One morning at the Malibala hide in the Mkuze Game Reserve the peace was broken by a pair of Egyptian geese. Up until that time, they had been the only geese at the waterhole and all had been quiet. As soon as a wandering pair of Egyptian geese flew towards the waterhole, the pair on the ground started to hiss and honk.

“Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world – fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don’t know their names– though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them.”― Lyanda Lynn Haupt

The plumage of both sexes Egyptian geese are identical but the males are usually larger. Their plumage varies greatly in tone, with some birds greyer and others browner. This plumage tone variation is not thought to be sex- or age-related.

Egyptian geese are very vocal, and have a repertoire of snarls, grunts, honks, and hisses. Both sexes hiss in alarm and honk when taking flight, but only males snarl and only females grunt.

Male Egyptian geese fight each other to protect their territory and their females. They are monogamous, so have one mate for life. Despite their territorial imperative, Egyptian geese are known to congregate in large flocks outside breeding season in areas with enough grazing. We have seen this spectacle along the Chobe river. At the waterholes there was usually one resident pair, suggesting that there was not enough food for more than one pair or that the pair were breeding.

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon

Both sexes are aggressively territorial towards their own species when breeding. Egyptian Geese breed just once each year and lay up to eight eggs. The majority breed in the spring or at the end of the dry season. The breeding season can be anytime from July to March, depending on the area.

“It is not the strength of body that counts but the strength of spirit.” ~JRR Tolkien

When talking about birds fighting, we need to differentiate fighting among individuals of the same species from other aggressive interactions. The latter could include the hunting and killing of other birds as seen with many raptor species.

Direct physical combat between individuals of the same species is not common. Birds have ways to “fight” using ritualised signals and behaviours so that more often than not they can avoid a potentially costly physical fight.

On this particular morning, the early ritualised threats quickly gave way to full on physical fighting. The two males were using the chests to push their opponent around. When that was not enough they started to bite each other. They seldom use their webbed feet in a fight as a raptor would do. Rather they need their feet to find purchase on the ground so they push their opponent.

The fights can get aggressive with both males trying to bite the other on the neck and back. They also hit each other with their wings. Turtle and Laughing doves, and pigeons are often seen slapping each other with their wings in a violent display called “wing fighting”, especially around food.

“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.” ~ George S. Patton

Fighting can be a dangerous time for the combatants. They become so focussed on fighting each other and they are not aware of what is around them. Egyptian geese need to be on the look-out for leopards, lions, cheetahs, hyaenas, and crocodiles which will attack them given half a chance. Raptors such as Black sparrowhawks, African fish-eagles and Wahlberg’s eagles are known to feed on Egyptian geese.

The songs of birds, some of which are wonderful to listen to, are the ultimate signal (usually males to other male birds) of the singer’s territorial imperative, and any intrusions into it will be dealt with harshly. If one male is foolish enough to ignore the message of territoriality from the song of another and violates the space of the singer, then behaviours may quickly escalate. If the singing doesn’t do the trick, the next step may be the communication of aggression through a specific ritualised behaviour. If that does not deter the intruder then the behaviour is likely to get physical.

The waterhole’sresident male Egyptian goose, spurred on by his female, decided the intruder needed to be taught a lesson. So the fight went into the second round.

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ~ Margaret Thatcher

If the songs and rituals aren’t enough to stop two aggressive individuals from challenging each other then, beak, claw and wings are needed. With Egyptian geese, the threat posture is shown by an extended neck and hissing. Threatened birds mostly avoided the opponent, with only one in forty encounters resulted in a physical fight.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~ Winston Churchill

When it comes to winning bird feuds, researchers have determined that beaks and build are the best predictors of who wins the battle.

Egyptian geese mostly eat seeds, leaves, grasses and plant stems, which is why they remain close to waterholes or wetlands. Occasionally, they will eat locusts, worms, or other small invertebrates.

“Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning”. ~ The Art of War by Sun Tzu 

Egyptian geese moult annually, migrating to a safe wetland to shed their flight feathers. The moult period lasts about 3–4 weeks, during which time the geese are unable to fly. We have seen a huge flock of Egyptian geese unable to fly next to the Chobe river. When trying to get away from our boat, the flock effectively did butterfly strokes with their wings to propel themselves across the water.

Egyptian geese are beautiful birds but in South African urban areas they can be a pest and can be very noisy. Out in the bush they are not so common and given some quiet time at a waterhole you may be fortunate enough is see some fascinating behaviour from them.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~ Anais Nin

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

Have fun, Mike

The Malibala hide is half way between the Mshophi gate and the Matuma camp in the Mkuze Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu Natal.

Helen and I visited the hide every day for four days. The weather proved variable. It was surprisingly cold in late September, which is springtime. This can be a very hot part of the world in summer. It was overcast and raining intermittently. There was a cold easterly wind blowing for much of the time we were in the hide. To our very pleasant surprise all the hides we visited in Mkuze Game Reserve were in excellent condition. Well maintained and positioned for best views of the waterhole.

Whilst we did not see many different mammal species we saw plenty of birds despite the difficult weather conditions. I have no doubt that we would have seen many more bird species if it had been warm and sunny.

There were many young birds around in late September. We were fortunate enough to see Three banded plover chicks with their mother and Water Thick-knee chicks with both parents.

The Water Thick-knee is crepuscular and nocturnal. It is never far from water. It is a tall, dome-headed, plover-like bird with large, yellow eyes. It is mostly brownish in colour, and has a grayish wing panel that is bordered above with a narrow white bar. 

The greyish wing panel is clearly visible on the adults’ wings.

The colour of the chicks blended so well with the grass and even in the stoney area leading down to the water’s edge. The parent were very attentive.

After drinking at the waterhole in front of the Malibala hide a wildebeest bull started walking towards the Water Thick-knee family. Immediately the male Thick-knee spread his wings in a defensive posture. Despite the vast size difference the male Thick-knee stood his ground and the Wildebeest walked around the family with no incident.

The Water Thick-knee family were on the far side of the waterhole but thankfully a Three-banded plover and her two chicks were close to the hide on the left hand side. Just as well as this plover is very small. Needless to say her chicks were even smaller. When the wind blew strongly or it was getting too cold, the chicks would nestle under their mother’s wings and all you could see were numerous legs and feet under her body.

The chicks were minute. The Three-banded plover chicks are precocial. This means they are born with a downy covering, open eyes, and are able to move around and find food almost immediately. We have seen this behaviour among African Jacana chicks.

Precocial chicks need to be able to escape danger from the moment they hatch. They rely on their crypsis to evade predators by staying motionless on the ground. Crypsis is the ability of a creature to conceal itself especially from a predator by having a colour, pattern, and shape that allows it to blend into the surrounding environment.

In the four days we visited the Malibala hide we only saw a solitary White-backed vulture. It landed in the morning around 9h00 when the conditions were cold and windy and it was overcast. It was probably waiting for the air to warm up and thermals to develop. While waiting, it decided to have a drink of water.

This vulture drank water in a similar way to all other raptors. Raptor do generally not need to drink water often because they get most of their fluids from their prey. Most bird species drink by dipping their beak into the water, then tip their head backwards to swallow. Doves and pigeons are the only birds that use suction to draw water into their throats. Vultures also frequently bathe to keep their feathers clean.

There was a single Grey heron at the waterhole while we were watching. Grey herons tend to operate at the water’s edge unlike the Black -headed heron which hunts in the grass and reeds along side the water. Most birds stretch their wings to keep supple and get blood flow to their muscles in case they need to take flight suddenly.

The Grey heron can take on comical poses at times. It is always on the look out for aerial raptors which can swoop in and radically change the dynamics at the water’s edge.

On the few occasions that the sun emerged, the Grey heron shook its feathers and took in the ambient warmth.

We had a solitary “lightning bird” fly down to the water’s edge. The Hamerkop, also known as the Lightning Bird, is one of Africa’s most fascinating species and the subject of many traditional beliefs amongst the people of Africa. Some African cultures believe that if you tamper with its nest you will be struck by lightning. With no lightning around this Hammerkop just walked around the edge of the waterhole looking for something to eat.

The Hamerkop feeds predominantly on tadpoles and adult frogs, fish and some insects. It hunts by moving along the water’s edge and puddles of water in a dirt road stirring up mud with its feet to find edibles that are lurking in the shallow water.

As you can see from the images there are plenty of birds that frequent the water’s edge. In the next post I will show some of the smaller birds that we saw along the edge of the waterhole at the Malibala hide.

If you are prepared to take the time to slow down and wait for mother nature to reveal herself at her own pace you will be amazed at what you will see. The show is not preordained and does not happen at regular intervals but some time quietly invested can reveal wonders.

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

Have fun, Mike

In late September last year, Helen and I visited Mkuze Game Reserve. After such good wildlife sightings at both Amakhosi Game Reserve and Rhino River Lodge in the Manyoni Game Reserve, which area in the same part of the world, we thought we would explore this part of the world a little more.

We stayed at Ghost Mountain Inn which is about 16 kilometres from the Mshophi Gate in the Mkuze Game Reserve. The road from the Inn to the gate would put off the ‘faint of heart’. We mistakenly thought that we would get warm weather with blue skies at that time of the year. We were completely wrong. The weather cold, overcast, rainy with strong easterly wind blowing for a good part of our visit.

After the initial rough drive to the Mshophi gate we were not sure what to expect. But once in the game reserve we were pleasantly surprised. The main roads were tarred and good condition. The gravel roads were also in good condition. We were really impressed with quality of the four hides we visited in the game reserve. They were well positioned and well maintained.

The first hide we visited was the Malibala hide. It was half way between the Mshophi gate and Matuma camp. Despite difficult conditions with initially freezing cold temperatures, strong easterly winds and rain, we had good sightings when the weather partially cleared on several occasions for a short period.

The “big five” can be seen in the Mkuze Game Reserve but we did not see them because of the weather. Though we did have some good sightings of Nyala, Wildebeest, Zebra, Giraffe and Warthog. Despite the tough weather conditions we had some interesting birds visit the waterhole.

Nyala families came down to drink at the waterhole regularly during the day even though it was overcast and cold in the morning with intermittent rain.

The interaction between the Nyala bulls was interesting. There was a clear hierarchy. The bulls circle each other, with heads lowered, backs arched with horns facing forward. They circle each other broad side in a lateral display, attempting to make themselves appear as big as possible. They fluff up their tails and the dorsal manes on their back. Perhaps because of the lack of other mammals, the Red-billed oxpeckers were paying all their attention to the Nyala bulls.

A family of Warthogs came down to drink at the waterhole. The waterhole was large around 50 metres in diameter.

All the herbivores approached the waterhole from the east and south west. This was probably because of the openness. The hide was on the north west side of the waterhole and there was quite thick vegetation on the north side which would have been ideal for predator ambushes. Small herds of Plains zebra came down to drink frequently during the day.

These Plains zebra only had very light shadow stripes on their flanks. Zebra often walk deep into the water to get the clean undisturbed water but not on this occasion.

A few Blue wildebeest came down to drink only once and did not return. The occasional single bull also came down to drink, temporarily leaving his territory.

The Red-billed oxpeckers remained close to the water and took advantage of any and all herbivores that came down to drink.

On the road driving away from the Malibala hide we saw a few Southern African giraffe, identified by their distinctive pelage pattern. It is dark brown rounded patches on a tawny background. The patches are mostly convex with irregular incisions and extend down the legs, getting smaller as they go. The darker the pelage usually the older the giraffe. Also the small hairy ossicones signify the young age of the giraffe. The mature males have no hair on the top of their ossicles as it gets rubbed off when fighting.

We also came across a troop of Chacma baboons with one of the large males high up in what looked like a Appleleaf tree. He looked to be on sentry duty but was taking advantage of the trees blooms.

We did not see buffalo, rhino or elephant, neither did we see lions or a leopard. In fact we drove all around the game reserve with no sightings of the “big five”. This was not an issue because the birdlife in the game reserve was prolific.

At the Matuma camp it was very quiet but the weather brought out the blooms of the Impala lily. In Southern Africa, this lily is known as a source of fish poison and arrow poison. The poison is prepared from latex in the bark and fleshy parts of the trunk, and is always used in combination with other poisons.

This post showed a few of the mammals we saw at and around the Malibala hide. In the next post I will show you some of the wonderful birdlife we saw despite the cold, rainy and strong windy conditions which usually keep the birds tucked away in the shelter of the trees.

We were very impressed with the condition of the hide. It was spacious and well maintained.

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

Have fun, Mike

This is my first post in seven months after an extensive home renovation which was a complete and prolonged distraction.

Helen and I visited Marievale Bird Sanctuary in mid-September. This bird sanctuary is about 45 kilometres south of Johannesburg in the Highveld region of South Africa. Marievale Bird Sanctuary is a protected wetland area and a Ramsar site. It is about 15 km² in size, and constitutes the southern half of the Blesbokspruit wetland, which extends from near the town of Springs to the town of Nigel. The Blesbokspruit is a major perennial river in Gauteng and is flanked by extensive floodplains. Surrounding the Marievale sanctuary are the old mine dumps left over from an erstwhile thriving gold mining community.

The Blesbokspruit wetland is designated as an Important Bird Area with almost 300 bird species recorded, according to the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). Helen and I have been visiting Marievale for about 15 years. It is a wonderful place to practice bird photography skills and to see and learn about new birds and bird behaviour.

Mid-spring on the Highveld in South Africa was a time when the temperature started to warm up but it was very dry. The rains were only expected to start around mid-November and turned out to be late. The weather on this particular day was variable. It was cool in the early part of the morning with plenty of wind but it warmed up by late morning. It was partly cloudy dictating that the photographic light and colour was variable.

A view from the access road looking east across a dry pan in front of the Flamingo hide. This was the first time I had seen this pan bone dry.

From a hydrological perspective, wetlands have many functions. Although often viewed as waste lands they play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of both flood and drought conditions in a watershed. Wetlands act like a sponge and in so doing help store and release water relative to the amount of water in the surrounding area. They also filter and clean polluted water, recharge ground water, provide habitats for wildlife, and provide recreational value.

Natural water regimes dictated by rainfall and groundwater flow provide a pattern of wetting and drying which are the key to the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains. High flows and floods connect rivers to floodplains and wetlands, moving nutrients around, allowing seeds to germinate and supporting breeding and movement of birds, frogs, fish and other animals. Low flows keep rivers flowing, allowing fish to migrate and breed. Dry periods where there are no flows can be important too and don’t necessarily indicate a wetland is not healthy. (Source: Wetlands and changes in water flows, Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water Wetland publications).

On the South African highveld, late spring and early summer was a particularly dry period which reduced the water levels in the Marievale Bird Sanctuary to the lowest I have seen in the years I have been visiting this bird haven. The intriguing aspect of the water levels in the wetland waterways is the profound effect it has on which birds you are likely to see and photograph.

An African rail, skittish as usual, running away to hide in the reeds.

Prolonged low water flows have an important impact on wetlands such as reduced carbon absorption through loss of river bank vegetation; increased algal blooms; decreases in waterbird populations—when wetland habitats are lost or reduced and water is not available at the right time for breeding or feeding; increased pest fish species (such as carp) leading to loss of native species—when the patterns of flow favour introduced species over native species.

The unusually low water levels meant that the water’s edge was further from the hides so longer lenses were needed to capture the small birds.

On this particular visit we saw more African snipe than in all our previous visits combined. Usually when the water levels were higher we found African snipe foraging at the edge of the reeds because the water was too deep for them. On this occasion, the depth of the water was ideal for them given their short legs and long beaks.

This snipe’s plumage looks cryptic from above. Its upperparts, head and neck are streaked and patterned with bold dark brown stripes and gold edges to the feathers forming lines down its back. The belly is white, with some brown barring on the flanks. Its beak is dark brown, long (for the bird’s size), straight and fairly robust. The legs and feet are yellowish-olive to greenish-grey. The sexes have similarly coloured plumage.

It was very unusual to see these African snipe wading around in the open water areas. The image below on the right hand side shows several African snipe together in just small area. Usually, we only see an individual.

Ruffs are often the first Palearctic migrants to arrive at Marievale. These large sandpipers have their non-breeding plumage in the South African spring and summer months. They are plain-looking waders, with a longish neck and small head. Non-breeding birds are a pale fawn-brown all over, with a paler belly. These waders have a slightly de-curved beak and long yellow-orange legs.

Ruffs are usually found foraging either in shallow water or exposed mud flats. They feed mainly on insects but will also go for spiders, crustaceans, worms, small fish, frogs, and seeds.

Little stint stretching its wing. This diminutive wader forages for mainly small invertebrates such as midges, crustaceans and gastropods, like slugs and snails. This diminutive wader does most of its foraging in very shallow water or mud.

The low water levels suited the Lesser flamingos. Lesser flamingos have a much finer beak filter than Greater flamingos and are surface feeders that skim the top layer of water for nutrients like blue-green algae and diatoms. Lesser flamingos and Greater flamingos can feed in the same water sources without competing for food because they have different diets and feeding methods. By contrast, Greater flamingoes forage by sifting food from the lake bed of shallow water bodies consuming mainly crustaceans like shrimp, mollusks, and other invertebrates but will also feed on small organisms like plankton, tiny fish, and fly larvae.

Lesser flamingos have a carmine red beak and pink plumage whereas Greater flamingos have a pink beak with a black tip and its plumage is white with pink tinges. Its wing covers are pink and its primary and secondary wing feathers are black.

A group of Lesser flamingos walking through the shallows. It was cold so the front flamingo was puffed up and had pulled its neck in to keep warm.

A pair of Cape shovellers with their unique shaped bill.

Glossy ibises were the only species of ibis we saw at Marievale on this visit. Glossy ibises have a purple and green iridescent gloss on the feathers. In the breeding season, the head and neck have a reddish brown plumage. When non- breeding, the head and neck are a duller brown with white streaks and the plumage loses its iridescence and so is duller.

There were quite a few Pied avocets enjoying the relatively shallow water. Avocets use their long, up-curved beaks to feed by sweeping them from side to side in shallow water to stir up prey.

Avocets feed on aquatic insects, worms, crustaceans, and sometimes seeds. They are good swimmers and are able to dabble when the water is too deep for them to stand in. The food that this species feeds on is small so they have to forage for long periods to ingest sufficient nutrients.

There were several pairs of Red-billed teal swimming in the open channels of water feeding regularly. Red-billed teal are a type of dabbling duck. The species is the largest of all the teal family, and slightly smaller than a Yellow-billed duck. The Red-billed teal and Cape teal look quite similar but the Red-billed teal has a brown crown, forehead and nape where as the Cape teal has a pale, mottled gray head and neck, with distinctive pink rather than red bill. 

A Black crake walking across the muddy remains of an erstwhile channel in front of the Hadeda hide. The wetland birds looked quite scruffy due to all the mud. This member of the rail family usually has a vivid yellow beak and bright pink-red legs. As usual this Black crake was skittish and dashed for the reeds as soon is it saw us.

The only Marsh sandpiper we saw was also enjoying the relatively shallow water which enabled it to forage over a larger area. This is a relatively large sandpiper which feeds by probing in the shallows. The Marsh sandpiper is easily mistaken for a Greenshank but the former has longer legs, is more slender and has a longer neck and beak. The Marsh sandpiper is a Palearctic breeder so it migrates to Southern Africa in our summer season.

The ubiquitous Black-headed heron in the wet and marshy areas along side the water ways. This voracious hunter seeks rats, mice, frogs and insects in the undergrowth and grasses. It does not usually venture into the water or even hunt along the water’s edge like a Grey-headed heron.

A Cape wagtail walking in the shallow water in front of the Otter hide. This wagtail forages on tiny insects on the surface of the water and sand and mud on the water’s edge. The Cape wagtail has a grey head and back and a distinctive black “v” shaped collar. All wagtails forage for food while walking along the ground, bobbing its head and tail constantly.

A White-throated swallow perched on a falling log in front of Otter hide. We always see a pair at this hide because they have built their mud nest in the roof of the hide. The White-throated swallow has distinctly different markings to the Barn swallow in that its throat is white and it has a dark blue necklace.

A male Long-tailed widow bird with its non breeding plumage. Outside the breeding season, the males of this species lose their long black tail feathers and black body and wing plumage. These seedeaters are normally seen around many females but we saw very few females on this visit.

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the largest wetland area in South Africa but the largest and most unique wetland in southern Africa is the Okavango Delta. To better understand the dynamics of one the main rivers feed the delta, Dr Steve Boyes and his research team’s journeyed from the source of the Cuito river in the Angolan highlands to the Okavango Delta. En route they encountered a huge peatland which is a unique type of wetland which is estimated to be 1634 square kilometres in size in the Cuito river basin (Source: Jennifer M. Fitchett etal, Angolan highlands peatlands: Extent, age and growth dynamics). Through carbon dating the team revealed that for thousands of years this living landscape has been absorbing carbon dioxide. Peat layers are estimated to contain between 4 and 25 times more carbon than the trees. Healthy peatlands capture CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Because the plants that grow on peatlands do not fully decompose under wet conditions, they do not release carbon which would otherwise be returned to the atmosphere as CO2. The peatland is also a massive sponge which regulates water flow of water from the Quito river into the delta.

The Marievale wetland is less than 1/100 th of the area of the Cuito peatland but plays an important role in the urban highveld environment and is a wonderful place for avian enthusiasts to enjoy a large variety of species up close.

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

Have fun, Mike