I have not got a photographic trip planned for the next six weeks so I have decided to do a series of posts on a few species which have caught my imagination.

“Life is just so interesting and complicated and beautiful. Every day, every interaction is different. There’s so much floating around that I would find it really hard to get bored. I’m interested in creating in some way or another, whether it’s photography or writing or just walking through the world.”
~ Alejandro Escovedo

This week I have focused on the African Hawk-Eagle. We find two species of hawk-eagle in southern Africa, the African Hawk-Eagle and the Ayres Hawk-Eagle. The African Hawk-Eagle is resident  and territorial and is found from sub-Sahara to South Africa, while the Ayres Hawk Eagle is an intra-African migrant. The only time I have ever seen an Ayres Hawk Eagle was with my long- standing friend, Adrian Lombard, when we were driving up to his parents farm in Inyanga in the eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe back in the 1960s.

You will usually find this hawk-eagle in woodland and savanna areas, not at high altitudes and dense forest areas.

This raptor first caught my imagination when I was around 10 years of age. Multi-generational family friends, the Condys, always had a wild life menagerie in and around their home in then Salisbury, now renamed Harare, in Zimbabwe. John Condy was a double doctorate veterinary researcher in Rhodesia in the days before it became Zimbabwe. John Condy invariably had all sorts of weird and wonderful wild animals in and around their house. He was one of the first people I came across who practised falconry. He had a profound influence on many now successful falconers in Zimbabwe and South Africa, notably Adrian Lombard.  Besides Lanner Falcons, he had an African Hawk-Eagle which he called Nimbus. The name had serious connotations. Nimbus is a luminous cloud or a halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint. Nimbus was an adult African Hawk-Eagle. It was large aggressive and had piercing yellow eyes.

“Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows”.

~John Betjeman

One afternoon, John Condy told Mike, his eldest son, and I to get a glove and take some minced meat and go and feed Nimbus. No problem. We naively thought this could be fun so off we went with glove and the minced meat, having never done this before. Once we got into  the “chicken run” enclosure  where Nimbus was being kept, this raptor lunged at us repeatedly. Nimbus was restrained by jesses secured around his legs and the jesses were attached to a rope which was tied to his perch, so provided we did not get too close he could not get hold of us. Nimbus was big, in a 10 year old’s eyes, especially with fully extended wings. I was shaken at the degree of aggression Nimbus displayed. I think it must have been one of the first occasions I realised that there are some wild things that cannot be tamed. Needless to say we threw the minced meat down below Nimbus’s perch and backed out the enclosure intact. The idea of getting Nimbus onto the glove and feeding him was not going to happen.

I never really thought about Nimbus again until I first visited Mashatu Nature Reserve in south-eastern Botswana, a couple of years ago. We had just crossed the Majale river on our way back to Eagle’s Nest camp. As we drove up and out of the river, in a tree overlooking the river next to the dirt track, sat a adult African Hawk-Eagle.

“The very essence of instinct is that it’s followed independently of reason”.

While we were looking at this African Hawk-Eagle, a Fish Eagle flew past along the river course. Instantly, the African Hawk-Eagle saw the Fish Eagle it launched itself out of the tree and flew low and fast along the riverbed after the Fish Eagle.

At the last second of the attack, the African Hawk-Eagle pulled up into a steep climb and rose like a rocket towards the slower Fish Eagle. The Fish Eagle must have heard rather than seen the Hawk-Eagle coming but managed to avoid getting hit. The smaller African Hawk-Eagle quickly banished the much larger Fish Eagle from that part of the river. The speed and aggression of the attack was a spectacle, and reminded me of Nimbus.

On most occasions when we visit Mashatu we see a solitary African Hawk-Eagle. This eagle is known to be a cooperative hunter with one bird initiating the chase and the other finishing the attack. I can only imagine what a show that must be. The African Hawk-Eagle has especially acute eyesight which allows it to be a highly adaptive hunter. At times it is a perch hunter stooping down onto its prey from a high tree. Other times, it displays its Aquila character soaring like an Eagle and hunting cooperatively. It is also capable of hunting more like a Sparrowhawk, manoeuvering through trees using its long tail, which can be fanned out, for steering in tight turns. The next image shows a African Hawk-Eagle perched near  the top of a high tree in Amboseli National Park. The variety of images in this post show that the African Hawk-Eagle is found from Kenya down to around the tropic of Capricorn.

“The world is endlessly fascinating to those who take the time to look.”
 ~Marty Rubin

The African Hawk-Eagle’s scientific name is Aquila spilogaster. Aquila  means “eagle” in latin and “spilo” means “spotted” in Greek and gaster means “stomach” in Greek.  Aquila eagles have the characteristic feathers on their legs and a large hind talon which is used for piercing its prey’s vertebra or skull in the kill. Like most eagles, the African Hawk-Eagle has yellow feet. This Hawk-Eagle preys on small mammals, such as hares, hyrax, squirrels, mongooses and monkeys, and reptiles such as lizards. monitors and snakes, and birds which range from Go-away birds to gamebirds, hornbills, doves, plovers and even herons.

The African Hawk-Eagle is a medium-sized eagle at about 55–65 cm in length. It is much smaller than a Martial Eagle which is around 80 centimetres in length. The upper parts are blackish. Its underparts are white, heavily streaked with black. The trailing edge of the wings and tail have a broad black bar. The sexes are similar in colour but as with most raptors the female is larger than the male. There is active siblicide (younger sibling dies after repeated attacks by the older sibling) among African Hawk-Eagle chicks but the surviving young bird develops a rufous colouration prior to its black adult plumage.

The common wisdom seems to be that eagles are generally  larger birds than hawks. This is a generalisation as the some of the larger hawks are larger than the smaller eagles. The next image shows the distinctive broad black trailing edge on the underside of its wings and tail. It is not always easy to see the blotching on its belly from a distance. From below the African Hawk-Eagle is easily differentiated from a Martial Eagle because its neck is not black to dark-brown and the tailing edges of the wings and tail feathers do not have the broad black band of the African Hawk-Eagle.

“Is it possible, I wonder, to study a bird so closely, to observe and catalogue its peculiarities in such minute detail, that it becomes invisible? Is it possible that while fastidiously calibrating the span of its wings or the length of its tarsus, we somehow lose sight of its poetry? That in our pedestrian descriptions of a marbled or vermiculated plumage we forfeit a glimpse of living canvases, cascades of carefully toned browns and golds that would shame Kandinsky, misty explosions of color to rival Monet? I believe that we do. I believe that in approaching our subject with the sensibilities of statisticians and dissectionists, we distance ourselves increasingly from the marvelous and spell binding planet of imagination whose gravity drew us to our studies in the first place.

That is not to say that we should cease to establish facts and verify our information, but merely to suggest that unless those facts can be imbued with the flash of poetic insight then they remain dull gems; semi-precious stones scarcely worth the collecting.”
~ Alan Moore

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

Have fun,

Mike

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have fun,

Mike

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

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

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

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

~ Eden Phillpotts

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Albert Schweitzer

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

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

~ Mahatma Gandhi

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

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

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

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

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

Have fun,

Mike

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

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

~ Walter Winchell

It is a time when tummies are full.

It is a time of caring parents.

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

~Mike Haworth

It is a time of wonder and soulfulness.

It is a time of being overwhelmed.

It is  pollen time.

“It’s summer and time for wandering…”

~ Kellie Elmore

It is also a time for gathering.

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

It is time to reaffirm bonds and kinship.

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

~ Charles Bowden

It is a time for dust bathing.

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

~Oriana Green

It is a time for swimming.

It is a time for playing.

 He ain’t heavy, he is your brother!!

Enough swimming, time for lunch.

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

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

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

One of the troop males in full disciplining mode.

Time to get out of the firing line.

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

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

You can see the urgency in the movement.

All most there!!

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

The relief is obvious.

The need for speed …….

Even the big guys take no chances.

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

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

~Mike Haworth

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

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

~Mike Haworth

Have fun,

 Mike

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

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

~ Bob Bitchin

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

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

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

”Life was meant for good friends and great adventures”

~unknown

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

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

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

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

~Sue Fitzmaurice

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

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

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

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

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

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

~John Muir

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

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

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

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

~Marie Curie

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

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

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

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

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

~ Joseph Campbell

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

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

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

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

~Kahlil Gibran

The cubs watched their mothers stalking two giraffe.

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

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

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

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

”Do more than just exist”

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

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

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

A female Steenbok  resting quietly  in a sand gully.

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

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

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

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

~Rabindranath Tagore

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

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

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

Have fun.

Mike

It is the green season in Mashatu. All the avian summer visitors from Europe and Russia are there. There is water everywhere, the flora is a verdant green and there is an abundance of insects and caterpillars.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

This White-fronted Bee-eater looked to be trying to dust bath but it was doing so on fine stones so maybe it was just enjoying a pebble massage, and an alternative form of dust bath.

It was fun to watch. This little bundle of colour was thoroughly enjoying itself, as it continued for a good couple of minutes, quite oblivious of us.

Normally you see the resident Namaqua Doves pecking at the ground searching for seeds. The adult male has a yellow and red beak and a black face, throat and breast. The adult female lacks the black face and has a red-based grey bill. This little dove is the size of a budgerigar.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson
We saw Lesser Spotted Eagles on one of the afternoons, and there were a number of them. The head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. In contrast to the brown plumage, the eyes, feet and the skin at the base of the beak are yellow. These eagles migrate south from eastern Europe in our summer mainly for the abundance of insects, especially flying ants. This eagle has stove-piped feathered legs and is smaller than a Tawny Eagle which is smaller than a Steppe Eagle. Our guide, Maifala, said there were plenty of Steppe eagles around but we did not see them. These eagles seem to be highly mobile moving to where the insects are most abundant.

These Lesser Spotted Eagle will not let you get too close but it is wonderful to see these migrants. It is an amazing to think of how far these wanderers have flown to get to our part of the world.

There is water everywhere at this time of the year. Even slight depressions are full of water. Needless to say the frogs have been busy and there are many tadpoles in these temporary pools. The insects and tadpoles attract beachcombers like this Wood Sandpiper which was lightning fast to catch this tadpole. I have never seen a Wood Sandpiper catch anything more than small insects and midges on the surface of the water’s edge.

Anyone who has spent any time in thornveld bush will immediately recognise the call of a Crimson Breasted Shrike. You usually hear them before you see them. This character was not waiting around to show off its majestic crimson plumage. The crimson breast plumage is a vibrant scarlet-crimson colour which I doubt an artist would be able to replicate with oil paints.

“Colours are the smiles of nature.”

~Leigh Hunt

When you hear the sound of a bath-time rubber-duck being squeezed in the bush you know to look for a sandgrouse. This pair of Namaqua Sandgrouse were foraging through the yellow Devil-thorn flowers looking for seeds.

Both male and female have cryptic colouring on their backs because they feed on the ground. The male has a more definitive blonde chest with a white-trimmed chestnut coloured waistcoat marking.

Early one morning we found this Swainson’s Spurfowl declaring his territory to the world from his vantage point. This character’s spurs were disguised in the foliage but the length and sharpness of the leg spur gives an indication of the age of the male.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson
A panorama  looking down through a saddle onto the treeline along the Majale river from one of the adjacent ridges.

A male Kori Bustard with his neck puffed out. This was obviously the season for love, judging from how the male were parading around. We never got to see a full display but it was clear which was the male and which was the female.

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is the rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”

~Rumi

The next image is of  a Long-tailed or Meves Starling. They are ubiquitous in Mashatu. When the sun catches them they radiate these gorgeous  shades of blue and aquamarine.

These Long-tailed Starlings are also very talkative. When in the croton groves they, together with the tree squirrels, act as good alarms systems making it very difficult for predators and snakes  to move around unnoticed.

First thing in the morning, we saw many White-backed Vultures  which were either standing on the ground or perched in trees or bushes. Most birds of prey wait until around 9h00 for the thermals and dust devils to form before taking off  catching their sky lift.

Despite all the scenes of these vultures squabbling over carcasses they always seem to look relatively clean. With all the water around no doubt there was frequent bathing.

Mashatu must be one of the cuckoo meccas. I have never seen and heard so many different types of cuckoo as I do in Mashatu. We saw the Greater Spotted Cuckoo,  heard the Red-chested and Klaas’s Cuckoo and saw the Diedericks Cuckoo,  the Striped and this Jacobin Cuckoo. The Striped and Jacobin look quite similar until you see them from the front. The Jacobin has a pure white front unlike the Striped or Levaillant’s Cuckoo which has black stripes on its white front.

Sabota Larks are ubiquitous residents in Mashatu.

We had been watching a coalition of three male Cheetahs and were moving off when Maifala pointed to this lone Pearl-spotted Owlet. These guides have the most remarkable eyesight and are finely tuned into the bush. It was late afternoon and its seemed relaxed perhaps having just woken up. The white/pale eye brows are a distinctive feature, as is the small size. Next to the Scoops Owlet this must be one of the most distinctive owl calls at night.The song of the male is a series of clearly fluted whistles, rising gradually in volume and in pitch – “feu-feu-feu-fue-feu” and after a short pause, there may be several explosive notes with a downwards inflection – “peeooh peeooh”.

Juvenile Temmnick’s Courser. We often see Temmnick’s Coursers in Mashatu. This diurnal courser eats mainly insects and seeds and seems to prefer drier areas. This species can be found all over Africa from Chad to South Africa. We also got to see the largest courser, the  Bronze-winged Courser, which is nocturnal, but I was on the wrong size of the vehicle to get a decent image – perhaps next time!!

“The earth laughs in flowers.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This young Temmnick’s Courser did not like all the attention and decided to look for a quieter spot.

The Woodland’s Kingfishers had also flown in for the summer and the abundance of insects. They are inter-African migrants. The males call constantly through the breeding season. The call is very distinctive and unmistakable in the summer bushveld. Their call begins with one sharp, loud, high note, followed by a repetition of trills in descending pitch which eventually fade away.

I was very “chuffed” to see a small flock of Southern Pied Babblers. The only other place I have seen them in southern Africa is the Pilansberg Game Reserve in South Africa.

We often see and hear Arrow-marked Babblers but it is treat to see Southern Pied Babblers. These babblers are co-operative breeders and are highly territorial.

Another summer migrant from higher up in Africa is the Carmine Bee-eater. They can be found in groups scattered across the park. They too were enjoying the abundance of flying insects.

A resident Red-backed Shrike.

A male Diederick’s Cuckoo. Its name is onomatopoeic as it has a persistent and loud “deed-deed-deed-deed-er-ick” call.

“In nature, light creates the colour. In the picture, colour creates the light.”

~Hans Hofmann

Adult males are glossy green above with copper-sheened areas on the back and whitish underparts. They have a broken white eye-stripe, a short green malar stripe and a red eye-ring.

These cuckoos are often found feeding on insects and caterpillars on the ground. There seem to be plenty of caterpillars from the Mopani trees and bushes.

An African Hoopoe on one of the dirt roads in the park. This bird also has a onomatopeaic name. It is named after its call which is a loud “oop!” in sets of three.

Their heads have a distinctive crest with long chestnut coloured feathers which have black tips. The crest lies backwards when the bird is resting, however, if alarmed or excited, the crest opens up and displays a beautiful circular shape. This male was taking a dust bath in the late afternoon.

This character would peek at the soil and then put his head down and squirm in the dust with his wings extended to fully cover himself with dust. He did this repeatedly for about 10 minutes. Dusting or sand bathing, is part of a bird’s preening and plumage maintenance which keeps feathers in top condition. The dust that is worked into the bird’s feathers will absorb excess oil to help keep the feathers from becoming greasy or matted. The oil-soaked dust is then shed easily to keep the plumage clean and flexible for more aerodynamic flight and efficient insulation.

“If your ever want your soul to dance in the clouds, you will at some point have to juggle lightning and taste the thunder.”

~Christopher Poindexter

This White Stork is a European migrant which has also flown down for the summer to enjoy the abundance of insects. They do not breed down in sub-equatorial Africa. These storks are on Jackal and Martial Eagles’ prey lists.

A Crested Francolin foraging for seeds fruit and insects. This francolin has a broad white eye-stripe which contrasts with the dark head, and it has a white throat. When it runs it cocks its tail, like a bantam chicken. Male crested francolins can be distinguished from females and juveniles by their brighter plumage colours and up-curved spurs on their legs. You will only see the crest which is extended when alarmed and gives this francolin a mohawk look.

A ubiquitous Yellow-billed Hornbill. These hornbills were having a field day with all the grasshoppers and ants to feed on. We also saw the Red-billed, Grey and Southern Ground Hornbills in the park.

I have been waiting to get a half reasonable image of a Plum-coloured, now called a violet-backed Starling.  This species is dimorphic and only the male has this irridescent purple-plum colouring which sparkles in the sunshine.

“Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways”.

~Oscar Wilde

This was the first trip to Mashatu where we saw these birds almost everyday. They were difficult to photograph as they would not allow us to get close to them. The male’s upper parts, including the chin, throat and wings are iridescent purple. The underparts are pure white. The coloration varies from dark to rosy depending on the light. The bill and legs of the male are black, the eyes have a yellow outer ring around a brown centre. The female lacks any of the iridescent plumage

A resident Lesser Grey Shrike, a cousin to the Red backed Shrike. Both are insect eaters and can often be seen  on top of the bushes scanning the area for food. They are perch hunters.

A Barn Swallow which has come down from the Northern Hemisphere for summer. This swallow has steel blue upper parts and a rufous forehead, chin and throat, which are separated from the off-white underparts by a broad dark blue breast band. The outer tail feathers are elongated, giving the distinctive deeply forked “swallow tail”. These agile fliers hunt insects on the wing. They were abundant in the park.

A Dusky Lark foraging in among the flowers for insects. This is a large, slender, thrush-like lark with striking facial pattern, very dark upper­parts and boldly streaked breast and primary and secondary coverts.

I hope I have given you a sense of the wonderful bird life which can be seen in Mashatu. Summer time has the added benefit of all the summer migrants but the birding and bird photograph is excellent at any time of the year.

“To find the meaning of life, enjoy the journey, the beauty of the nature, the glint of a dew drop, the warmth of the morning sun, the songs of the wind, and smiles of flowers. These are all there to make your journey worthwhile and make your life meaningful.”
~ Debasish Mridha

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

Have fun,

Mike

2017 started brimming with expectation. My first trip into the bush was with friends to Mashatu in south-eastern Botswana, for four days. It is mid-summer in this part of the world. We had a rough start to the summer season as we were in the midst of a desperate drought. The El Nina system seems to have given way to the wet La Nina which started in late November.  One of the most incredible transformations take place after a serious drought. The earth looks desiccated and it is difficult to imagine that  good rains could transform the landscape. What we don’t realize is that nature is patiently waiting in the dust in the form of seeds. With decent rain these seeds start to sprout and mother nature transforms a lunar landscape into a scene of abundance.

‘“A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect.”
― Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We knew before we went to Mashatu that the Limpopo river would be high and perhaps in flood after all the good rains in the South African catchment areas which feed into the Limpopo river system, with a lag. As anyone in this part of the world knows the rivers can come down in spate, which can last a few hours, and quickly subside. This time the Limpopo river was very high and the Ponte at the Ponte Drift border post had been damaged by the high flood waters, so we decided to travel by vehicle the long way around through the Platjan border post, which is to the west, and adds about two and a half hours to the trip, mainly because of the dirt roads.

“There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations”
― Jodi Picoult

On our way from Platjan, once in Mashatu Nature Reserve, we decided to have a quick look at Soloman’s Wall. The road which crosses the Motloutse river at Solomon’s Wall is a  short cut from Platjan, when you can cross. On the way to Soloman’s Wall we drove past Rhodes’ Baobab which is this remaining portion of a large Baobab tree rooted onto of a large sandstone ridge, called Mmagwa. The next image shows how verdant the bush looked. I have never seen it looking so green and lush.

On the opposite side of the road is Mapungubwe (meaning ‘hill of the jackal’) a sacred hill which was part of the Mapungubwe dynasty system. Today only the Paramount Chief is allowed on the hill. Legend has it that unaccompanied people who climb this hill will not return alive. As you can see you are starting to get a sense of the fields of gold.

About another kilometre down the dirt road we reached Solomon’s Wall – which is cut by the Moutloutse river. This is a seasonal river which comes down in flood occasionally in summer. This is what the “short cut” from Platjan looked like. We were please we chose the long way around.

Backlighting on the Purple Pod Terminalia. With the verdant green background the  the backlighting illuminated the pods presenting attractive splashes of colour. The silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea) usually occurs only on sand. The purple-pod terminalia is often found on clay or calcareous soils on hill sides .

“Wise words are like seeds. The more you scatter them, the more they will grow into infinite gardens of knowledge.”
― Suzy Kassem

I have titled this post Fields of Gold because Mashatu was carpeted in these yellow Devil Thorn flowers which were interspersed with tiny red flowers. The whole reserve looked dazzling,  making it look like the garden of Eden.

I have never seen lionesses in a carpet of yellow flowers. Two lionesses had six cubs between them were making their way from the river to look for some cover to rest from the growing morning heat.

“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.”

~Wayne Dyer

I often wonder what the animals must feel when they see the complete transformation of their surrounds between winter and summer, after the rains. Of course the herbivores benefit from the abundance of food and respond by producing a plethora of young.

The lionesses spotted some giraffe a couple of hundred metres ahead and slowly started making their way toward them. The cubs knew to remain behind and be still and quiet. Normally their tawny coats would provide wonderful camouflage, but not that day.

I guess even lion cubs get hay fever.

I had to pinch myself to remind myself that this scene was real. 

“Animals are not only beholders of great beauty,
but they are also beholders of ancient wisdom.”
― Molly Friedenfeld

The giraffe that the lionesses were interested in had a different perspective on the scene. They saw the lions who were probably given away by the cubs. The giraffe stood transfixed looking at the lions and even moved closer to them to make sure that they had a good visual on all the lions at all times.

These cubs were about seven to eight months old and were eating meat but were still very much cubs and had much still to learn. Mashatu has plenty of hyaenas and leopard which will kill lion cubs given half a chance.

Not only were there fields of gold but almost all the animals had young. It was a time of plenty. There were many Impala in the reserve. Of course they became skittish once they got the scent of the lions. The Impala would jump over the dirt road  in the dash through the fields of gold.

“Ignorance is not bliss. It is the kiss of death.”
― Suzy Kassem,

The bird life was also abundant, reinforced by all the migrants from higher up Africa and as far as the Steppes of Russia.  We found many pairs of Namaqua Sandgrouse which are year-round residents. This was a male and female. The male has the yellow eye ring and white and brown band across his chest. Their backs are cryptically coloured for camouflage when they are feeding on seed on the ground.

We found the resident Cheetah male coalition. This group comprises three male Cheetahs. They have been in Mashatu for many years and are getting old now. This can be seen by how worn down their canines are.

The baboons seemed to love the yellow flowers picking hand fulls of them and eating them. At times they would not even pick the flowers just bend down and bite them off their stems.

We saw a large group of Banded Mongooses every day when we were on the game drives. All the animals looked to be wandering comfortably through the yellow flowers. The yellow devil thorn (Tribulus terrestris) bloom is followed a week later by a fruit which falls apart into  five nutlets or burs. These nutlets are hard and bear two to four sharp spines – hence the devil name. As you can imagine after the rains and the flowers, the ground will be littered with the devil thorns.

“Talent is always conscious of its own abundance and does not object to sharing.”

~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Summer is also a time when all the migrants  come down to southern Africa – no “Brexit” issues here. Mashatu is know for its plethora of cuckoos in summer time probably because of its abundance insect life and numerous worms and caterpillars attracted by the mopany bushes and lush vegetation. This Diederick’s Cuckoo is particularly partial to caterpillars.

This yellow-billed hornbill is also an insect eater and it was having a field day amongst the yellow devil-thorn flowers.

We saw many elephant on this trip to Mashatu. They had plenty to eat and  plenty of water to cool down in the reserve  – which can be extremely hot at this time of the year.

There was an abundance of wildlife in Mashatu but the rains had really brought out the dazzling carpet of yellow flowers. The flora looked verdant and pregnant with life.

“All in all, it was a never to be forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
—L.M. Montgomery

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

Have fun,

Mike

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with exploration, wonder, amazement, inspiration, mystery and enchantment.

May you experience the abundance from, and greater appreciation for, this fascinating world around you.

May your friendships grow and may you receive just reward for your labours.

In this post I have created a gallery of some of my favourite images from what was a terrific 2016. My photographic intention is to continuously improve the technical quality of my photography and to be better able to show the beauty of this amazing world around us.

“The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars,
the trail of the sun,
the strength of fire,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars.”
~ Chief Dan George 

The dominant male lion in Mashatu

Young independent leopard sprawled on the bough of a fig tree at last light in Mashatu.

Male lion mating in the long Serengeti grass.

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
~ Anais Nin

A one-eyed lioness drinking with her two cubs at mid-morning in the Serengeti. Her eye was damaged by a kick from a zebra.

Adult lions up a balanite to get away from biting flies and get some peace from the cubs in the Serengeti.

Pale morph Tawny Eagle trying to land in between two “hoods” in the Serengeti.

“We eat light, drink it in through our skins. With a little more exposure to light, you feel part of things physically. I like feeling the power of light and space physically because then you can order it materially. Seeing is a very sensuous act–there’s a sweet deliciousness to feeling yourself see something.”
~ James Turrell

Dawn on the Serengeti.

A tower of giraffes just before sunrise on the Serengeti.

A flying impala ram in front of an impressed group of giraffe on the Serengeti.

Striped morph Tawny coming in to land and feast on the left overs of a zebra kill on the Serengeti.

A Lilac-breasted Roller dive bombing a Black Chested Snake-Eagle in the Serengeti.

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.”
~ Betty Smith

An afternoon rain storm in the distance while we were watching lions in the Serengeti.

One of two young leopards in a grove of acacias in the middle of a large open plain in the Serengeti.

A Yellow-necked Spurfowl preening itself while perched on the bough of a tree in the Serengeti.

You don’t often see leopards running. Two young leopards were cavorting and chasing each other in the long grass just next to a grove of acacias in the Serengeti.

A male White bellied Sunbird in Aloe Farm just outside Johannesburg in late autumn.

Two zebra stallions fighting in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti. The fight turned quite savage but neither male was injured.

“One cannot but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
~ Albert Einstein

African Jacana flying between water lily pads on the Chobe river.

Two young elephants mocking fighting in the Chobe river.

A bull elephant with intentions on an island in the Chobe river.

Lilac-breasted roller in its full glory in the morning light on the Chobe river.

A pair of Pygmy geese about to fly away on the Chobe river.

“Life just seems so full of connections. Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.”

~ Colin Neenan

Sunset on the Chobe river.

Unusual fishing technique of the Black Egret on the bank of the Chobe river.

Dawn on the Chobe river looking at the iconic three Jackalberry trees.

Two elephant bulls tussling in Amboslei in Kenya.

A baby Olive baboon in Amboseli in Kenya.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”
~ William Blake

The beautiful female Painted Snipe in a marsh in Amboslei.

A wildebeest disturbs a huge flock of lesser Flamingoes in Amboseli.

The sun peering through thick morning cloud in Amboseli.

One of the big bulls in Amboseli.

A Serval cat hunting in one of the marshes in Amboslei at last light.

This lioness locks onto a few zebra in the distance in Amboseli.

A running Golden Starling in Tsavo West National Park in south east Kenya.

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
~ Carl Jung

A young leopard having just eaten a Dik Dik it had caught in the long grass in Tsavo West.

A lesser Kudu in Tsavo West – a first for me.

Another young leopard strolls along the road in front of us in Tsavo West.

Two bundles of fun with claws in Mashatu.

“Humanity has passed through a long history of one-sidedness and of a social condition that has always contained the potential of destruction, despite its creative achievements in technology. The great project of our time must be to open the other eye: to see all-sidedly and wholly, to heal and transcend the cleavage between humanity and nature that came with early wisdom.”
~ Murray Bookchin

The dominant male lion in Mashatu walking headlong into a cool morning wind.

Dappled beauty, camouflaged to perfection in Mashatu.

The same leopard up a tree moulded into the shape of the bough of a tree in Mashatu.

Two young male giraffe sparring in Mashatu.

“That’s the whole problem with science. You’ve got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.”
~ Bill Watterson

A pack of wild dogs in Mana Pools had come down to the Zambezi river to drink in the afternoon.

Dawn in the Trichilia area of Mana Pools.

Two elephants quietly browsing in one of Mana’s forests.

Three up and three down. We caught the attention of three of the zebra in Mana Pools.

Hippos tussling in Long Pool in Mana Pools in last light.

A Mana Pools sunset.

I hope you enjoyed this small gallery of images from my photographic trips in Africa in 2016. I cannot wait to get out into the bush in 2017 to take better images and experience the beauty and abundance of the African bush.

“The secret of beginning a life of deep awareness and sensitivity lies in our willingness to pay attention. Our growth as conscious, awake human beings is marked not so much by grand gestures and visible renunciations as by extending loving attention to the minutest particulars of our lives. Every relationship, every thought, every gesture is blessed with meaning through the wholehearted attention we bring to it. In the complexities of our minds and lives we easily forget the power of attention, yet without attention we live only on the surface of existence. It is just simple attention that allows us truly to listen to the song of a bird, to see deeply the glory of an autumn leaf, to touch the heart of another and be touched. We need to be fully present in order to love a single thing wholeheartedly. We need to be fully awake in this moment if we are to receive and respond to the learning inherent in it.”
~Christina Feldman

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is my second last post for 2016.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and time treasured with family and friends, fine fare and peace and goodwill.

It has been a varied and colourful photographic year. In this post I wanted to focus on some of the bird images I have not included in my posts during 2016. I have chosen a selection of our avian friends I was fortunate enough to photograph. There are two aspects about birds which immediately add another dimension to your safari experience. The first is that birds are far more active than mammals so you are likely to see more behavioural action and secondly the colours and variety are far greater adding much more diversity.

“The world is my canvas and I create my reality.”

~Unknown

Temminck’s Courser in Mashatu in summer.

African Hoopoe in Mashatu in summer.

“In nature, light creates the colour. In the picture, colour creates the light.”

~Hans Hofmann

Wood Sandpiper below the drift on the Matabole river in Mashatu.

Kori Bustard making great strides in Mashatu.

Levaillant’s Cuckoo quenching its summer afternoon thirst in Mashatu.

Southern Ground Hornbill with a mouth full in Mashatu’

Striped morph of a Tawny Eagle in the Serengeti.

Pale morph Tawny Eagle in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti.

Pale morph Tawny Eagle looking for a landing site  among some “hoods” in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti.

Nubian Woodpecker searching for  morsels in the dead tree trunk in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti.

“I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.”

~Henry David Thoreau

A Silverbird, in full breeding plumage, stretching in the early morning light in the Serengeti .

Yellow Wagtail with breakfast next to a dam in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti.

Female Egyptian Goose with her goslings close to the Yellow Wagtail at the same dam in the Serengeti.

This male Yellow-throated Sandgrouse had just flown in, as part of a flock, for his morning drink.

“The very idea of a bird is a symbol and a suggestion to the poet. A bird seems to be at the top of the scale, so vehement and intense his life. . . . The beautiful vagabonds, endowed with every grace, masters of all climes, and knowing no bounds — how many human aspirations are realised in their free, holiday-lives — and how many suggestions to the poet in their flight and song!”

~ John Burroughs

White Stork, a long distance traveller which had flown down from Europe to the Serengeti for the summer.

Double-banded Courser in the grasslands of the Serengeti walking in amongst the herds of zebra and wildebeest.

One unhappy Lilac-breasted Roller giving a Black-chested Snake-Eagle a “rev”.

Male Pygmy Goose, this painted gentleman in all his unusual finery is also a speed merchant and is nicknamed ” the pocket rocket”.

The Black Egret with his wings extended to form an umbrella which it uses to trick fish as part of his fishing strategy.

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”

~Georgia O’Keeffe

White-fronted Bee-eater in semi shade along the banks of the Chobe river.

White-breasted Cormorant about to take off to find quieter waters along the Chobe river.

Woodland Kingfisher perched on a fallen tree trunk in the Chobe river with an edible insect tantalisingly close.

A Darter, also called the Snake bird, in full flight along the Chobe river.

A Fish Eagle crossing the Chobe river in the late afternoon light.

An African Jacana flying between rafts of water-lily pads on the Chobe river.

An African Jacana scouring the water-lily pads on the Chobe river for insects and snails, with some success.

A Squacco heron striding with purpose to a more promising feeding spot along the Chobe river.

“Without black, no color has any depth. But if you mix black with everything, suddenly there’s shadow – no, not just shadow, but fullness. You’ve got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that’s real.”

~Amy Grant

A Reed Cormorant about to take off out of the water of the Chobe river. My daughter reckons it looks like a water dragon.

A protective Lilac-breasted Roller noisily defending its nest from a nearby Fish Eagle  along the Chobe river.

A Green-backed Heron having just taken off from its hunting perch along the Chobe river,  near Serondela.

Also in the Serondela area, this Fish Eagle looked huge and majestic in take off.

Days old and precocial, this minute African Jacana chick is already fending for itself along the dangerous waters of the Chobe river..

A pair of Red-throated Wrynecks foraging for insects in the heavily textured bark of a fallen tree in Marievale Bird Sanctuary.

Hitchhiker, this Cattle Egret in breeding colours is catching a ride on the back of an elephant in Amboseli in Kenya.

Skies streaked with pink as a large flock of Lesser Flamingoes take to the sky scared by a marauding Fish Eagle in Amboseli.

“You can’t colour your world with someone’s paint.”
― Israelmore Ayivor

Female Painted Snipe, the girls are the beautiful ones in this bird family, seen foraging in a pan in Amboseli.

A Grey Heron tidying up in the early morning in preparation for the day along the Majale river in Mashatu.

One of a pair of Crimson-breasted Shrikes hopping around in the thorn veld area of Mashatu.

“Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

A male White-bellied Sunbird radiating his beauty in the morning light at Aloe Farm near the Hartebeestpoort dam outside Johannesburg.

A male Ameythst Sunbird feeding on nectar from an aloe flower in Aloe Farm.

I hope you liked this small selection of the wonderful colours and variety which nature provides for us in abundance each day, including Christmas day.

Merry Christmas 
“Christmas waves a magic wand over the world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

~Norman Vincent Peale

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”

~Charles Dickens

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

Have fun,

Mike

It was our last day and we were not going to waste any of our remaining time in this wonderland. We were up and out before sunrise,  hoping to see the end of the night shift. The Trichilia area in Mana seems to be a magnet for game. It was around 5h30 and we had driven about 100 metres out of camp, when we found this pride of lions.

“Life is a journey; Time is a river. The door is ajar…”

~Jim Butcher

After a few minutes of watching them, the two lionesses in the pride walked away from the river. The youngsters remained for a few more minutes, lying on the edge of one of the alluvial terraces. They had a wonderful view across the Zambezi lying in luxuriant vegetation next to the river.

“Advice from the river. Go with the flow Immerse yourself in nature. Slow down and meander. Go around the obstacles. be thoughtful of those downstream. Stay current. The beauty is the journey”.

~ Ilan Shamir

One thing that strikes you immediately about the Mana lions is that they look ragged. It is clear that living in Mana is not easy, even for lions. This lioness looked as if she had lived rough for a long time. She was also looked fairly old.

“This process of the good life is not, I am convinced, a life for the faint-hearted. It involves the stretching and growing of becoming more and more of one’s potentialities. It involves the courage to be. It means launching oneself fully into the stream of life“.
~Carl Rogers

This older female was leading her pride away from the river to rest in the forest somewhere. She really took her time to stretch and and sharpen her claws and appeared to really enjoy it.

“The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.” 

~ Chanakya

The sun had just started to rise in the east and light was clear with soft contrast and it caught her eye perfectly. You can see that there was no fat on this female, she was lean and built for hunting.

Eventually, the other younger lions followed the older lioness away from the river. They walked through the Natal Mahogany grove. It is not often you get lions walking past you and looking directly into the rising sun with the light catching their eye perfectly.

One tough lady – bright eyed, lean and muscular.

“I will persist until I suceed, I was not delivered into this world into defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I  am not a sheep to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion, and I refuse to talk, walk and to sleep with the sheep. I will persist until I suceed”.

~Og Mandino

A second lioness with one of the cubs were following the lead lioness. They walked across the road right in front of us. They were too close to get off the vehicle and get a eye level shot.  I thought this image showed just how tough this lioness looked but the life in her eyes burned brightly.

Give her an hour or so and those eyes will not be so wide open and alert. She has probably been out and about the whole night.

“It is better to conquer yourself than win a thousand battles”.

~ Buddha

The two lionesses were walking away from the river into the forest. We got off the vehicle and followed them on foot, giving them enough space not to push them. The lions walked into a lush croton grove and that was the last we saw of them.

On their way, the lions drew the attention of many onlookers. They walked past plenty of game but did not attempt to hunt. Needless,to say, the eland, baboons and Impala all watched them very carefully.

After spending some time with the lions, some of our group had to get back to camp as they were catching a flight out to Hwange later that morning. Dave, Jocelin and myself stayed behind. Dave and I were leaving that afternoon and Jocelyn was going to stay another three days (lucky lady). Having bid our farewells, we decided to walk down river to see the Carmine Bee-eaters with Tanya leading the way, of course. This was the view looking north-west back up the river towards camp.

“I would love to live life as a river flows, carried by its own unfolding”.

~John O’Donohue

Little Bee-eaters and White-fronted Bee-eaters are endemic in this area but the carmines migrate back in spring when the insect life is at its highest.

It is interesting to see how  dead trees which fall into the river provide a base from which much other vegetation grows. It also acts as hub for many insects and plenty of birdlife.

“Abundance is not something we acquire,. It is something we tune into”.

~Wayne Dyer

About a kilometre down river along the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi, we found a small colony of Carmines, probably 1000 or so. The carmines’ colours appeared richer than we find in South Africa and it was amazing to see almost every bee-eater in flight had an insect in its beak.

As we saw at Kalizo, in the Caprivi Strip, the carmine colony is frequented by Yellow-billed Kites. These kites are quick enough to catch a carmine on the wing but their success rate is low. They are mostly hunting for the weak or injured birds and of course the real raiding will start once the chicks hatch and start to try to fly.

With these birds you have to pick your shots. Many fly some distance away but every now and then one or two individuals will fly close to you, and those are the shots.

“Keep your rivers flowing as they will, and you will continue to know the most important of all freedoms—the boundless scope of the human mind to contemplate wonders, and to begin to understand their meaning”. 

~David Brower

The Southern Carmine Bee-eater hawking insects. It has that stunning carmine breast and belly colouring. It is distinguished from it northern cousin by its jade crown where as the Northen Carmines crown and throat is jade to blue in colour.

These carmines hawk insects from a perch and are highly skillfully flyers. Tapering, low-aspect-ratio (ratio of length to width) wings are found on birds, such as bee-eaters, which must be fast and agile in order to outmaneuver both their prey and their predators.

This was the part of the river bank where the carmines were nesting. Most of them roosted in the trees above the bank but some families were very busy excavating and preparing their nests. This is a migratory species, spending the breeding season, between August and November, in Zimbabwe, before moving south to South Africa for the summer months, and then migrating to equatorial Africa from March to August. The migration is thought to be driven by the fluctuations of insects, which drop off sharply in the southern African winters.

A view looking back up the river from the carmine colony. This is an exquisitely beautiful part of the world, wild with abundance.

“Wild rivers are earth’s renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away, and eventually always winning”. 

~ Richard Bangs & Christian Kallen

I wish I was the water flowing down the Zambezi
Swirling through the grasses, tickling the roots of trees.
I would rush over dark rocks, twirling and flirting,
Flushing the tiger fish down gurgling rapids
I’d laugh hysterically as I crashed and soared
Over and down the granite lip of Victoria Falls
Exploding 110m deep beneath in a dark and terrifying hole
I’d bubble forth and rise to the surface
As light as the air, revitalised by the most mighty massage
I’d dash through the gorges, laughing at the white water rafters
Fearful yet joyous at my strength.
I’d visit both Zimbabwe and Zambia, no need for a passport
Exempt from a Visa fee, no thought as to my nationality
I’d soar to the heavens, picked up by the sun
And dart down to earth again, to have some more fun
I’d be best friends with the frogs, I’d caress the skin of hippo’s
Brush clean the teeth of crocodiles.
I could be sucked up the trunk of an elephant child
He’d snort me back out, I’d never forget the gentle, loving giant
Down, down further I’d go
Smoothly flowing across sandbanks, marvelling at wildife
Red filtered light as I passed through fish gills
Coming up gasping, eyes on the Zambezi escarpment hills
Oh I’d be quite long on my journey
Finally crossing into the Mozambique delta
Lost amongst pampas and waterberry trees
I’d see a final sand barrier and suddenly I’d be at one with the sea.
Oh I wish I was the water in the beautiful big Zambezi.

~ Trish Berry

A big thank you to Marlon Du Toit from Wild Eye for putting together a wonderful wildlife safari. Mana Pools is a very special wildlife area and the photographic opportunities and light in the forest are unique. What made it more special was the ability to get off the vehicle and walk. Tanya, our Mana guide, was superb and very knowledgeable. Your understanding of the wildlife made us all feel reassured even when close to big game. Lastly, to Dave and Tess from Mwinilunga Safaris who hosted us in the camp. It was such fun. Tess and her team’s cuisine in the bush was outstanding and it was wonderful to reacquaint with friends last seen decades ago. I will be back same time next year – for sure.

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

Have fun,

Mike