenous flora at a massive sandstone cliff face. The sandstone cliffs have white markings because vultures used to inhabit the cliffs many years ago. At night you do not see any lights – bliss!!!

I have never been downstream along the Olifants river from here but looking at a contour map it looks to be a rugged valley all the way down to the Loskop dam. I am very grateful to Bill and Judy for the opportunity to spend time with them out at Eagle’s Rock estate and the opportunity to photograph unusual wildlife subjects.

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

“We must not only protect the country side and save it from destruction, we must restore what has been destroyed and salvage the beauty and charm of our cities … Once our natural splendor is destroyed, it can never be recaptured. And once man can no longer walk with beauty or wonder at nature, his spirit will wither and his sustenance be wasted.”

– Lyndon B. Johnson   President of the United States

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

For all of you who have been privileged enough to go to Mashatu,  you might recognise some of these spots.  The variety of wildlife and birdlife in Mashatu is exceptional. This is a place unlike any other in Botswana because of the variety of its scenery. In this post, I want to show you some of the spots we visited, which you will likely see when game driving around Mashatu.

“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.”

– Wallace Stegner

A bend in the Matabole river. The outside part of the bend is usually deeper because the water flows faster that side. This was the first time I had seen Elephant swimming in the river. We stopped at the top of the river bank for early morning coffee and rusks and could see the whole herd milling around on the sand bank below.

Higher up away from the river in the thornveld you will find many Giraffe, sometimes big family groups.

Driving north towards the Majale river in the distance. The sky was overcast and moody – great for photography as it softens some of the harshness in the high contrast daylight. The clouds cooled the ground temperature somewhat making it warm but not hot. You can see how green it was early in the year. Come July it will have changed to browns, yellows and some orange from the drying Mopani leaves. Thankfully, all the roads in Mashatu are dirt so you still get that feeling of really being in the bush.

The next image is of a waterhole just up from the Limpopo river. The Elephant seemed to visit it for a mud bath rather than to drink. They usually came to visit around midday or early afternoon when it was hottest.  Often on our morning game drive we would see them slowly making their way down  for their afternoon beauty treatment.

“Because the heart beats under a covering of hair, of fur, feathers, or wings, it is, for that reason, to be of no account? “

 – Jean Paul Richter

A typical seen in a riverbed. The flash floods cut deeply into the riverbank creating almost vertical cliffs which can be 10 to 15 metres high in some places. The direction of the sun indicates that it was late afternoon with the light directed from the west. The mood of the place can be quite different in the morning when the vertical banks are in deep shadow. The water in the river creates the anticipation of unexpected birds at the water’s edge or coming around a bend to find a Leopard drinking quietly with the sun setting and shadows cooling.

Our game vehicle got stuck in the riverbed on one occasion. It was the last light of the afternoon. We had to get out of the vehicle to reduce the weight so it could be towed out of the loose gravel in the river. This gave me a chance to take a shot of the serene scene down in the river.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

– Rachel Carson

This was the scene once the sun had set as we were having our sundowners.  It was warm and balmy, the drinks were “bitterly” cold, the conversation between old family friends was animated and the sky was on fire!!!! These are times when you have to pinch yourself just to be sure you are not dreaming. The feeling and the colours are sublime.

Watching darkness descend over Mashatu as the daylight gave way allowing the moon and the evening star to make their appearance in a darkening colour stained evening sky.

One afternoon we went down to Soloman’s Wall to see how the Mouloutse river had altered the scenery since we were last there. On our way back rather than go to Mmagwa, we went down to the Mouloutse lookout. Once we turned off the main dirt road to go down to the lookout we saw more game than we had ever seen before in that area with herds of Zebra, Wildebeest and many Elephant.

“Our relationship with nature is more one of being than having.  We are nature: we do not have nature.”

– Steven Harper

At the look out point the terrain is shaped by rugged sandstone ridges. In amongst these sandstones ridges are lush arenas of grass and bushes.

 Looking west from Mouloutse outlook.

The lookout point gives you a 360 degree panorama and a what a wonderful view of the surrounding area and the Mouloutse river.

The area is characterised by its rugged sandstone outcrops and ridges. In the evening light, the sandstone and the grass at the foot of the sandstone outcrops take on an ethereal light.

“The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask.”

– Nancy Newhall

At last light, the ground darkens and the sky is illuminated  with blues, yellows, pinks and oranges as the stars start to shine through the coloured evening sky.

The climb down from the outlook in the semi-dark gets quite interesting with camera kit. It is worth it because part the way down I was able to stop, set up my tripod and get silhouettes in the fading light.

I could not resist it, my brother Jerry with the moon in the palm of his hand.

By now is was quite dark, the Hyaenas had started their nightly whooping telling us it was a good time to get back on the game vehicle. For a quiet moment on the vehicle all your senses are swimming as you become aware of all the colours, smells and sounds you are immersed in and feel really alive.

The next morning we came across a herd of zebra and Wildebeest in an open plain just south of the Majale river. They were wary having spent the night in the open area for protection to give them some time to react to approaching predators. The herds seemed to have made it through the night intact.

“Living wild species are like a library of books still unread. Our heedless destruction of them is akin to burning the library without ever having read its books.”

 – John Dingell

The herds of Wildebeest are small but wary because there are so many predators around day and night.

There are many young to be seen at this time of plenty.

I took this panorama during one of our morning coffee breaks to give you a sense of the view from one of the hilltops overlooking the Majale river, characterised by the large Mashatu trees along its course.

One of the many giants to be found in Mashatu. This size Mashatu tree can be home to Pythons, Leopards, Baboon and many more. These are enormous trees which offer wonderful cool shade for the animals in the heat of the day and protection, for some, at night.

The third last day we travelled east down to Shalimpo. This is the utmost Eastern corner of the Mashatu Game Reserve where the Limpopo and Shashe rivers meet. I was “blown away” by how beautiful it was down here.  On the river banks, massive trees have rooted themselves. There are not many places you can go where you get the confluence of three countries, in this case Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The three closest are the quadripoint at the eastern tip of Impalila Island which is an eastern point of Namibia, the confluence of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, the tripoint on the Kuando River where Angola, Namibia and Botswana converge into the Linyanti Swamp and the third is the tripoint at Kanyemba in Zimbabwe ( the confluence of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique).

The vistas from the beacon are breath-taking. The next image shows a view looking north-west up the Shashe river.  I am not sure how wide the Shashe is at this point but it must be at least half  a kilometre. The massive sand riverbed gives a hint of what this must look like when the river is in flood.

Looking directly north, from the lookout point across the vast sand riverbed was this sandstone outcrop. There is something very special about this place. Not only because it is the meeting point of three countries but there is a different energy about the place. The landscape is imposing. It is not difficult to understand why the Mapungubwe empire was centred here.

In the last few posts, hopefully you have got a sense of the wonderful variety in Mashatu, and that is just the natural history. This was also a place steeped in man-made history.

“Cooperation for mutual benefit, a survival strategy very common in natural systems, is one that humanity needs to emulate.”

 – Eugene Odum

Louie Schwartzberg is a special human being with wonderful vision. The following video is not new but timeless and I think appropriate  after having seen the variety of landscapes in Mashatu. Double click on the Granadilla flower to be taken to Louie’s Ted talk on Gratitude.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

While I would never miss a game drive, I am told by those who decide to rise late that there is plenty of life around the camp in the first part of the morning. Once we get back from the game drive and have had “brunch”, everyone usually retires to relax and chat, read or has a midday snooze. For me there is too much to see. I can sleep once I am back in the “big smoke”. One of my favourite pastimes around the camp is to seek out the bird bath. Normally, this is a piece of smoothed granite which has a concave basin to it. I make sure it is filled with water and then wait!!

“For man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive.”
 – D. H. Lawrence

Sitting quietly and not too close, you will be amazed at the variety of birds and animals that come to drink from the bird bath. Besides birds, you will see visitors such as Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Warthog and Tree Squirrels. I never saw either a Tree or Rock Hyrax (Dassie) drinking from the birdbath, despite there being many around the camp.

Often in the early morning while having a cup of coffee and a rusk before the morning game drive, we would find Leopard spoor around the birdbath, so I guess the Leopards also drink from it. Presumably, the Hyaenas do too, especially in winter when it is so dry.

I was treated to quite a spectacle from the Mashatu birds around the camp in February. It was hot during the day so the Waxbills, Firefinches and quite a variety of other birds flew in to drink, every hour or so.

One of the best ways to photograph Blue Waxbills is around a bird bath. In the bush, they are very difficult to photograph because they are always moving and flying away in front of you and the perspective from a vehicle is not ideal for such small birds. This first image was taken of a Blue Waxbill beneath the bird bath.

It was hot at midday around 35 degrees centigrade so almost all of the birds took the opportunity to bathe as well as drink at that time.

Getting an image of one “bluey” was great, but then two came down to drink at the same time.

Then three…

Red-billed Firefinches also came down to drink. Superficially, they look similar to Jameson’s Firefinch but their bills are red and their bellies are beige to light brown not ruddy/black. The female Red-billed Firefinch is very different to the female Jameson’s Firefinch as it is beige and not a ruddy orange colour.

“There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.”

–Robert Lynd

“You can’t be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.”

 –Hal Borland

The next image is of a Southern Masked Weaver. This particular Masked Weaver had a black mask  which stretched down its throat onto its breast. This is similar to Spotted-backed Weaver but the Southern Masked Weaver does not have  spotted back and is slightly smaller. It was not a Lesser Masked Weaver as its black mask extends over its forehead to the top of its head and it has a white and not a red-eye.

Southern Masked Weaver and his mate. The long black throat of this Masked Weaver made me think its was a Spotted-backed Weaver at first but the female was the give away showing the pair  to be of the Southern Masked variety.

Honeyguides feed on wax and bees and were given their name because this bird guides people to beehives. The non-guiding species are called Honeybirds. The next image is of a Lesser Honeyguide. 

The Lesser Honeyguide feeds on a wide range of insects, including Honeybees  and the honey they produce. It is a brood parasite, laying mainly in Barbets nests, and it can lay about 18-20 eggs during a breeding season. As romantic as their name might be, Honeyguides have a savage side. Beyond being brood parasites, the Honeyguide chick has an especially curved sharp beak which it uses to kill its host’s chicks even when all the chicks eyes are still closed. After about a week, when the Honeyguide chick has disposed of its hosts eggs or chicks it loses the sharp hook at the end of its beak-quite incredible evolution.

The Crested Barbet, is sometimes called the “Marmalade bird” for obvious reasons. You will not find the lesser Honeyguide and Crested Barbet together as the Lesser Honeyguide is parasitic much like a Cuckoo, laying its eggs in the Barbet’s nest once they fly off to feed. They are serious enemies.

“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.”

– Claude Monet

Green Bulbul or Yellow-bellied Bulbul. This was a first for me. I have never seen a Green Bulbul before. At first I thought it was an Eastern Nicator but they are not found in Mashatu and their eye is white with a black eye ring.

There were plenty of Meves or Long tailed Starlings around the camp. These are very talkative birds and are also quite cheeky around the bird bath chasing all the smaller birds away.

I could hear them coming. A small flock of Arrow-marked Babblers dropped in for a drink. They did not stay long but it was a noisy drink. Surprisingly, not all of the flock stopped to drink. You also find Pied babblers in Mashatu but I have never seen them in camp.

Female Green winged Pytilia. Its previous name was Melba Finch. The female is colourful but the male is stunningly coloured with his red forehead and throat and orange chest.

This Red-billed Buffalo Weaver was a frequent visitor to the bird bath and was also the most active bather.

Neighbourhood drinking spot! A Jameson’s Firefinch drinking right next to a Lesser Honeyguide. 

Size is an important differentiator in nature but this Lesser Honeyguide seemed quite relaxed with the smaller Jameson’s Firefinch right next to it.

“I have not yet lost a feeling of wonder, and of delight, that the delicate motion should reside in all the things around us, revealing itself only to him who looks for it.”
― Edmund Burke

A male and female Jameson’s Firefinch with their distinctive blue-black bill colour and red-pink nape and mantle. Jameson’s could be mistaken for an African Firefinch which also has a blue-black bill but the latter has a greyish back, nape and crown and a black belly.

The Estrildidae family, which includes Finches, Waxbills, Twinspots and Mannikins, offer an array of some of the most colourful birds you will see in the African bush. They are all small, conical billed and gregarious seed-eaters.

The Firefinches are often the host to brood parasites such as Indigo birds. I have only seen Indigo birds down along the main rivers in Mashatu never around the camp.

One aspect that was very evident in the images in this post was the variation in light falling on the birdbath. It was situated under a large tree so the light was always changing but I think that is part of the charm. 

There were many other birds seen and heard around the camp but I did not see them come down to drink from the bird bath. The most frequently seen and heard birds around the camp where the Cape Turtle Doves, Black-eyed Bulbuls, Laughing Doves, Red-eyed Doves, a Black Headed Oriole, a Tropical Boubou, a Woodland Kingfisher, Grey Louries and a Golden-tailed Woodpecker. The odd Crested Francolin would also wander through camp.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed.

The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms

—this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.”
― Albert Einstein

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike