It is that time of the year again when one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth arrives in the Masai Mara, in Kenya. The exact timing and the number of migrating wildebeest depend on the quantity of rain and where it has fallen.

“The visual spectacle is indescribable. Every sense is swimming. Your eyes stretch over unimaginable numbers of animals. Dust is everywhere. It is hot. The wildebeest grunts and groans surround you. The tension in the air is palpable as the masses build on the far bank of the Mara river.”~ Mike Haworth

The website Herdtracker indicates that the herds have arrived at the border of the Serengeti and Masai Mara National Park. The herds are travelling north into the Mara Triangle and Mara north where they will feed for about two months before starting to trek south again from October travelling down to Ndutu in the south of Serengeti to calf the frequency of which peaks around February each year.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes deep and permanent, in the ideas of the mind.”~ Miriam Beard

I have included a series of images taken during two wildebeest crossings at the Mara river Figtree crossing a couple of years ago. Around August-September, the wildebeest usually arrive from the Serengeti travelling into the Masai Mara in Kenya and you can see tens of thousands of them coming across the plains and down the hill slopes towards the Mara river.

As the numbers of wildebeest grow they start pushing the front animals towards the edge of the river bank which in some areas is an earthen cliff with drops of five to six metre down to a very steep embankment.

This drop is especially difficult for the calves being so much smaller than the adults. Amazingly, we never saw one animal break a leg coming down such a treacherous drop.

Once down, there is a strong compulsion to follow the others and the wildebeest launch themselves off the steep bank into the deep and fast flowing Mara river.

There is no particular leader in these group crossings, whoever plucks up the courage goes first, be it a calf or an adult bull.

Many of the wildebeest have crossed this river many times and know what danger lurks below the surface. The experienced ones have a really good look to try and locate the crocodiles. The river at this time of the year is normally carrying a lot of sediment making it a muddy brown colour so the wildebeest often cannot not see the crocodiles.

Once the leaders start crossing there is an overwhelming compulsion to follow on mass.

As the numbers of wildebeest crossing the river grows so more and more dust is stirred up and as you can see at times it becomes quite dark.

“We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know it for the first time.”~ Thomas Stearns Eliot

You can imagine the terror. These wildebeest are used to wide open spaces with clear air and all of a sudden they are pushed into an place which is darkened by thick dust. There are other wildebeest diving into the water all around you and you know there are massive Nile crocodiles waiting to ambush you as you cross.

Looking at the thin legs of the wildebeest, it is hard to believe they can swim effectively through the fast flowing Mara river.

“I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”~ Thomas Stearns Eliot

There is a huge advantage to individual animals crossing in a crowd. The chances of an individual being singled out by the crocodiles is substantially lower.

When the crossing begins it is every animal for itself. For most of the calves it would be their first crossing. It is hard to fathom the terror these youngsters must go through in this mad dash.

These adult wildebeest are swimming hard to cross the Mara river but the fast flowing current is pulling them down river. Often this means they end up on the other bank at an unintended spot which is difficult to exit.

This bull had swum half way across the Mara when for some inexplicable reason he stopped and came back to where he started. He was absolutely exhausted and could not walk out of the water back onto dry land despite the threat from crocodiles.

Flying wildebeest – an iconic image of these animals launching themselves terror stricken and panicked into the fast flowing muddy Mara River in the Masai Mara National Reserve.

The wildebeest crossings are truly spectacular both in terms of numbers and intensity. You will be moved by this natural phenomenon. The sheer terror in these animals eyes is clear to see. Terror or not, they have to cross to get to new pastures to feed.

In an article in Sciencedaily in June 2017, it was reported that an average of 6250 animals drown or are trampled crossing the Mara river each year. While this is a huge number, it is small in relation to the average of 1.2 million animals making the crossing during the year. The crossings usually peak along the Mara river in the three months from July to September.

“To those who stay put, the world is but an imaginary place. But to the movers, the makers and the shakers, the world is all around, an endless invitation.”~ Unknown

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

Have fun, Mike

As part of our Rovos Rail trip through Namibia in May 2019 we stopped at Keetmanshoop. This is a small town in the Karas region of southern Namibia. The town was named after Johann Keetman, one of the early traders and benefactor of the town.

“The Rovos rail safari – a journey of discovery through historic and scenic areas of southern Africa from the savannahs of the highveld to the Atlantic Ocean reuniting by rail the republics of South Africa and Namibia.”

The Karas region is semi-arid and receives on average 150mm of rain per annum. In addition to the historic significance of this town, one of the main attractions is the Quiver Tree forest some 14 kilometres north of the town.

This forest is described as a spontaneous forest, a term which refers to the undisturbed development of natural forests where direct and indirect human influences are removed or forbidden.

“Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.” ~ Roman Payne

We spent around an hour and a half walking around the Quiver Tree forest on the Farm Gariganus. This forest was declared a national monument in 1955. The large Aloe dichotoma has a common name Quiver tree. It gets its name from bushman who made quivers from the branches of this aloe as holders for their poisonous arrows.

The Quiver tree is probably the most spectacular aloe species because of its size and sculptural form. Aloe dichotoma or the Quiver tree is a species of aloe indigenous to southern Africa. It is only found in the Northern Cape Richtersveld region and the Namib desert around the South African-Namibian border. This aloe prefers well drained, rocky terain.

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. ” ~ Albert Einstein

The thick succulent leaves of the Quiver Tree grow in a rosette at the end of a long branch. The branches and trunk have a soft fibrous core which can hold a great quantity of water. This aloe has two adaptations to help it cope with the extreme heat. The first is that the branches are thickly covered in a fine white powder to reflect rather than absorb the sun’s rays. Secondly, the leaves are located at the ends of the branch at the top of three tree so as to catch each passing breeze and are farthest from the heat of the ground.

This is a perennial succulent which can grow from three to nine metres in height, and at times even reach 12 metres in height. The bark on the trunk forms beautiful golden brown scales, but the edges of these scales are razor sharp.

The crown of a mature Quiver tree has a rounded canopy composed of a mass of densely grouped repeatedly forked branches. The second part of the latin name of this species is dichotoma. (dichotomous meaning forked). The blue-green leaves are arranged in a rosettes at the end of each terminal forked branch. The inflorescences of tubular bright yellow flowers appear in June and July each year. The flowers produce a lot of nectar, which is a valuable source of food to various birds, and insects such as bees and locusts and even baboons, and so play the an important ecological role in the area.

Large trunks of dead trees are also hollowed out and used as a natural fridge. Water, meat and vegetables can be stored inside it. The fibrous tissue of the trunk has a cooling effect as air passes through it, a so-called natural fridge.

When this aloe grows to around two metres in height, the plant starts to dichotomously branch. The trunk is a massive unbranched central stem which supports dense canopies of forked branches. This stem is fibrous and has no growth rings so this aloe cannot be aged by that means. The way to approximately age a Quiver Tree is to count the number of forks from the main trunk along the longest branches. Each fork is estimated to take about 50 years to develop. This method would measure the age of most of the Quiver Trees at between 150 and 250 years old.

“Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot run away; and if they could, they would still be destroyed,—chased and hunted down as long as fun or a dollar could be got out of their bark hides, branching horns, or magnificent bole backbones. Few that fell trees plant them; nor would planting avail much towards getting back anything like the noble primeval forests. During a man’s life only saplings can be grown, in the place of the old trees—tens of centuries old—that have been destroyed.”~ John Muir

The aloe dichotoma is one of three species of Quiver Tree. The other two species being the Aloe pillansii (Giant quiver tree) and the Aloe ramosissima (Maiden quiver tree).

After a fascinating wander around the Quiver Tree forest we got back on the Rovos rail train at Keetmanshoop and travelled down to Holoog where the train stopped again this time for our afternoon excursion to see the Fish River Canyon which is also located in southern Namibia, equidistant between Windhoek in Namibia and Cape Town in South Africa.

The Fish River canyon consists of an upper canyon, and a lower canyon. The upper canyon is around 550 metres deep and the lower canyon is about 380 metres deep. The canyon is about 160 kilometres long varying in width to a maximum width of 27 kilometres.

“Come, see the north-wind’s masonry, Out of an unseen quarry evermore furnished with tile, the fierce artificer Curves his white bastions with projected roof round every windward stake, or tree, or door. Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work. So fanciful, so savage, naught cares he for number or proportion.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Fish river flows intermittently along the canyon floor. The water comes from late summer flooding. For the rest of the year, the river becomes a chain of small pools of water.

The Fish River Canyon is considered the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in the United States. The oldest rocks of this region existed long before today’s continents were formed by the break-up of the super continent, Gondwana. The basement rocks are around 2.4 billion years old about half the age of the Earth.

Formation of the canyon began around 350 million years ago but the Fish River runs in a bed which is about 1.5 billion years old. Over millions of years, the river has cut into the Namaqualand Metamorphic Complex. The Namaqua Mountains were completely eroded about 650 million years ago leaving a vast plain. Continental rifting created an ocean trough and the plain became the Nama sea. Now it is hard to imagine this area was a sea when you look out of this dry hot desolate area. It took an estimated 100 million years to completely fill the Nama sea with sediment. Over that period heat and pressure transformed the sediments into hard metamorphic rock called the Nama Group comprised mostly of quartzite .

“By the act of observation we have selected a ‘real’ history out of the many realities, and once someone has seen a tree in our world it stays there even when nobody is looking at it.“~ John R. Gribbin

The Fish River Canyon was borne in a tectonic event. A huge block of the Earth’s crust subsided along deep fault lines forming a graben or trench. The graben was the easiest course for the ancient Fish river to follow. It was at this point that erosion took over in the creation of the canyon. The hard quartzite in the Nama group prevented the river from easily cutting into the depths, forcing it to cut sideways instead. Again hard to believe but glaciers flowed along the upper canyon about 300 million years ago carving the canyon down further. It is only once one gets a sense of this phenomenal development process over the last 2.5 billion years does the scenery and geology of this area become even more intriguing.

After an intriguing visit to the Fish River canyon we travelled back to the train waiting at Holoog for us. The next image was taken from the bus window of the sunset with a young Quiver tree in silhouette.

As with so much in nature, if one takes the time to metaphorically dig a little below the surface of what you see, does what you see takes on a whole new meaning. There is always something to see. If it is not animals, it may be birds or reptiles. It maybe unusual flora such as the Quiver trees or vast geological features, such as the Fish River Canyon, which were formed over hundreds of millions of years. Each element has a fascinating story to tell.

“The restlessness and the longing, like the longing that is in the whistle of a faraway train. Except that the longing isn’t really in the whistle—it is in you.” ~ Meindert DeJong

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

Have fun, Mike

This is the second post from our trip to Ruaha, Tanzania’s second largest National Park after Selous. It is located in the centre of Tanzania and is a photographic gem which is still not well known.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”~Mary Oliver

There are two main rivers flowing through Ruaha, the Great Ruaha river and the Mwagusi river. At this time of the year, mid-November, the Mwagusi river course, although dry, was a particularly beautiful and productive part of the park.

“Along the dry river bed the wildlife gathers seeking life giving water. Be careful not to slaunter. The scene is benign and picturesque but the situation deadly. For tawny killers lie in ambush camouflaged in the grass and sand.”~ Mike Haworth

It was early in the morning on our second day, and we were driving along the Mwagusi river which for most sections was just sand. Early in the morning it is still too cool for raptors to look for thermals to get elevation so they can search for productive hunting areas. This tawny eagle was perched quietly, patiently surveying the area from the bough of a large fallen tree. It was dead quiet, the colours soft and the scene serene.

A bough to change the perspective!!

We found many giraffe on our travels around the park. This mature male was enjoying himself foraging in the tree and his long tongue was grabbing all the most nutritious buds and leaves. Other than the overall size, the ossicones are what distinguishes the male and female from one another. The female giraffe has tufts of hair on the top of her horns, while the males are bald on top, mainly due to fighting. Some males develop calcium deposits on top of their heads, which creates the  illusion of the him having a third horn. The extra weight helps in the head bashing competitions.

The bush is full of surprises. Driving along the river’s edge we found this beehive in the fold of the trunk of a fig tree. You can see the layers of honeycomb. There intriguing realisation is that the wild is bountiful but everything comes at a price.

This pair of yellow baboons were “chilling” in a warm glow of the early morning sun. The lady of the house looked like she had had a busy night!

There is much bird life along the Mwagusi river even though the water was patchy. This little bee-eater was very busy hawking insects around 9h30 in the morning. Needless to say it was warm around 37 degrees centigrade.

Along the river is a bounty of Lala palms. The yellow baboons love playing on them and they serve as a quick escape route from most predators.

At the top of one of the Lala palms was a grey kestrel surveying the surrounding scene.

I like all birds but a have a penchant for raptors, born from my schooldays. We disturbed this grey kestrel which was perched on a palm frond. This kestrel is grey all over with yellow legs and feet and a yellow eye ring and cere.

We found several agamas, all red-headed rock agamas with their colourful bodies and red head displaying to nearby females.

Along the Mwagusi river we were expecting to see lions. Of course, usually the only time we see the lions doing anything is first thing in the morning or at dusk. We were not travelling around the park at night when they are most active. Needless to say this pride of females was lounging on the cool sand of the river bed when we found them. When I see them sleeping like this it makes me wonder what they were doing the night before?! It was only when a few giraffe came down to drink did they pay any attention to their surroundings. There is always one lioness awake and looking around while the others are resting.

These giraffe caught the lions’ attention but nothing came of it. Giraffe appear to be very deliberate animals. They actively use their height to assess their surroundings.

I liked the texture and colour contrast between this red-headed rock agama and the tree bark. Little gems in the bush!

A red-necked spurfowl rumaging around in the underground for nibbles.

A crested francolin rumaging in old elephant dung for seeds.

It was late afternoon and we found a big male leopard in a figtree sprawled out on a large horizontal bough. Not too far away in the same tree we saw this bush hyrax who put its head out of a hollowed out knot in the tree to see what was going on. Needless to say with a leopard close by this hyrax was not going anywhere.

The camp’s logo on the side of our game vehicle – impressive.

Back at camp, while we were downloading our images, we were visited by this collared palm-thrush.

Later that afternoon, further down the river we found several giraffe drinking at one of the few pools of open water. It is clear that the water table is not too far below the surface of the sand even this late in the dry season.

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

A simple scene crossing a broad sand river bed. Not so fast, there is nothing simple about it. There was a multitude of life. Elephants to the left and giraffe to the right. In front of us were a small group of Black faced sandgrouse. Along the edge of the water were hammerkops and sandpipers. And in the impressions in the sand, were printed all the tales of the night’s events.

In winter, the Tamboti tree gets red leaves so I was intrigued to see the Tamarind tree does the same at the end of the dry season.

For the life of me I can not remember the name of this tree which blossomed in late spring. It was a beautiful contrast to the surrounding area. Our guide, Justin told me the name but I cannot remember it.

One of the characteristics of Ruaha is its groves of baobab trees. This creates a magical environment for a myriad of wildlife.

One of the iconic images we were trying to get was a leopard lying in the fork of one of the branches of a baobab. We never found one but did find this male leopard in a well-leafed figtree.

“Whatever you do, look and be quiet. There is much to see. There is even more to understand.”~ Mike Haworth

A large adult male leopard lying comfortably sprawled out on the bough of a large figtree. He was in deep shade and high enough to catch any passing breeze to keep him cool. We spent around an hour waiting for him to come down which we knew he would do as the sun set.

Wildlife photography always has an element of chance in it. We were waiting for this male leopard to descend from the tree but it was getting darker and darker and our camera’s shutter speeds were falling despite pushing up our ISOs. Eventually it got to a point where we were not going to get a pin sharp image of this male if he moved. Sure enough as it was getting dark he got up and began to walk down the bough of the figtree. By now there was no option but to play with slow shutter speeds. We hoped he would descend the tree trunk on our side but he decided to go down the other side of the trunk. So is the way of wildlife photography!

“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.” ~Henri Cartier-Bresson

That evening back at camp, we gathered down on the riverbed for dinner. The camp staff had created a bonfire and there were lamplights all around. It looked beautiful. The food was warmed on coals buried in the sand. The staff were so hospitable, the food was scrumptious and spiced with animated chatter about our days’ sightings. The evening was cool, the fire was crackling and there was a Scops owl serenading in the background – bliss!!

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

Have fun, Mike

Another year is drawing to a close. Christmas is a time when the world slows down and a spirit of goodwill prevails. It is a time of great expectation for children and for adults a time of gratefulness for family and friends.

It is a time of giving where laughter and fun, colourful wrapping paper and blinking lights with bright baubles on the Christmas tree. It is the best reason in the world to get together with family and friends. It is also a time when we send greetings to friends and family near and far.

I wish you a Merry Christmas. If you do not celebrate Christmas I wish you peace, joy and goodwill at this time.

“Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today’s Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday.” ~Gladys Taber

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” ~Peg Brachen

“Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving.” ~B.C. Forbes

“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance—each beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.”~Deborah Whipp

No matter how you spend these last few days of the year. My wish for you is that they are filled with joy, health and happiness!

Christmas is a time for us to to look beyond our preoccupations of life which are focused on biology, economics and psychology and join the world of wonder and gratefulness.

Wishing you peace and joy this festive season!

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

Have fun ,

Mike

It was early in the morning in Mashatu game reserve. We had been driving for about an hour. The sun was rising and it was warming up. We were driving along the Majale river in a section we had seen a large elephant herd walk through the afternoon before. By chance we stumbled upon a baby elephant carcass. Our guide, Justice, suggested that this calf must have been still-born and was probably born to one of the females in the herd we has seen the afternoon before. The fact that there were no elephants around was a tell-tale sign of what may have happened the day before.

“There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner.”~Gilbert K. Chesterton

This scene was in an open area with bushes around it and a large Mashatu tree adjacent, casting deep shadow over most of the area. There were two pairs of black-backed jackals around the carcass which had already be partly eaten.

The jackals had to assert their dominance over the squadrons of vultures which were arriving.

“Learn a little patience. You never know what might be around the corner.”~Chris d’Lacey

It was both interesting and amusing to watch what must have been over 50 vultures, white-backed and Cape species, flying in and out of nowhere. Before we found the carcass, we did not see any vultures in the air. We watched them arriving stacked like planes above Heathrow airport. Each vulture approached the scene differently. Some came in conventionally on finals in an orderly manner. Others tucked in their wings and came spiralling down from great height. Some came in “hot” and over shot the runway and had to fly around. The vultures have excellent eyesight and must watch each other from great distances in the sky. They are also capable of flying great distances each day.

Most of the vultures which arrived were white-backed and the odd Cape vulture joined the fray.

“Rest and be thankful.” ~ William Wordsworth

By the look of it all the flying and fighting around the carcass got too much. Some of the vultures chose to wait in the periphery while the jackals were having their fill.

The jackals were very wary while feeding, looking beyond the vultures for possible (arriving) hyaenas and lions.

The jackals would clear space for themselves to feed on the carcass for a while and eventually the mob of vultures would crowd in on the jackals.

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.”~ William Burchell

Sometimes the jackals and vultures gave each other a fright and everyone scattered with leaves, dust and feathers flying.

The White-backed vulture is a large bird but smaller than a Cape vulture.  Despite their size and numbers, the jackals would take the vultures on for position at the carcass.

It did not happen often but there were brief spells when the jackals had the carcass to themselves. Each jackal would eat quickly then look up to ensure that a hyaena or lion was not about to spoil the party.

Inevitably the number of vultures arriving would signal to both hyaenas and lions that there was food around which could be stolen.

The Cape vulture is noticeably bigger than its White-backed cousin. It is also more aggressive.

This next image show that the jackals did not have breakfast all their own way and a single jackal would be chased off the carcass by the mass of vultures.

Once there were three or four jackals they won back the carcass but there was also rivalry between the pairs of jackals.

“Always be careful of where you run to. When the going gets tough, take it easy and slow down, else you venture into the den of lions.” ~ Michael Bassey Johnson

With all the noise of the vultures it must have been difficult for the jackals to hear any approaching predators so they frequently looked up in between snatching pieces of meat off the carcass.

Peace would return for a few minutes while the jackals tucked into the carcass but inevitably the vultures would start pressing. The odd bold vulturine soul would try to fly in but the jackals soon sorted out that tactic,

“Be ever vigilant but never suspicious.”~Old English proverb

The vultures were aggressive to each other with numerous spats for dominance. Surprisingly, in what appeared to  be aggressive fights I did not see any vulture draw blood on another vulture.

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community.It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” ~Aldo Leopold

Once the jackals had their fill they left the scene. The risk of staying around was too high once the incoming vultures had signalled to all the predators in the area that there was a carcass available.

Once the vultures get stuck in they can strip a carcass very quickly.  Despite all the noise and activity, we did not see one other predator come in to challenge the vultures and jackals.

The vultures were coming into the feeding scene and in doing so would cast a shadow as they flew in. The large shadow cast by the incoming vulture caused the jackals to look up and see what was going on.

Although unfortunate that the elephant calf had died, it was fascinating to watch nature’s actors perform in this scene. It was spell binding and we hardly noticed the two hours which flew by. Usually I have seen lions or hyaenas dominate the scene but never seen this to and fro interaction between jackals and vultures. We never got back to this scene again but I have no doubt that there was nothing left after two or three days after natures’ waste disposal teams of hyaena, jackals and vultures had finished.

“If you are intelligent, if you are alert, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.” ~ Osho

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

Have fun,

Mike

The Olifant’s river water catchment area is divided into three sections, the upper, middle and lower reaches. The Olifant’s River has its origin between Breyten and Bethal, in the Mpumalanga Province. This river flows past the Eagle Rock estate between the Witbank and Loskop dams. The Wilge river joins the Olifants just before the Loskop dam in the middle section. Beyond that the Olifants is joined by the Elands river near Marble Hall and flows down to the lower section where the Steelpoort river joins it and further downstream the Blyde river joins and further still in the Klaserie area the Ga-Selati river joins the flow. The Olifants flows through Kruger Park and is joined by the Shingwedzi river. The combined flow joins the Limpopo river in Mozambique on its way to the sea.

“Always remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up with a purpose.”~ Unknown

This was the second morning while staying with friends Bill and Judy at their lodge in Eagle Rock estate.  As a photographer, it is obligatory to get up before sunrise, otherwise you will miss the start of the day when the light is soft and the morn offers a warm palette of colours. At that time it was cool and the breeze was light. The birds were singing and there was a real sense of a new beginning. This image was taken at sunrise as I was walking along a sandstone ridge to the Black eagles nest viewpoint.

“Purpose fuels passion.”

There was no one around and it was peaceful despite all the wildlife stirrings. Just above the rock in the foreground on the left third of the image on a ledge in the cliff was the black eagle’s nest.

“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” ~ Neil Armstrong
Viewing the nest was best in the morning because of the direction of the light. By late morning and afternoon the nest was in deep shadow. Photographing from this sandstone rock shelf was not without its risks. Two steps to the right was a straight three hundred metre fall. This is one little fact worth keeping in mind when the photography gets exciting.

The black eagle chick was alone and looked to be around six weeks old. Possibly within a month or so it would be fledged.

Like most eagles, two eggs are laid during a three day interval. Both parents incubate the eggs for around 45 days. The hatching usually takes place two to three days apart. Sometimes one egg is infertile but Black eagles are “obligate cainists”, meaning the older sibling usually kills the younger one by either starvation or direct attacks. Fledging happens between 90 to 99 days after hatching. The speckled pigeons have little to fear from the black eagles but the resident Lanner falcons are a different matter.

The parent black eagles never visited the nest in the two days that I was watching. The closest the adults got to the nest was to land on a sandstone outcrop about four hundred metres away for about 15 minutes.

“Collect moments not things!!

The male, the smaller of the two, landed first and was followed by the female about five minutes later. She was noticeably larger.

“We pair for life but fly alone. We have roles but hunt as a pair.”~ Mike Haworth

Verreaux’s eagles, also called black eagles, prefer hilly and mountainous terrain with cliffs, rocks ledges and caves. Their nests are usually built on ledges which baboons, genets and Monitor lizards cannot access.

The Verreaux’s Eagle is a large bird of prey that is highly specialised. Its life history and distribution revolves around its main prey of Rock hyraxes and preferred habitat of hilly and mountainous terrain. It is wide spread throughout Africa and occurs as far north as Eritrea and as far south as South Africa. (source SANBI.org). The Verreaux or black eagle is unmistakable. It is a large black eagle with black feathers down to its talons. In flight it has a distinctive white ‘V’ is evident on its back between its shoulders.

Later in the morning the wind started to blow quite hard and the eagle chick squatted down low at the back of the nest for some protection.

The adult black eagle was impressive in flight. It is a large raptor with a wing span of around two metres.

“Stand on the cliff top and look out. You will see a multitude of living things and millennia in the making. Colour will flood your senses while a breeze cools your face. Soft flora scents waft and an eagle calls from above. You are floating in a wonderful sensory world.”~Mike Haworth

Verreaux’s eagles are usually found in pairs and they form life-long partnerships. Like golden eagles they hunt collaboratively, with the lead bird trying to flush the prey into the open for the other bird to ambush.

The flora in these sandstone ridges and cliffs is unique to the terrain. The mystery lies in the detail.

A Rock Hyrax warming itself on a rock in the early morning light just what the black eagles look for.

“Deep ravines, unfathomable time. The Olifants flow is joined by many, its power benign. It seeks the sea, its patience sublime.”~ Mike Haworth

The Olifant’s river has over millennia carved a deep wide channel through the fractured sandstone. Even though there was only a light flow of water in the river it could be heard from the top of the cliff.

A pair of black eagles watching us from afar. It was about 8h00 and the wind started to pick up so they did not stay for long.

The world is full of wonderful fascinating things so go out and explore.

“We all have to decide what to do with the time that is given to us.” ~Gandalf from Lord of the Rings

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

Have fun,

Mike

Last weekend friends, Bill and Judy invited Helen and I to join them at the Eagle Rock wildlife estate where they have a private lodge. Eagle Rock is located about 15 kilometres west of Witbank in Mpumalanga province in the highveld of South Africa. The eastern boundary of the estate is  the Olifants river which is fed by the Witbank dam and flows down to the Loskop dam. The flow of this river is determined by the release of water from the Witbank dam. During the peak rainy season it can be in flood but in late September, spring in this part of the world, it was dry so the water level in the river was low. 

“Springtime on the highveld is a time of expectancy. Certain trees and bushes start to blossom. The skies are blue and cloudless and there is no sign of rain. The sunrises and sunsets are dusty infused with warm mauves, peaches and pinks. The days are warm and the evenings cool. The migrant birds are on their way. It is a magical time of the year, pregnant with new beginnings.” ~ Mike Haworth

Bill and Judy are long standing friends so the first afternoon was spent catching up and just enjoying the quiet and beautiful scene from their lodge. Being a passionate nature photographer, regardless of the merriment the night before, I got up early the next morning, before sunrise, in search for a few  images which captured the mood of the sunrise in this unique landscape. This first image was taken just as the sun was rising. It had just climbed above the horizon but the light was very hazy so the sun was just a ball of yellow and orange in the purple, apricot and pink sky. There are many coal-fired power stations in this part of South Africa. They create the haze, mother nature creates the beauty.

The haze was thick, the sun had climbed quite high in the morning sky and it was still quite dark and moody.

“The early morning sun illuminated the sandstone cliffs, painting them with a palette of ochre, peach, pink, buff, beige and brown. New green shoots punctuated the textured sandstone cliff face with splashes of vibrant green. Rock martins played in the gentle updraft along the cliffs while Egyptian geese cavorted along the river in the valley floor.” ~ Mike Haworth

As the sun rose in the hazy sky, the filtered light began to illuminate the sandstone cliffs towering over the river.

This was a standpoint which we used to look at the Black Eagle’s nest. The nest was located on the cliff edge away from prying attentions of baboons, genets and rock monitors.

 

Back for breakfast, the outlook from the lodge patio looking onto the sandstone cliffs.

“For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, “What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?”
~ Rachel Carson

A short walk from the lodge and we were overlooking the Olifants river. It was low  but spring has brought out the vibrant greens in some of the trees.

After breakfast we wandered around the estate. We found a lone red hartebeest grazing in  one of the verdant valleys. It was strange that it was alone but there are no predators on the estate save a clandestine leopard or two.

Early in the morning the rock hyraxes come out onto the rocks to warm up.  They stay in the rocky outcrops for cover. Despite this many fall prey to the Black Eagles which live in the area.

“

“…drink in the beauty and wonder at the meaning of what you see.”
~ Rachel Carson

The morning dew was still on the grass. A pair of Natal francolin were foraging in the middle section of a road track. It was blissfully peaceful. I watched them quietly going about their business for about half an hour before they moved off into the surrounding vegetation.

Along the same valley were many ferns, briars and flora which was waiting for the rains to burst into life. This grass bird was singing its heart out unperturbed by me.

An ubiquitous male Stonechat calling to his mate.

The Eagle Rock estate is sited on weathered sandstone. Staring at the weather structures along the cliff face images start to form – the head of a roman soldier with helmet on. 

 

In next week’s post, I will show you some of the images of the black eagles which live and hunt along these sandstone cliffs on Eagle Rock estate.

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility. ”
~ Rachel Carson

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

Have fun,

Mike

I was fortunate enough to spend a day with my life-long friend, Mick Condy. He now owns and runs a Safari company called Mike Condy Tours and Safaris. Mick invited me to spend a day with him in the Pilansberg Game Reserve next to Sun City in the North West province of South Africa. We had an early start and were up and out on the road at 5h00 to get to the Bakubung gate at the Pilansberg Game Reserve by 7h00, just as the sun was rising.

“The friendship began at nursery school. Grew in primary school, found space and dimension at senior school. Endured separation during the war and later at varsity. Reconnected later in life. By then many decades had past and the life investment was yielding evergreen respect, recognition and liking. Now fifty years down the road of life it is great fun, mixed with deep appreciation and respect. You don’t have to be the same but there is golden thread of memories, experiences and camaraderie which create a unique bond.” ~ Mike Haworth

Being life long friends there was much to talk about for the two hour drive to the park. We have shared a love of the bush all our lives and it is only as we have got older that we could be afford the time and money to spend more time in the bush. One of the wonderful aspects about growing older with life long friends it that time spent together is used to share insights we have found out about life. It is both interesting and inspiring.

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”~ William Shakespeare

Prior to its proclamation as a reserve in 1979, the Pilanesberg National Park Complex was degraded of indigenous game populations due to intense settlement by commercial farmers. At considerable expense, the land  was developed during the first 15 years after 1979. This development was the largest and most expensive game stocking and land rehabilitation project ever undertaken in any African game reserve at that time. The objective being to restock the park with wildlife and facilitate the regrowth after the degradation from human settlement. More than 6,000 head of game were introduced during the Operation Genesis game trans-location programme, which  received worldwide acclaim.

This area is unique from a geological perspective. Its structure, termed the “Pilanesberg National Park Alkaline Ring Complex” was formed by volcanic eruptions some 1 200 million years ago. This extinct volcano is old even in the context of a geological time scale and is the best example of an alkaline ring complex. There are only two other alkaline volcanoes in the world, in Russia and in Greenland. Neither are as clearly defined as Pilansberg National Park.

Near the centre of the park in Mankwe dam. It is surrounded by rocky outcrops, open grasslands, wooded valleys and thickets which provide a varied natural environment for the wildlife. This is typical of the ‘Bushveld’ which occurs in the transition zone between the dry Kalahari and wetter Lowveld vegetation. There is much to do in and around this park but we preferred to get away from the maddening crowd and see nature in her element. 

“No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.”
~ Paul Oxton

Still early in the morning around 8h00 we found two young males which had left the pride and were on their own, nomads. They were very playful with each other.

Two young nomads who see to have formed a coalition.  Their manes had still to fully develop. They were playful, cavorting around in the waterways at the head of the Mankwe dam.

Mick and I went down to the Mankwe dam hide to see what was going on. It was busy, people wise, so not much happening from a nature point of view. Nevertheless we were graced by our avian friends. It was an overcast day and quite chilly early in the morning so this lesser-striped swallow had puffed itself out to keep warm.

The air was still and cool so this probably kept these lesser-striped swallows on their perch as the insect activity must have been quite subdued.

This lesser egret was busy hunting in the shallows around the Mankwe dam hide. It seemed to be successful in its hunting efforts catching several little fish.

In the car park, there were a few Crested francolins pecking in the sand looking for seed. This character came running towards us habitually expecting food.

“The hope of the future lies not in curbing the influence of human occupancy – it is already too late for that – but in creating a better understanding of the extent of that influence and a new ethic for its governance.”
~ Aldo Leopold

A little later we wandered our way up toward Makorwane dam, west of Mankwe. On the way we were told there was a leopard sighting next to the road a few hundred metres ahead.

This was handsome male leopard which seemed unfazed by the vehicles and remained focused on the bush around him.

After spending a while watching the male leopard, he wandered off into the bush so we carried on up the road. A little further on from our leopard sighting we found a pair of Black-capped wheatears. They were foraging in some burnt grass for insects.

“Colours are the smiles of nature.” ~ Leigh Hunt

Winter can be a magical time for fora in the bush. Winter can bring out some spectacular colours in the bushes and trees.

We found a small family of wathogs browsing in a burnt area of bush. They use their snouts to dig into the the earth and uncover succulent roots and tubers.

We travelled east to Ratihogo hide which has provided many extraordinary sightings in the past, but it was very quiet this time but for a brown-headed kingfisher hunting for insects from its perch in the trees overhanging the dam.

From the Ratihogo hide we wandered along the Korwe drive down to twin dams which, being winter, had dried up,  We were rewarded by a sighting of two large bull white rhinos basking in the warm winter sun.

There is a wide variety of habitat to see in the Pilansberg reserve and in winter the bush offers a vivid palette of colours.

We found numerous small herds of blue wildebeest. They had huddled together due to the wind. The wildlife adapts to the wind because it disrupts two key senses, smell and hearing. It was good to see many youngsters in the herds.

A small family herd of zebra grazing at the foot of a range of hills along Mankwe way.

“Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” ~ Louie Schwartzberg

In the afternoon we returned to Makorwane dam and on the way we found a large breeding herd of elephant next to the road. Two teenage bull elephants came onto the road to “play fight” and push each other around trying to assert their dominance. the two were evenly matched so there was no winner.

On our way back to the Kubu road, after having seen the leopard, we found this unlikely pair warming themselves on a road next to the bridge. A Water monitor lizard and a terrapin. Not long after this image was taken, others saw the leopard had wandered down to the bridge and found and killed the Water monitor lizard. Leopards are not fussy predators.

There were no sighting highlights as it was special to see all the wildlife, big and small, animal and bird. The leopard was surprisingly relaxed which gave us a unique opportunity to spend some time watching this normally secretive feline.

Unfortunately last weekend, the Pilansberg National Park was ravaged by fire. Park authorities said it began in the north of the park‚ and burnt through the park on Sunday, fanned by the wind blowing south. The park has a number of hides favoured by many to watch the bird and animal life come down to the dams to drink. The largest hide overlooking Mankwe dam was destroyed by the fire.

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” ~ Albert Camus

Mick thanks again for a wonderful day in the park together, it was special and much appreciated http://www.mikecondytoursandsafaris.com/

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is the last post from our Drakensberg trip showing some of the majesty of the Giant’s Castle area of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg in central South Africa. We went there in mid-winter hoping to see snow. No luck, it was cold at night and in the early mornings there was frost on the lower reaches next to the Bushman’s river but no snow up on the mountain tops.

“Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.”~ Henri Frederic Ariel

The majesty of the scenery dictated that we rose well before sunrise which was around 7h00. This was the scene looking east at the sunrise from behind the vulture’s hide.

Slowly the sun peered over the middle berg to shine on basalt buttresses in the distant upper berg. The colours were soft, infused with purples and mauves.

“As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.” – Charles Morgan

As the sun rose it brightened revealing a pallet of unexpected colours.

On the edge of the ridge in front of the hide this pair of Black-backed jackals came to steal some of the bones we put out for the bearded vultures.

The Giant’s Castle vulture hide perched on the edge of a steep cliff in the middle berg.

The White-necked ravens were ever present even when the jackals were looking for food. Needless to say the jackals got whatever they wanted.

A view from inside the vulture’s hide looking south west across the ridge and off to the upper berg.

A Lanner falcon came to visit and stirred things up among the ravens.

A view of the terrain on the way to the vulture’s hide. Vast, magnificent and quiet but for the wind singing in the grasses.

A Bearded vulture sitting looking out from the edge of a cliff in the middle berg.

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

Breathtaking views and colours as seen from the hide-early morning views.

Two juvenile Bearded vultures sparring high above the valley floor.

Early morning before the sun had risen -there was a stillness but the colours were vibrant and the scene sublime.

A Bearded vulture flying with the basalt buttresses in the distant background.

An adult and juvenile flying together way above the valley floor.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~  William Butler Yeats

Late afternoon just above the hide looking south west.

Freedom, space and grandeur.

Below the middle berg, this time along the Bushman’s river. It was early morning with the first light illuminating the tops of the middle ground hilltops. The white you can see in the foreground was frost. It was ice cold at that time. Nothing a cup of hot coffee and rusk could not ward off.

The sun had not yet peered into the valley but some of the reflections of the light from the hilltops were beginning to be caught in the reflections in the river.

Just stop on your walk and look around. You might be surprised at the eclectic colour and textures you might see.

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

A short walk up the one of the valleys – verdant even in mid-winter.

The sunlight was now filling the valley. The river was strewn with rounded boulders which have been shaped over hundreds of years. The sun illuminated the river course beautifully.

“Have you ever sat in absolute quiet,

Have you ever been bathed in the warm morning light,

Does your heart not sing at the sight,

Does something deep inside you not stir just a mite.”~ Mike Haworth

On our last evening, once it was too dark to photograph from the hide, we drove to an adjacent area south west of the hide to watch the sun setting in the west.

The spectrum of colours melted from warm to cool with a warm hue. It is at times like this when you feel alive and grateful to be able to witness this incredible beauty.

The last light show from what was a spectacular day.

“Have you heard the wind singing in the trees and seen the branches swaying in rhythm. The wind was telling us where it had come from and where it was going. Then in between times the breeze whispered stories to the grass which waved in delight.” ~ Mike Haworth

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

Have fun,

Mike

 

 

 

This is the fourth post from our trip to Giant’s Castle in the central berg which is part of the Drakensberg mountain range in the centre of South Africa. One of the main attractions is the vulture hide which is about five kilometres from the Giant’s Castle camp where the hide is located on the edge of a plateau in the middle berg. The hide is for bird watchers and photographers alike. Being in high demand the hide has to be booked, especially over weekends. One of the main functions of the hide is to put bones out in the open to feed the bearded vultures. This has become necessary because  the bearded vultures have become endangered due to humans encroaching on their habitat.

“Fascination is one step beyond interest. Interested people want to know if it works. Fascinated people want to learn how it works.” ~Jim Rohn

We leave bones out on the grass shelf in front of the hide. Raiders such as White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings are the first to tuck into the daily feast. The Jackal buzzards and Cape vultures also come in to have a look. More surprisingly, there are an amazing assortment of small feathered visitors which come into partake in the feast. Some come in to feed on the grass seed and insects in front of the hide. For some unknown reason, there seems to be a regular routine to the visitors arrival. The Yellow bishops come in at first light to feed on the grass seed as do the Speckled pigeons. After an hour or so they leave. It makes me wonder whether the grass exposes its seed at intervals.

“I think everyone has some fascination with what’s outside our existence. It’s a constant journey to find the truth.” ~ Nicholas Lea

A view from the west side of the hide at around 7h30 in the morning.

As the sun rises higher in the sky the light changes and the distant mountains take on a blue hue.

The hide is located high on the side of a ridge in the middle berg. There is a steep drop off below the hide. If you look carefully the hide is on the skyline of the ridge, about two fifths from the left hand side of the image. .

“If all life were eternal all interest and anticipation would vanish. It is uncertainty which lends its fascination.”~ Yoshida Kenko

A female Yellow bishop puffed up as it was quite chilly first thing in the morning, being winter.

The female Yellow bishops came in twice a day – in the early morning and again around mid-afternoon. They are seed eaters and I wonder why they would visit twice a day –  it makes me wonder whether the grasses progressively expose their seeds?

The Speckled pigeons came in first thing in the morning and only foraged for seeds. We only saw one pair at a time.

The male fluffed out his neck feathers as a sign he was impressed by the female close by.

I was surprised to see a Fiscal shrike, or “Butcher bird” as we call it, at such a high elevation.  I would not have thought there were many insects  at that altitude in mid-winter. The one thing I have learnt about the hide is that my expectations are frequently confounded.

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ~ Wayne Dyer

When birds are able, they carry a bit of fat to use as ‘fuel’ during their day-to-day lives. It looks like a smear of butter under their pink, almost translucent, skin.  Fat is what keeps birds going through the day and, more importantly, the night. A bird has to eat enough to make sure it has the energy it needs – not just for flying, running and singing, but also to keep itself alive overnight. Keeping warm takes a considerable amount of energy, so heavier (fatter) birds are more likely to survive a cold snap. Birds weigh less in the mornings than in the evenings before they go to roost, because of the fat they ‘burn’ overnight. Fat reserves can also see a bird through periods of bad weather when feeding is difficult or impossible, and migrating birds feed up before setting off. In this context it is understandable that these smaller birds congregate around the hide to feed on the fat on the bones put out for the Bearded vultures. Wild birds don’t get obese. They live high-energy lives, but by putting out food we give them a little more leeway.

A pair of Orange-throated longclaws, now called Cape longclaws, arrived. They  are endemic to South Africa.

These longclaws were foraging for insects but were also partial to the fat on the bones.The long claw on the back toes is distinctive but you need to see them on rocks not in the grass to see the toes. I am not sure why they have long toes other than because they forage in long grass and need to grasp the grass stems.

“For the 99 percent of the time we’ve been on Earth, we were hunter and gatherers, our lives depend on knowing the fine, small details of our world.  Deep inside, we still have a longing to be reconnected with the nature that shaped our imagination, our language, our song and dance, our sense of the divine.”  ~ Janine M. Benyus

This bird looks like a pipit but stands more upright and has a distinctive orange throat and upper breast patch bordered by a black necklace marking.

“When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~ Lao Tzu

A Familiar chat is a drab greyish brown colour. They arrived to forage for insects but also seemed to enjoy the fat on the bones. Being small they had to wait for the larger birds to move away before they could partake. Size counts in the feast.

Chats have that distinctive three or four flicks of their wings just after they have landed.

The Familiar chat is found throughout southern Africa but prefers rocky and mountainous terrain.

A female Cape rock thrush. Like the Familiar chat this species prefers rocky and mountainous terrain.

A male Cape rock thrush. This species differs from the Sentinel rock thrush in that it does not have blue on its back. The grey-blue colouring is only on the head and neck.

“Man is not himself only…He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources…He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys.”  ~ Mary Austin

The view from just above the hide in the late afternoon looking south west into the upper berg.

We were fortunate to see Greater double-collared sunbirds and Gurney sugarbirds but I was not able to photograph them. One of the more colourful visitors was this Bokmakierie. 

We heard the beautiful call of the Bokmakierie before we saw it. Birds do not have vocal chords like humans but use their tongue and mouth to create their unique calls. Birds have a syrinx, our equivalent of a voice box, but it is at the bottom of the windpipe not at the top as in humans. Bokmakieries are also known for their duets. The duet is thought to be musical rather than a visual means of bonding.

With a little patience and quiet nature will slowly reveal herself.

“Go out, go out, I beg of you!
And taste the beauty of the wild.
Behold the miracle of the earth,
With all the wonder of a child.” ~ Edna Jaques

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

Have fun,

Mike