Mashatu is known, among many other things, for its wonderful leopard sightings. Most of the sightings take place along the Majale river or in the drainage lines feeding into the Majale. The Majale is the main river coursing through Mashatu Nature Reserve and it is seasonal. In the summer, December to March, the rains create numerous pools of water in this meandering river. Even in the rainy season it seldom flows bank to bank. The rains also fill up the pans so the wildlife spreads out and does not need to come to the Majale to drink.
“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” ~ Emma Smith
Along the Majale is a selection of large Mashatu trees (Nyala berry), Leadwoods and Apple-leafs which provide ample shade and places for leopards to lie in the heat of the day, and there are also many Croton groves in which leopards can hunt.
“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men.” ~Mark Twain
Late one afternoon our guide, Justice, was driving the southern bank of the Majale. We had been following the meandering course of the river driving under all the large Mashatu trees looking for leopards. We also drove through the Croton groves where leopards can sometimes be found lying on the ground in the shade of the Croton bushes. Eventually travelling west we arrived at Figtree crossing. There lying among the rocks in the afternoon shade next to one of the remaining pools of water we found a solitary young male leopard.
This leopard, after spending some time just looking and listening, got up and went down to the water’s edge for a drink.
There were no baboons around so he got to drink in peace. Nevertheless he was alert and looking around while he was drinking.
After sating his thirst he got up and started walking east along the dry riverbed.
The late afternoon light cast a warm hue of golden light over the northern bank which was reflected in the remaining pool of water.
This young male leopard eventually climbed up the northern bank. He looked ready to hunt rather than just patrolling his territory. Regularly he would stop and just look and listen.
“In stillness lives wisdom. In quiet you’ll find peace. In solitude you’ll remember yourself.”~ Robin Sharma
The vegetation away from the northern bank of the Majale was verdant and gave him plenty of cover. As he wandered along the edge of a Croton grove he stopped in mid stride to listen to something that caught his attention.
After wandering for about 20 minutes he eventually climbed the trunk of a fallen acacia tree. This tree was probably pushed over by elephants but the fallen trunk gave him an elevated view of the surrounding area.
It was dusk and the light was fading fast. There was plenty of cloud so the late afternoon light would break through the cloud for fleeting moments. The leopard found a comfortable spot to lie down and just look and listen. In the distance he could hear baboons barking which made his ears turn back slightly. The baboons were far way, so there was no encroaching threat to him.
It is a real privilege to sit quietly and just watch a leopard sensing its environment.
This young male appeared relaxed and from a distance his coat blended in with the fallen tree remarkably well. In the fading light, if we had not seen him climb into the fallen tree trunk we might have not seen him at all.
” Learning to be still, to really be still and let life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance.”~ Morgan Freeman
Young male leopards are usually chased away from the rich hunting ground along the Majale river by the mature males. The older males are considerably more secretive and less used to the game vehicles.
We spent an entrancing hour with this young male leopard. We did not need to get too close because I was using a long camera lens so while he was aware of us he ignored us.
“Can you be alone without being lonely? Can you spend time by yourself without craving noise or company of other people? Have you discovered the glory of quiet time spent alone, time spent listening to your soul? Solitude brings with it gifts that come from nowhere else.” ~ Steve Goodier
We usually see leopards in the early morning or at dusk. Often at dusk, a leopard will come down from his arboreal shady resting place and lie on the ground gathering himself for the night’s hunting. Last light is often a good time to see leopards come down to the pools of remaining water in the otherwise dry Majale riverbed. The baboons are usually making their way to the trees where the troop will sleep so the leopards are less likely to bump into a troop of baboons at last light. The early mornings can be quite a different interaction where the leopards have to be more careful.
This is my third post on birds seen and photographed in Mashatu Nature Reserve in January. Mashatu is a private nature reserve in the Tuli Bloc in south eastern Botswana, in southern Africa.
In this post I show 27 different species of bird seen and photographed in Mashatu. There are many birds seen but not photographed. I am not a birder with a list. I prefer to see the bird, enjoy and photograph it. No bird will ever be a tick on a bird list. In my world the number does not count but seeing understanding and identifying its unique character and behaviour is much more important to me.
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” ~ John Burroughs
My photography has gone a long way towards improving my knowledge of birds because I get to see them up close and have a lingering image to be able to search for the identifying characteristics. Often I get a chance to sit quietly on the game vehicle and just observe the behaviour of the bird which adds to my general bird knowledge.
The next image is of an adult female Saddle-billed stork which had been fishing in one of the small remaining pools of water in the Majale river. The female is identified by her yellow eye and lack of yellow wattle under her chin. Both the male and female have the characteristic bi-coloured red beak with a black band across the bill just below the yellow wattle above the upper mandible. The Saddle-billed stork also has the pink knees which, look sore. This is a tall strikingly coloured black and white stork.
A Spotted flycatcher sitting on a twig just above the sand bank along the Majale river. Spotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch. Their upright posture is characteristic. This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird’s common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores.
A Marsh Sandpiper foraging along the bank of a shallow pan which had formed in the recent rains. This is a medium-sized wading bird, with a long thin straight beak which is yellowish around the nares and darkens to a black tip. It has yellowish legs. It is most similar to the Green sandpiper but differs by lighter colouring, white underwings, and larger white spots on back. Like the Wood the Marsh sandpiper has a diffuse border between speckled chest and white belly. Its tail is not banded like the Green sandpiper, The Wood and Marsh sandpipers’ plumage leaves an overall much paler impression than Green Sandpiper, particularly in flight.
“The lesson which life constantly repeats is to ‘look under your feet.’ You are always nearer to the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars. Every place is the center of the world.” ~ John Burroughs
An immature Steppe buzzard. It was perch hunting from a dry tree close to the Apple-tree grove down near the vlei in Mashatu. This a migratory raptor and one of the most common species of raptor in southern Africa during the summer months. The Steppe buzzard shows great variation in colour which vary from rufous to grey in its plumage. Common to all morphs of the Steppe buzzard is a pale zone across the breast which separates the streaked underpart on the breast with a more brown banded belly and rump. The juvenile does not have the belly banding. Like all buzzards it has yellow legs which are bare to half way its tarsals and a yellow cere and small aquiline black beak.
The Red-backed shrike is a summer visitor. The male has distinctive colouring, with blue-gray head, black eye mask, rusty-brown back; female has warm brown upperparts, fine dark scalloping on breast and flanks. It has a typical shrike like beak with a sharp tip to it. It is found in open areas with scattered bushes and trees. This carnivorous shrike hunts from perches on top of bushes and favours areas with thorny plants on which prey (small birds, large insects, rodents) can be impaled in “larders.”
A lone White-backed vulture patiently waiting for the air to warm up in the morning and thermals to develop. It uses these thermals to climb to great heights without major effort. It is always remarkable that you may not see a raptor in the sky and when a carcass is discovered by one how all the others, watching each other, soon get a lock on the position of the carcass on the ground and descending rapidly from great heights in numbers.
A Kori bustard foraging in the long grass for edibles. This bustard is omnivorous and will eat anything it can find ranging from small birds, to insects and rodents. These large birds are shy and will walk away as soon as they see you. The males put on majestic mating displays by standing upright, lifting his black crest feathers, fluffing out his neck feathers, pushing down its wings and lifting his tail.
We found a small flock of Abdim storks on the open grassland south of the Majale river which was unusual. This bird breeds north of the equator, but spends the rest of the year in eastern and southern parts of Africa. This is a medium-sized stork with glossy, black body except for its white belly. The Abdim’s Stork underparts are pure white, except its throat, chin, and upper breast, which have the same colour as its upperparts. Its underwings have black flight feathers and white coverts. It face is bare skinned and blue in colour with red lores. The legs are grey and the feet and ankles are pink in colour. The Abdim’s diet consists mainly of insects including swarming locust, grasshoppers, and crickets but can extend to small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, crabs, scorpions, and molluscs. This gregarious African migrant often appears in huge nomadic flocks numbering in the thousands, normally in response to heavy rains or large fires, after which they forage on the escaping insects.
The White stork is another summer migrant from Europe. It is a large stork standing around one metre in height substantially bigger the the Abdim stork which stands just over 70 cm. The White stork has white plumage with black flight feathers and wing coverts. It has a long pointed vivid red beak which it uses for probing in the grass and stabbing its prey. This stork’s legs are red but often appear whitish. White storks direct their faeces and urine onto their own legs, making them appear white. This acts as a cooling mechanism. When it evaporates creating a similar cooling effect when we sweat. The White stork is a carnivorous and its diet varies from insects to earthworms, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals. Less commonly, they also eat bird eggs and young birds, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and scorpions.
An adult southern Carmine bee-eater perched on a small branch of a Shepherd’s tree ready to hawk flying insects. The adult bee-eaters are mostly aerial foragers. Their diet consists of various invertebrates (e.g. dragonflies, termites and locusts), There are two species of Carmine bee-eater, the southern and northern both of which are found in Africa. Southern Carmine Bee-eaters are summer migrants to woodland savanna. They have a wide distribution range within Africa. The Carmine is the largest of the southern African bee-eaters. It has dark brownish carmine colouring on its back and wings and a lighter carmine colour on its breast and belly. Its neck has pink plumage and under tail coverts are a power blue. It has a dark aquamarine coloured crown, and a black eye band extending from its lores to its ear coverts which is thought to reduce glare in the bright summer daylight.
An adult male Village indigo bird. This is a small 11 cm dark steel blue finch-like seedeater identified by its red beak and legs. The other three species of Indigo birds have white beaks. The Village Indigobird mimics the song of another species, especially the Red-Billed Firefinch. The Indigobird is another brood parasite and specialises in deceiving the Red-billed Firefinch. This mimcry is “diagnostic” because, although the other Indigobirds are also brood parasites, each of them mimics the species it uses as a host. As a brood parasite the female Village Indigobird lays her eggs in the nests of Red-billed firefinches. Unlike the common cuckoo, it does not destroy the host’s egg. Typically, 2-4 eggs are added to those already present. The eggs of both the host and the firefinch are white, although the indigobird’s are slightly larger.
The next image is of a male Indigobird coming into its breeding plumage. This Indigobird visited the bird bath in front of Rock Camp’s main lodge.
A Sabota lark talking to the whole world from on top of a dead tree stump. A medium-sized, streaky lark with a strong white eyebrow that gives it a capped appearance. It has a bold face pattern which is emphasised by a white crescent under the eye and strong moustachial streaks. The heavily streaked breast contrasts with a plain whitish belly and throat. In spring and summer, the male sits up on a prominent perch singing a rich, melodious, variable song that often includes imitations of other birds. The Sabota Lark lacks the rufous wing panel present in Fawn-coloured, Flappet, and Rufous-naped Larks. The Sabota Lark feeds on seeds and insects, the latter of which include ants, spiders, grasshoppers, termites and beetles.
An adult Barn swallow perched precariously at the end of a twig while being buffeted in the wind. This swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. The adult Barn swallow has a chestnut rufous throat and forehead, a blue-black breast band, glossy steel-blue upperparts and a deeply forked tail. It has a white belly and flank which clearly shows on the tail when spread. This swallow typically feeds about 7 to 8 m above shallow water or the ground and is a highly agile flier which flies in an erratic pattern. It is often seen following animals, humans or farm machinery to catch disturbed insects.
A trio of White-fronted bee-eaters nestling close to each other in the cool early morning. This species of bee-eater is resident in Mashatu. The White-fronted bee-eater has a black eye band like most bee-eaters and a white and red band on its throat. Its neck and belly are a brownish buff colour and its upper and lower tail coverts are a powder blue. Its upper parts and wings are an emerald green. These birds hawk bees, as well as other small flying insects such as wasps, dragonflies, butterflies and flies. These aerial insectivores use their tweezer-shaped bills and wide open gapes to catch the flyting insects and displaying incredible manoeuvrability on the wing to do so. They have one of the most complex of all avian societies, featuring families, clans, and pirates!
A male Square-tailed nightjar resting on the ground early in the morning on a bank next to the Limpopo river. These nightjars are usually found in shady gravel areas where their camouflage helps them blend in to their surroundings. Key identifying features are the white markings on the outer tail feathers and folded wings, , in the case of the male, and its tawny-buff collar. It has a prominent black crown markings without clear cut grey surround. The adult of this species has vermiculated grey wings, richly marked with white and salmon teardrop-shaped spots on it median and greater wing coverts which are interspersed with black markings. A line of white spots on the lesser wing coverts form a white bar. This species prefers more open woodland than the fiery-necked nightjar and have a steady trilling call.
We watched these two African hoopoes for about 40 minutes. We saw them first foraging on the ground in the sand in one track of the road. They then flew up into a nearby high dead tree. One partner seemed to be searching for food under the bark while the other was very interested in a hole in the knot of the tree which could have been a nest.
A Brown-hooded kingfisher on top of a dead branch looking up at the storks circling high above. This is a medium-sized woodland-dwelling kingfisher. Its tail and flight feathers are blue, and its back and shoulders are dark brown. It has grey-brown streaked head, a a red beak and red feet. It has all the qualities of a kingfisher, but does not feed on fish. It is an insectivore eating insects, small lizards, centipedes, spiders, scorpions and even chameleons. Brown Hooded Kingfishers usually catch their prey on the ground and kill it by beating it against a tree and in the process break the exoskeleton to facilitate digestion. After a few meals, this kingfisher will often cough up a small pellet removing part of the exoskeleton it cannot digest.
A fledged but young Martial eagle perched on top of a Shepherd tree. This a large eagle, close in size to that of a Black eagle. The juvenile has mostly white underparts and brown upper parts. The adult by contrast has a brown head neck and chest and the belly and legs are white with brown spots. The Martial, like the African Crowned Eagle and African Hawk-eagle, has piercing yellow eyes. It has a grey beak with a black tip and a yellow cere. Birds form an important part of this eagle’s diet, and include guineafowl, francolins and bustards. It will also prey on small mammals and reptiles as large as a full grown monitor lizards. Martial Eagles spend around 85% of their time perched and take to the wing later in the morning once the thermals have begun to develop. This eagle is predominantly opportunistic perch and ambush hunter.
A male Diederick cuckoo sitting call in a Purple-pod Terminalia. These birds can been hard to see as they are small and blend well with the trees and bushes they occupy, especially when looking at them from behind. The Diederick cuckoo has a distinctive red eye, emerald green head, nape and back and white underparts which become strongly barred from the breast to the belly. It has a central white stripe over its crown and several white markings on its secondary feathers and upper coverts. All cuckoos are summer residents and are parasitic breeders. The Diederick cuckoo parasites weaver, bishops and sparrow nests. The female lays either one or two eggs in the host nest and will remove the host egg before laying her own.
“Nature we have always with us, an in exhaustible store-house of that which moves the heart, appeals to the mind and fires the imagination — health to the body, a stimulus to the intellect, and joy to the soul.” ~ John Burroughs
An adult Tawny eagle perched on top of a Shepherd tree which it was using as a lookout. Tawny’s have a huge variety of plumage morphs but this one was a rich rufous colour all over. A Tawny is a mid-sized eagle with a long neck, well-feathered legs, well-proportioned frame and large bill which lacks a deep gape. The gape only extends in line with the middle of the eye. It has strong yellow feet. Like many large raptors, the Tawny eagle spends the majority of its day perched but take wing a few times a day once the thermal have developed. They scavenge and pirate when they can, and hunt when they cannot. The Tawny’s diet varies from what they can scavenge at a kill to birds and small mammals to termites.
A Burchell’s coucal perched on a dead branch. Identified by the fine barring on its upper and low tail coverts.
A yellow-rumped widow also known s a yellow bishop was displaying to passing females from the top of a thorn bush. This widow bird was seen on the west side of the vlei in Mashatu. This male was in full breeding plumage which is black with yellow upper coverts and a yellow rump. The female is brown and heavily streaked below, without yellow highlights.
This was one of three alarmed Three-banded coursers on the gravel road encountered when we were returning to camp around 19h00. This is one of the only two nocturnal coursers in southern Africa, the other being the Bronze-winged courser. This courser is not often seen possibly because it is nocturnal and it has cryptic markings on its upper parts make it difficult to see in daylight. It has a prominent dark brown crown with a broad white stripe extending from its buff coloured supercilium. These white stripes meet on the back of the neck forming a “v”. It has large brown eyes with a thin yellow eye-ring. It has a short yellow beak with a black tip. It has three bands on its throat and breast. The upper band is dark brown and extends from the ear coverts to to the upper chest to form a “v” shape. Below that band is a white band. Below the white band is a broad buff band with dark brown streaks. The third band is a rust coloured extending across its white lower chest and belly. This courser prefers semi-arid areas. During the day these coursers roost on the ground in the shade of a bush. They are insectivorous.
A Swainson’s spurfowl sitting on a dead log early in the morning. The distinguishing characteristics are red skin on its throat and face, and black/brown legs. Swainson’s spurfowl appear brown at a distance but a closer look shows vermiculated upper parts and light brown underparts with dark brown streaks. Its legs and feet are dark grey to black. These birds are found in savanna areas in the northern and eastern area of southern Africa.
This male Swainson’s spurfowl was declaring his presence to the world. This character’s spurs had been worn down signalling an old bird which had been in numerous scuffles over mates. Spurfowl are omnivorous in their habits and feed on bulbs, seeds, berries, shoots insects and molluscs. Swainson’s perch low down in trees at night and don’t drink much during the day but will typically drink before they go to roost.
A Lesser Grey-backed shrike. This is another summer migrant from Europe. It has a distinctive black forecrown and mask which extends to its ear coverts. It has a grey nape, back and upper rump coverts. It has a white underparts from its throat to its rump coverts. and contrast between pinky breast and white throat distinctive. This shrike prefers thornveld areas and is insectivorous. This species of shrike migrates back to Europe in the early part of April each year and by mid-April they have all gone north to breed and feed.
A male long-tailed Paradise whydah looking out for females. In his breeding plumage the male has a black head crown and throat. His chest is a rust brown-orange and his belly and back of his neck are a rich creamy light yellow colour. Its back wings and tail feathers are all a glossy black. This whydah is polygynous and will mate with as many as 10 females. The female is a host-specific brood parasite and lays her eggs in the nest of the Green-winged pytilia. Unlike other brood parasites, paradise whydahs do not remove the host’s eggs when laying its own and the parasite chick does not kill its host “sibling”.
A European roller is yet another summer visitor. This roller was preening itself while sitting on an elevated dead branch. Two other types of roller are seen in Mashatu, the Lilac-breasted and the Purple roller. Like all rollers the European roller is known for its aerial acrobatics during courtship or territorial flights. This roller is light azure powder blue colour on its head and underparts and the underside of its tail feathers. It has a light brown back and rump but reveals electric blue wings in flight. This roller perches on a prominent lookout and hawks prey. Its diet includes large insects, small reptiles, rodents, and small frogs.
The small sample of bird images I have shown in the last three posts offer an idea of the prolific bird life to be found in Mashatu, especially when all the migrants have arrived for the southern African summer months from November to March.
“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter…to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring— these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
~ John Burroughs
Game vehicles are allowed to go off road in Mashatu which contributes greatly to the photographic opportunities. There is also a varied occurrence of smaller birds around the camps which adds to the interest when in camp.
Mashatu Nature Reserve in January. It was a time of good rains which transformed the colour palette of the area from brown and gold to verdant greens and yellows. The migrants, inter-African and Eurasian had arrived. It was hot and blazing with colour. The Majale, the main river coursing through Mashatu, had plenty of large pools of water. It never flows perennially but can flow strongly after good rains.
“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough
This post shows a further small selection of birds which were seen and photographed in Mashatu.
A Lesser Spotted eagle perched in a dead tree looking and waiting for insects to appear. This is a medium-sized, compact eagle which migrates from Eastern Europe to feed in southern Africa during summer. When perched, the adults are characteristically two toned with their dark flight feathers contrasting their paler brown body feathers and upper wing coverts. Usually, a white patch occurs on the upper wings, and adults have a clearly marked white “V” on the rump, usually only seen when flying. The head and beak are small for an eagle possibly because it is mainly an insect eater.
A pair of Red-billed hornbills. There are five species of Red-billed, but we find the southern species in southern Africa. This group of birds are conspicuous visually and sound-wise. It has mainly whitish underparts and head. Its back and head are dark grey and the upper parts of its wings are a dark grey with vivid white splotches. It has a long black tail and a long curved red bill which lacks a casque, which is usually only present in hornbills living in forests or heavily wooded areas. This species of hornbill has a characteristic long decurved red bill with pink skin around its yellow eyes. In the image above the male was about to present his female with a gift of bark as part of his courting process.
A Fork-tailed drongo perched on the branch of a Shepherd tree. This species typically perches on a branch and hawks insects. This bird has a large head with a hooked black bill (similar to a shrike), and a red eye. A key diagnostic feature is its deeply forked tail. This bird is a highly agile flier similar to bee-eater. The drongo is talkative and an accomplished mimic. The Fork-tailed drongo is a kleptoparasite specialist, using its mimic abilities to get effect. Birds of prey are often mobbed by the agile Fork-tailed drongo, who see the raptor as a threat.
“Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we will soon be in trouble.” Roger Tory Peterson
A female Bearded woodpecker. The female has a black crown on her head not a red one seen on the male. Both male and female have the characteristic black throat which looks like a beard and a black eye band which extends from the beak to the ear coverts. A woodpecker’s tongue wraps around its skull, acting as a cushion for the brain when it taps on the hard surface of a branch. The pecking and tapping on branches have several functions, one to claim territory, two to attract mates and three to reach insects and grubs the bark of the tree.
A Kurrichane Buttonquail on the track in front of the game vehicle. This is a small 15 cm high quail. Usually it flushes late when approached or surprised and flies about 20 metres before landing in the thick grass cover again. Its cryptic upper parts make it very difficult to see in the grass. The head and back are mainly russet brown. The eye is cream and clearly is visible, and its beak is blue grey and its legs pinkish. It feeds on insects and seeds on the ground.
A Burchell’s coucal with a large caterpillar for breakfast. This is one of four species of coucal found in southern Africa. The coucal is a member of the cuckoo family. It has the characteristic ochre brown back and wing feathers. Its head and nape are black, its eye is ruby red and its throat and underparts a creamy white. A key differentiating feature is the finely barred upper tail coverts. It has a beautiful liquid call which sounds remarkably like water being poured from a narrow-necked bottle followed by a series of “tu tu tu tu”. This species is often called the “rainbird” because it is often seen before the onset of rain. Its attractive appearance and gentle liquid song disguises its voracious predatory nature. It is feared by smaller birds as it frequently raids the nests of other birds to prey on any young nestlings and eggs. It will also prey on frogs, lizards, rodents and insects.
A Natal spurfowl declaring its territory from a prominent lookout early one morning. This species of spurfowl has distinctive yellow nostrils and a bright orange-red bill and legs. The spurs on this spurfowl were well worn signaling it was an older bird which must have been in many fights.
There are six francolin species and six spurfowl species in Southern Africa. The distinction between these groups is apparent in their plumage, escape flight behaviour and vocalisations. The francolin is smaller and has yellow legs. It typically crouches and sits tight before flushing when disturbed, whereas spurfowls tend to run for cover. Francolins also have a more musical call whereas spurfowl have a more raucous harsh call. A spurfowl is larger and has orange, red or black legs. The spurfowl roosts in trees at night like a guineafowl whereas francolin trend to stay on the ground. The Crested francolin is the exception to the rule among francolins.
A male Namaqua dove. It has a very long black tapered tail, and the size and shape have led to comparison with the budgerigar. The plumage is mostly a grey-brown apart from a white belly. Its primary feathers are chestnut and very visible in flight. The adult male has a yellow and red beak and a black face, throat and breast. The adult female lacks the black and has a red-based grey beak. There is no difference between a pigeon and a dove in scientific nomenclature, but colloquial English tends to categorise them by size where a dove is generally smaller than something called a pigeon.
A Grey heron standing alert on the branch of a dead tree. The Grey heron has a black streak on its head whereas the Black-Headed heron has a solid black head and the former’s feathers are predominantly grey. The Grey heron has a yellow beak and brown legs, whereas the Black-Headed heron has a dark grey beak and grey legs. The Grey heron has light grey feathers, whereas the Black-Headed heron has dark grey feathers. Herons are waders, and have long legs and can measure up to a metre in height. Their preferred diet is aquatic creatures, caught while foraging in shallow water or from the bank. The beak is large and pointed to assist its predatory behaviour. Its diet comprises fish, frogs, insects, beetles and small birds.
A Terrestrial Brownbul having a bath in the bird bath in front of Rock Camp which is one of several camps located along the Limpopo river. It is inconspicuous and camouflaged, occupying the shadowy undergrowth of thickly vegetated habitats, It mainly eats arthropods (spiders, beetles, mantises, moths and butterflies etc.), probing and overturning leaf litter in search of prey.
A White-browed Robin-chat, also known as the Heuglin’s robin. This character also came to the bird bath to cool off in the heat of January. It has a black head and face with a white brow. Its neck and underparts are a bright orange. One of the charming features of the bird is its beautiful call where a pair’s duet can often be heard just after dawn and at dusk.
“The homing instinct in birds and animals is one of their most remarkable traits: their strong local attachments and their skill in finding their way back when removed to a distance. It seems at times as if they possessed some extra sense – the home sense – which operates unerringly.” ~ John Burroughs
A Wood sandpiper foraging in the pans filled by the recent rains. This sandpiper is a summer visitor from Eurasia. It eats a variety of insects, small fish and frogs, foraging by slowly walking on the ground or in shallow water, probing, pecking and sweeping its bill from side to side in search of prey. This sandpiper has dark brown upper parts with white spots and a broad distinctive white eyebrow which starts above its lore and extends above and behind the eye. Its neck and breast feathers are a light buff-brown colour which transitions gradually into white belly and rump feathers. Its beak is dark grey but transitions into a green-yellow around the lores and gape. It has long yellow legs. By contrast, a Green sandpiper tends to be stockier than the Wood sandpiper, and is less elegant and shorter-legged. The Green sandpiper’s legs are a greenish-grey colour.
An adult Hammerkop preening itself on the jutting branch a dead tree above the Majale river around mid-morning. This is a squat, brown bird the size of a small ibis with a bushy-crested “hammer-head”. It is commonly found near wetlands and rivers. Hammerkops eat frogs, fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans found in shallow water. The Hammerkop is also known as the “Lightning bird” in certain African tribe’s folklore. It takes the form of a bird which is the size of a person, with the power to summon thunder and lightning with its wings and talons. The bird is of imaginary nature and may take several forms. According to folklore, the Lightning Bird is impervious to gunshots or stabbing, it cannot be poisoned or drowned, but according to folklore can be destroyed by fire.
A Lanner falcon hunting from its perch on a dead Shepherd bush. It is the largest falcon in southern Africa and is differentiated from the Peregrine falcon by its larger size and and whitish-buff coloured underparts with brown spots. This was a juvenile as seen by its light buff coloured crown. The adult usually has a russet coloured crown. The yellow eye-ring and black teardrop-like moustache extending from the eye down its cheek are characteristic features of most falcons and Hobbys.
I have a special interest in Lanner falcons. I have not seen them often and they have a special place in my birding heart from memories of senior school friends, especially Adrian Lombard, flying their Lanners at our bush boarding school, Falcon College, located south of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.
Mashatu boasts more than 350 species of birds on the reserve. During the winter months the variety diminishes as the migrants return north to feed and breed. In winter in Mashatu, the resident birds gather around the small pools of water that remain from the wet season. During the summer months huge flocks of birds arrive from the north to feed. The unique variety of ecosystems in Mashatu ensure a wide variety of bird species can be seen from wader and waterbirds at the vlei to coursers and sandgrouse in the drier areas.
“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 Wilson Lynd
I have one more post on birds from my Mashatu trip in January after which I will shift onto mammals and the varied scenery.
