Back in the “big smoke”, our less affectionate name for Gauteng, I can last only a few weekends in town before having a deep need to get out into more natural surrounds again, away from sirens and barking dogs. I also need to practice with my camera. This post shows just a few images from a recent Sunday morning trip to Marievale Bird Sanctuary just outside Nigel south of Johannesburg, South Africa. Marievale is approximately 1 000 hectares in area. The sanctuary is home to a combination of 240 resident and migrant bird species. The sanctuary has  two main biomes, the wetlands where you can see everything from coots, grebes, a variety of ducks, comorants, snipe, gallenules, egrets, herons, terns and flamingoes, and least 65 waterbird species, to large grassland areas which support seed eaters such as queleas, wydahs, larks, starlings, stone chats and bishops and many more. You are also likely to see raptors such as Fish Eagles, kites and harriers hunting in the area. As is always the case in SA you need to be aware of safety, especially when carrying expensive camera kit.

“…no other life form needed man, man needed all the others in which to survive.”
~ Barry Babcock

In the grasslands you will see wydahs, queleas, cuckoos (in summer) and bishops. The most common whydah is the Pin-tailed. There are many widowbirds in the grasslands, especially long-tailed and red-collared, but one could also see White-winged Widowbirds. The main difference between the wydah and widow birds are that the wydahs have a coloured belly and breast feathers while the widowbirds are dressed in black (hence the name) and have either coloured collars or shoulders. Both wydahs and widowbirds are seed eaters.

“Never stop exploring… with Mother Nature by your side, the possibilities are endless.”
~ Cheryl Aguiar

There are three wydahs found in southern Africa, the Pin-tailed, Shaft-tailed and Paradise Wydah. Wydah males grow elaborate long tail feathers. Outside the summer breeding season the male looks similar to the females. The Pin-tailed Wydah is an aggressive male fiercely guarding his harem of females. Like all wydahs, the Pin-tailed Whydah is parasitic and often lays its eggs in the nests of the Common Waxbill, Bronze Mannikin and Orange-breasted Waxbill –  among others. The male Pin-tailed Whydah is territorial, and despite having his harem of females, has an elaborate courtship flight display, which includes hovering over the female to display his tail. Unfortunately, I never saw him displaying but I have seen it in the Masai Mara and I think I was more impressed than the female in front of him.

The Common Waxbill, so distinctive with its red bill and red eye stripe and a pinkish red underbelly. These seed eaters are quite skittish so do not stay around for too long  and seldom let you get close enough for a perfect shot.

When it comes to displaying bright colours to attract females, Southern Red Bishops rank near the top of the list.  The phrase “nuptial plumage” applies to many male bird species which change the colour of their plumage during the breeding season.  The male Red Bishop appears as follows: black beak, the top of the head and area around the eyes are black, the abdomen is black, the wings are brown, and the rest of the bird (chin, throat, chest, nape of the neck, back, under tail, and upper tail coverts) are orange to red in color. Otherwise called the Orange weaver.

Red Bishops nest preferentially in reeds growing in shallow water. The males build several nests and perform  display flights and cling onto reeds with their black breast and red back feathers fluffed up to attract females. They are polygamous and mate with several females. There is another bishop bird that looks like a Southern Red Bishop, the Fire-crowned but has an entirely red crown and is only found along the Zambezi river environs. Strangely this time we saw no Golden-crowned Bishops or Yellow Bishops – perhaps the drought which we had until the end of the year (2016) had something to do with it.

“Speaking of happiness, those distinctive moments are found outdoors – in the fall, in the winter and always in the mountains where people are few, wildlife is abundant and there is peace in the quiet.”
~ Donna Lynn Hope

When it comes to Cisticolas, identification become a little trickier. I think this is a juvenile Levaillant’s Cisticola because of its colouring and distribution.

The Levaillant’s Cisticola are known to perch conspiciously and sing away. They are also found around streams, dams and marshes. This character might easily be mistaken for a Rattling Cisticola but for the fact that it is smaller and its Rattling cousin prefers  bushveld and thornveld areas.

The Male Stonechat has very distinctive markings with a black head and rufous belly, black wing feathers and a white rump. You usually see them in pairs in open grassland areas. 

The female Stonechat is paler overall with brown head and a less rufous coloured belly. The Stonechat is an insect eater and although a local migrant, does seem to protect its food patch.

“Stop and unplug,” say I; “look around you, at the vastness and greatness of the natural world.” Some stop. Others need binoculars to tie their shoelaces.”
~ Fennel Hudson

The African Rail is a strange-looking bird  and is usually heard but not seen. The adult has a red beak and legs, brown back and blue-grey face and chest, and black and white barring on its belly, flanks and under tail. The colouring is hardly cryptic but perhaps from the top it would be difficult to distinguish it from a Marsh Harrier when seeing it in the reeds. Rails, like crakes and flufftails are skulkers which is why they are usually not seen. The adult African Rail is quite big, around 30 cm long.

Rails, like Snipe, have short tails suggesting that they have short highly manoeuverable flight patterns.  This Rail is bigger than a crake and has a much longer beak. The long bill is used to probe the reeds for insects, crabs and other small aquatic animals and their feet have long toes to be able to walk across the reeds .

Widowbirds are also found in the grasslands –  being predominately seed-eaters. These birds are called widows because their nuptial plumage is black and there long black tail feathers resemble the 18th-century grieving widow’s long black veil and train. Male widowbirds are all black in the breeding season but have elaborate colourful collar and wing coverts. The next image is of a Long-tailed Widow with its distinctive pale bill and red shoulders. The male grows his black plumage and long tail feathers for his nuptial displays.

A long-tailed widow in full nuptial display flight. It is impressive, the tail feathers hang down and the male flies slowly, what looks to be just above stall speed, and very deliberately. Like other widows this species is territorial and will aggressively chase away others males.  You will also find the White-winged and Red-collared Widow in Marievale.

The Long-tailed Widow is easily identified by its red shoulder patch and pale grey bill in the summer breeding season. Those wide stubby wings with a low aspect ratio (wing length to width) allow them to fly slowly and in a very pronounced way during their nuptial flights. Outside the breeding season the male looks similar to the female and loses his spectacular tail feathers.

You are likely to see all of the large Herons at Marievale, the Black Headed, Grey, Purple and Goliath. Every time we go to Marievale, we find the Black-headed Herons hunting alongside the road. With a quick glance, the grey and Black-headed Herons could be incorrectly identified but the Black-headed Heron has a Black head and, nape and back of the neck and its legs are black, not yellow like the Grey Heron. This Black-headed Heron will eat anything from rats and mice to small birds, terrapins and insects.

The Black Heron is the size of an egret and used to be called a Black Egret. We watched it using its umbrella type hunting style but I could not get a decent unobstructed image of this hunting technique.

“As the natural world grows smaller, so too does its intensity and the size of the window through which it may be viewed.”
~ Fennel Hudson

Another ubiquitous resident of Marievale is the Whiskered Tern. It is easily recognised by its red bill, black head and grey belly and white wings with grey trailing edges. They are good fliers. Their wing shape  indicates a great deal about how a bird lives. 

Flat, rather high-aspect-ratio wings which lacking slots, and with feathers at the base that streamline the trailing edge in with the body, are found in  high-speed flight specialists like terns. These Whiskered Terns flew hunting runs up and down the length of the open water sections looking for fish close to the water surface. Once they spotted their prey, they would abruptly turn and dive down to the water and pluck the fish from the surface of the water using their beak. 

This was a juvenile Whiskered Tern which seemed to have mastered the hunting technique.

The diversity of bird life in Marievale Bird Sanctuary will gladden any birders heart, and avian photographer’s for that matter. We often see members of a bird club who have gathered to see an unusual bird, the news gets around fast now days with social media.

“Only when the last of the animals horns, tusks, skin and bones have been sold, will mankind realize that money can never buy back our wildlife”
~ Paul Oxton

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

Have fun,

Mike

One thing you can be sure about when you are in the bush is that when you venture out you are likely to see something unexpected. On this particular occasion in Mashatu Nature Reserve we were driving back to camp after an afternoon game drive. The sun had set. It was around 19h30,  and the night sky was star spangled.  Once it gets dark we use spotlights to look for the game at night. The rule is not to shine the light directly at the animals as it blinds them, especially the herbivores. These days we use red filters on the spotlights minimise the risk of blinding the animals. I know from past experience that if someone shines a torch light straight in your eyes at night it will take about 45 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark again.

“Mother Nature is always speaking. She speaks in a language understood within the peaceful mind of the sincere observer. Leopards, cobras, monkeys, rivers and trees; they all served as my teachers when I lived as a wanderer in the Himalayan foothills.”

~Radhanath Swami
On our way back, we were travelling on a dirt track approaching the four way intersection, at the Shepherd’s Tree, which was our camp turning. Sometimes on the return journey we turn off the spotlights  allowing ourselves to be mesmerised by the vehicle’s headlights on the road in front. Suddenly in the headlights was a Scrub Hare on the right hand track in front of us. Nothing unusual about a Scrub Hare in the headlights, we saw them every evening on our journey back to camp. What was unusual this time was this Scrub Hare did not run off down the track. Our guide, Maifala, stopped the vehicle telling us to look closer. This was a Scrub Hare doe with her two leverets.

“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”

~ Eden Phillpotts

There are two hare species in southern Africa – Cape and Scrub. The Scrub Hare is widely distributed throughout southern Africa occurring in savanna scrub and tall grasslands. It is endemic to southern Africa.

There are distinct differences between hares and rabbits. Hares tend to be larger than rabbits, with longer hind legs and longer ears with black markings. This doe was licking the leveret which was lying on its back. The licking not only cleans the offspring’s fur, but also stimulates its breathing and digestive processes.

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

Besides the physical differences between rabbits and hares, their social behaviour is quite different The most stark difference lies in their new born. Hare births peak from September to February, and a hare’s pregnancy lasts 42 days, compared with rabbits’ 30-31 days. Newborn hares, called leverets, are fully developed at birth with eyes open, and their bodies are covered in fur . Usually, there are two to four in a litter,  and they are born above ground. To avoid the entire litter being lost to predators , the Scrub Hare doe will separate the leverets to individual resting places known as a ‘form’.  

By contrast, newborn rabbits, called kittens or kits, are born undeveloped, with closed eyes, no fur, and an inability to regulate their own temperature. 

“As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more mysterious.”

~ Albert Schweitzer

The Scrub Hare is usually a solitary creature. The sexes are only seen together for mating purposes. Hares are nocturnal and most often seen foraging at night. During the day they create a small indent in the ground, a form, and lie flat in it motionless  with their ears tucked back to their shoulders. As long as they remain motionless, predators usually cannot detect them because their colouration blends in so well with the scrubland and vegetation.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Scrub Hare does invest little time in parenting their young. The young are basically developed enough to take care of themselves. Although the time until independence is unknown, parents do not provide protection or resources and give them no learning experience. There is some suckling at night, but it does not last for many days. Maifala, our guide, said that in twenty four years of guiding in Mashatu he has only seen a Scrub Hare doe suckling her leverets once before. This was an unusual sighting and we we were fortunate enough to watch the licking and sucking process for about ten to fifteen minutes before the doe moved off out of the light.

 

The scrub hare has a few known predators such as jackals, cheetah, raptors and caracal.

Every now and then, mother nature will allow you to look closer into her more intimate world. We were all spellbound by this sighting and everyone on the vehicle was quiet for the remainder of the journey back to camp, taking in what we had just seen.

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder.”
~ Ansel Adams

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

Have fun,

Mike

Summer is a wonderful time in the bush! It is sunshine, swimming, and the intoxicating scent of flowers and wild sage. It is a time when there is a liveliness and vibrance which you do not see at other times of the year. It is a time of new life and a time to celebrate being privileged enough to be able to recognise and enjoy this abundance.

“It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.”

~ Walter Winchell

It is a time when tummies are full.

It is a time of caring parents.

“Summer is afternoon naps in the hot shade, christmas beetle serenades, drowsy day-dreams and distant thunder.” 

~Mike Haworth

It is a time of wonder and soulfulness.

It is a time of being overwhelmed.

It is  pollen time.

 

“It’s summer and time for wandering…”

~ Kellie Elmore

It is also a time for gathering.

“Summer is when the early morning sun sprinkles gold dust on the animals, flowers and grass.”

It is time to reaffirm bonds and kinship.

“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”

~ Charles Bowden

It is a time for dust bathing.

“I am Summer, come to lure you away from your computer… come dance on my fresh grass, dig your toes into my beaches.”

~Oriana Green

It is a time for swimming.

It is a time for playing.

 He ain’t heavy, he is your brother!!

Enough swimming, time for lunch.

A section of the Majale river late in the afternoon when it is quiet and peaceful.

Early the next morning at the same section of the Majale river with the large fallen branch, when a troop of baboons had taken over.

Every now and then the males seem to get irritiated with all the cavorting.

One of the troop males in full disciplining mode.

Time to get out of the firing line.

Baboons know only too well what lies under the surface of the water.

This is a time to ” high-tail it “so no croc has an opportunity to “lock on”.

You can see the urgency in the movement.

All most there!!

A group of young females with babies attached, make the crossing.

The relief is obvious.

The need for speed …….

Even the big guys take no chances.

Later that day it had warmed up and the sun periodically got a look through the cloud cover.

“Summer evenings, a time when the air is scent filled, there is whoop of a hyaena down in the valley, distant rumbles with streaks of lighting, the sky’s  star spangled canopy spider webbed by the milky way, and “prrrp” of the Scops Owl nearby in the darkness.“

~Mike Haworth

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

“Summer is early morning outside showers, the smell of coffee, late breakfasts, snoozy middays, sundowners watching the sunset, balmy nights, stories around the campfire and nightjars trilling.“

~Mike Haworth

Have fun,

 Mike

This is the third post from our recent trip to Mashatu. I have entitled this post “summer adventure” because we decided not to leave our vehicles at Ponte Drift and catch the Ponte across the swollen Limpopo river but rather to drive to the next crossing up stream which is Platjan. It was an easy drive along tar for most of the way, probably a similar distance to Ponte Drift. There was only an 18 kilometre stretch of gravel road to finally get to Platjan. It was an easy border crossing. The customs officials and police were friendly, which is always a good start to a trip.

”Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure”

~ Bob Bitchin

The Limpopo crossing at Platjan is a low level causeway with no barriers. The water was flowing just under the causeway so we were allowed to cross.

Looking north from the causeway the river looked swollen and muddy due to all the recent rain.

Once in Botswana you immediately get the feeling that you are in the bush. The road from Platjan to Ponte drift was interesting. A romantic interpretation of a rough road,  tough enough to sideline the even the grader!

”Life was meant for good friends and great adventures”

~unknown

The road was rough and you had to drive carefully, even in a 4×4. There were big pools of water across the road and there were some “interesting” sand patches. There were also parts that required some negotiating because the rain had washed away part of the road. That is why a 4×4 is useful and that is why we do it – fun!!! Once you get to your bush destination and are able to reflect on the inbound journey over a few beers around the fire, the angst of the journey is washed away.

Even the Purple-pod Terminalias come alive. They are colourful enough but with backlighting their purply-crimson colours are vibrant. 

About 18 kilometres from Ponte Drift you get to a four way crossing, turn left to Mashatu and turn right to Soloman’s Wall. We turned right to have a look at the Mouloutse river. On the way we were struck  by how lush the bush was and were spellbound by the carpets of yellow Devil-thorn flowers. Looking into the distance on top of the Mmagwa sandstone ridge was Rhodes’s Baobab.

”You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong.”

~Sue Fitzmaurice

At Solomon’s Wall, a natural igneous dyke which has weathered over the centuries and more recently been breached by the Mouloutse river, we found the sand river with large pools of water. This is the short cut from Platjan in the winter. Crossing this time was not possible unless you had an amphibious vehicle.

Once in Mashatu we travelled on, what is affectionately called, the M1. The road can best be described as eclectic, smooth in parts, rough in parts, but lined gorgeous vistas. We stopped on the low level bridge close to Mashatu main camp where it crosses the Majale river. Up stream it was like a dam due to the debris which had built up on the upstream side of the bridge.

On the same bridge looking downstream it looked like a normal seasonal river with some big pools of water.

Once in Mashatu you leave your vehicle at the camp and are taken around the reserve in Mashatu vehicles driven by Mashatu rangers. To say that Mashatu in summertime is eclectic is an understatement. One minute you are driving through carpets of yellow flowers the next you are in a sand river looking up at two lionesses resting on a gravel bank on one of the tributaries. Each lioness had three cubs. All the cubs were around seven to eight months old and were unfazed and unhurried by life.

The game reserve looked like the Garden of Eden. It was verdant and carpeted with yellow and pink flowers. There was an abundance of game and the birdlife was prolific reinforced by the migrants from higher up Africa, Europe and Russia.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

~John Muir

Each evening around 18h30, weather permitting, we would drive to a lookout point from which to watch the sunset or moon-rise with a sundowner in hand. It was a daily celebration of life and abundance. The lookout point was normally a hill or ridge with a wonderful elevated view of the whole area from which to watch the wanderings of all the game below. From way down below you could hear the jackals calling and the odd “whoop” of an hyaena scout starting out on its nocturnal hunt.

One evening on our way back to camp around 19h30 we were crossing the rock bed below the weir on the Matabole river when one of our group, George, spotted a male leopard lying in the grass with his infra-red spotlight. How he saw this leopard was a mystery as it was so well camouflaged. This large male leopard was quietly lying in the long grass right next to the river. He must have known that a lot of game comes down to drink from that section of the river. With a little patience his dinner would come to him.  The fact that George could see something in the grass in the dark was amazing. We could only confirm it was a leopard through the binoculars. In the bush you need all your faculties to see, and seeing is about perceiving shape, colour and movement. It is not only about focus and clarity.

The summer migrants were in Mashatu for the insects. This was one of many Lesser Spotted Eagles which had arrived for the insect banquet. They are highly mobile and we only saw them one afternoon and never again.

“All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.”

~Marie Curie

This next image gives you an idea of the carpet of flowers covering the plains in Mashatu. Yellow Devil Thorn flowers interspersed with Wild Spearmint (I am not sure about my flower identification).

The elephants loved the flowers and scooped them up by the trunk full.

It is a remarkable sight to see a lioness lying in a bed of yellow flowers or to see a female elephant walking through  nature’s flower garden.

The giraffe were more interested the lions which were about 50 metres in front of them.

“Follow your bliss, and doors will open for you that you never knew existed. Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”

~ Joseph Campbell

The rivers are seasonal. Recent rains had brought the rivers down in flood but the flood waters subside quickly if there is just a thundershower in the upstream catchment area. Once subsided the river is left with numerous pools of clean water, which the animals and birds seem to love.

The elephants really enjoy their summer pools. While we were watching the breeding herd in the previous image, out of the tree line on the far side of the riverbed came another herd of elephants. We watched quietly on the vehicle in the riverbed and  they walked a few metres in front of us. They then walked right past us, unfazed.

This was a Large-flowered Tephrosia on an rock outcrop highlighted by the late afternoon sunrays.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

~Kahlil Gibran

The cubs watched their mothers stalking two giraffe.

Much further way from the lions, this young female giraffe was sitting down. You don’t often see them on the ground like this because they are so vulnerable.

A coalition of three Cheetah males were lying in the grass just below “Cheetah Koppie” , so called because they often walk on top of this hill to get a idea of where the game is on the plains below.

This Eland bull had been digging in the greenery with his horns and seemed quite comfortable with his new look.

This African Hoopoe was having a dust bath, in the late afternoon light, in the middle of the gravel road we were travelling along. It seemed to be quite content so we watched patiently while is undertook is dusty ablutions.

”Do more than just exist”

The next day we found two herds of elephant down at the Majale river. The group in the foreground were have such fun wallowing in the river. I have never seen this section of the Majale with so much water – wonderful to see.

At this time of the year the thunderclouds build up in the afternoons and dump their highly localised bounty.

In summertime the vehicle tracks are clearly demarcated with flowers. In winter, it is grey-brown and desolate.

A female Steenbok  resting quietly  in a sand gully.

Black-backed jackals are ubiquitous. They are usually silent during the day but can often be heard at night, inevitably giving a predator’s position away. They are nimble and crafty creatures who tend to work in pairs.

At this time of the year it is hard not to want to photograph the wonderful selection of wild flowers.

There is an inspiring array of sights, sounds and colours in Mashatu in summer and this Violet Backed Starling just added to the dazzle.

“Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.”

~Rabindranath Tagore

To get a sense of peace and serenity there is nothing better than driving slowly along a dry river bed through a croton grove. It is quiet but for Meve Starlings, squirrels and Turtle Doves. Hobbits would love these areas.

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

”Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show.”

Have fun.

Mike