Helen and I get out of town into the bush as often as possible. It refreshes the soul! I needed some practice, so we decided to spend the day in the Pilansberg Game Reserve.

As you are all aware watching Eskom’s bulletins and the looming load-shedding, we are moving headlong into winter when the summer greens give way to yellows and browns. The first thing we noticed was how dry it was in the park. There was a nip in the air despite being sunny the whole day. Of course, in the transition months there is more wind which does not make bird photography any easier.

The first shot is of a herd of Zebra walking in a line along a contour on the opposite side of a valley. I took the shot just to give an impression of the size of the valley and the vast backdrop.

Besides a couple of White Rhino and numerous Wildebeeste, we saw quite a few small herds of Zebra. During the day we saw only one bout of mock fighting where the Zebra try to bite each other’s legs.

As I mentioned, the park was very dry. This next shot shows a colourful, but stagnant pool. In the park many dams were dry and some had very little water in them – surprisingly.

We saw very little game  and very few birds during out eight hours in the park. So like any photographer with such beauty all around, I started shooting landscapes.

I wanted to take a shot which any person who has been to the Pilansberg would recognise. I love the rocky outcrops, not quite granite kopjies, but interesting nevertheless. Also at this time of the year, the grass is dry and turns blonde making an interesting foreground.

The Pilansberg is a caldera and as such is endowed with some rugged countryside creating  magnificent scenery.

At this time of the year the grasses are tassling, so there is lots of seed around. We came across  a few Waxbills (impossible to get a decent shot) and Canaries. The next shot is of a male Yellow-Fronted Canary having just taken off from its perch to feed on all the seed on the ground.

Seeing very little, we were just about to give up when Helen saw this Ground-Scrapper Thrush standing in an open patch down near one of the rivers. It is amazing how one bird can revive a photographer’s spirits.

One of the big things I have to manage is my own expectations. When I head out for a photographic session in a park like Pilansberg, I am brimming with expectations of amazing shots to edit later in the evening. It does not always work out that way. On a safari with Lou Coetzer in Kalgadigadi Transfrontier Park, on our first drive of the trip, we saw a pride of eight Lion with plenty of activity and interaction. Lou cautioned us that we had been very lucky and should not expect that level of excitement each time we went out – he was 100% right.

Nature keeps surprising you, when you least expect it. The next shot was of a Cape Rock Thrush with its distinctive colouring. Rock Thrushes have  a slate-blue head and rufous underparts and is the typical size and shape of a Thrush. It is a common resident in rocky hillsides and the blue-grey head colouring does not extend down to mid-breast level as in the Sentinel Rock Thrush. I have never seen one in Pilansberg before.

One bird you can rely on even when the sightings are very few and far between is a Glossy Starling and this character was no exception. Its colouring was glorious – and that orange eye!

We only saw one Red Hartebeeste and it was hanging around with a group of Zebra, probably for a little added protection.

Old man! This was not the most handsome Giraffe I have ever seen but life was etched all over his face. The colour of the Giraffe worked better in black and white emphasising the shapes and textures.

Again, I was amazed how few birds we saw in eight hours in the park – no raptors, no shrikes and no waterbirds. When all else fails, an old favourite we can rely on is the Lillac-brested Roller .

Another bird you will see often in most game parks is the Fork-tailed Drongo, but getting a decent shot is not always easy – I will settle for this portrait.

The day, from a wildlife photography perspective, was challenging and I had to marshal my expectations.

The roads in the park, both tarred and gravel, were in a poor state as were the ablutions. This was surprising given it is a premier destination for overseas visitors who I thought we were trying to impress with our beautiful country. Even with few animal or bird sightings, the vistas in the park are spectacular!!

On a day like last Sunday, I am reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote – “Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.”

I am off to Mashatu next week, which is why I needed the practice, so hopefully I will have some interesting images and stories to share.

Even on a quiet photographic day, the bush is a sensory wonderland.

Have fun

Mike

This is my third consecutive post from my trip with Lou Coetzer and Neal Cooper  and the CNP team in early May. There are two common denominators in this post, the first is the Chobe river and the second is that every image was taken from CNP’s fantastic photographic boat.  As you will see, virtually all of the shots are at or close to the water. Mammals or birds are either drinking, playing or bathing in the water and some hunting in the water.

The next shot is of my favourite antelope, the Sable. This is a lone young female. You can tell by the degree of curvature of the horns. She was very wary of what was around the water and what was in the water. These are rare, beautiful, and elegant antelope. A Sable is as agile and accurate with its set of horns as any first class cricketer.

It always intrigues me how many antelope, this Sable included, manage to keep their coats in such glossy condition. The Sable has a relatively small angular face with big brown eyes. From front on, you can see the positioning of their eyes gives them good stereoscopic and lateral vision.

The next shot is of one of two old “dagga boys”, old Buffalo bulls, who were wandering along the river’s edge and stopping every now and then to drink, unperturbed by photographic boats floating by.

One of the big advantages of photographing from the boat is that the animals are less afraid of you. That does not mean you have to be any less careful and respectful. The next image is of a couple of old Elephant bulls were walking along the edge of one of the islands in the middle of the river. I was using a 24mm lens to get the bulls in the frame, they were very close. The bull in the front could easily have touched me with his trunk with just one stride closer. The older bulls seem to be more confident and less concerned about us.

Deep shadow in the background helped profile this pair of Pied Kingfishers. The colouring and the dark background lent itself to a black and white adjustment.

There were a handful of Openbill Storks wandering in the shallows of the shoreline looking for snails and similar edibles. There were not many Openbills around in May but in the summer months you can see flocks of thousands flying overhead.

The Water Lilies are so colourful, I can’t help myself. On occasions the water surface was so smooth that it made a perfect background for these gorgeous flowers. The flowers attract insects, which in turn attract all kinds of birds from Lily-trotters to Weavers and Swallows.

We don’t see Red-billed Francolin in South Africa, so it is always interesting to see new species along the river.

Elephant Valley is a congregating point along the Chobe River upstream of the Chobe Game Lodge. This is a wonderful spot to see and photograph Elephant, Kudu, Impala, Baboons, a variety of birds and of course the always humorous warthog. The next shot is of a youngster who looked especially cute with his well groomed overgrown whiskers as he trotted brisky down to the water’s edge with his tail straight up in the air.

There are so many opportunities to take shots of scenes with different subjects and differing lighting. The next shot was taken late in the afternoon on the way back from Puku Flats where the light caught these few branches overhanging the river, against a darkish background.

This adult African Harrier Hawk strolled down to the water’s edge for a drink. These  birds have striking colouring but unusually their eyes are black. I have only ever seen them hunting alone, never in pairs.

All the Elephant dung along the river bank attracts dung beetles which in turn attract birds like this Sacred Ibis. Small crocodiles are also attracted by the dung beetles.

This young crocodile turned back into the water after missing a dung beetle it was targeting on the bank.

The Puku Flats upstream from Kasane attracts all sorts of game. Late one afternoon, a breeding herd of Elephant came walking through the flooded grass plain creating an evocative scene.

Early one morning, a reasonable size herd of Impala came down to drink. It was a very peaceful scene.

That mischievous face! This young Baboon was munching on a water lily stem and obviously enjoying it.

Baboons are very wary of crocodiles and are easily spooked when drinking at the water’s edge.

We had an unusual sighting of a Shikra (similar to a Little Goshawk) but with brilliant red eyes. This little chap was bathing.  Before flying down to bath, he too spent a long time watching the water looking for signs of crocodiles.

There are big ones and there are small ones too. This shot is of a female Stonechat – beautiful little seed-eater on a simple perch with a clean background.

A full blooming Water Lilly – beautiful. In this state, many insects are attracted to the open flowers.

A Green-backed Heron posing in front of a deep shadow backdrop. These small Herons don’t usually hang around for you to take the shot, so a little luck is needed.

Around half an hour after the sun sets the colours in the evening sky become very saturated. I love the shift in light and colour from the horizon into the evening sky.

This was the view from my hotel room each evening on returning from our afternoon shooting session. A quick shower and off to have drinks and dinner with everyone to share stories from the day. After dinner some hardened souls went to edit their day’s images but for most of us, all the fresh air and sun and the satisfaction of having nailed some decent images during the day was a perfect reason to put your head on the pillow. Sleep comes quickly usually with the sound of hippo talking to each other in the river.

For those of you who prefer a more leisurely game viewing experience there are always the houseboats, but if you are a keen photographer this is not the best option – CNP’s photographic boat is!!!.

I hope you have got a sense of why I keep returning to the Chobe River with my cameras.  Lou Coetzer and his team make these trips comfortable, productive and memorable.

The river level will probably continue to drop from May onwards. Once it starts warming up in August-September then everything changes again. The game is different and the variety of birds expands as the migrants return.

The wonderful aspect of this river is that everything is so dynamic, you will never see the same thing in the same place, the next time you go out on the boat. I will keep going back!

The river of life is always flowing  – go with the current!

Have fun

Mike

This is the second of three weekly posts from my trip with CNP to the Chobe River in early May. This week’s theme is flying birds. The Chobe River is the backdrop. If you find birds fascinating, as I do, then the Chobe river will provide you with a wonderful playground. The variety of birds found along the Chobe River is astounding. The one key difference between mammals and birds, from a photographic point of view, is that birds are always doing something. Their interactions and even basic movement can be challenging to photograph. One of the most fun challenges on the boat is to get decent shots of flying birds, preferably as full in the frame as possible. This is not always that easy with the long lenses because it is quite a skill to just pick up the moving bird in the lens given its narrow field of vision.

With flying birds and changing direction, quality and intensity of the light there is a constant balancing act adjusting ISO, shutter speed and F-stop trying to get the whole bird pin sharp, wing tips included. Birds like Storks and Egrets generally fly in a straight line, which makes getting the shot easier. Other birds, such as Gulls, Harriers, Yellow-billed Kites, Swallows and Swifts, Drongos and Bee-eaters, fly in a very erratic fashion which ups the difficulty many fold.

This next shot is of a Little Egret flying almost directly toward me. Importantly, the background was far behind the bird so was easy to blur and emphasise the flying Egret.

The next shot is of a Yellow-billed Egret banking in front of me giving a great photographic opportunity. Again the background was far enough behind enabling the blurring to highlight the bird in flight.

Egrets can be impressive photographic subjects when they are coming in to land. This Yellow-billed Egret is about to land on a sandbank. Under the wings, the airflow appears to be linear  with all the feathers smooth. When landing the wing angle changes allowing air to bled off the top of the wing causing some feathers to lift as the air speed slows. The Alula is clearly visible on the wing elbow. This group of feathers is thought to provide extra wing area at low speeds.

The variety of bird life along the Chobe river is vast. A Fish Eagle’s wings are wide allowing it to fly at lower speeds. The next shot shows the power of this bird. There are plenty of fish in the river but they are not always that easy to catch. Fish Eagles are known to also prey on Herons and Ducks and will take a Mongoose or baby Crocodile if they can catch one – they are great opportunists.

The next shot was taken when the wind was blowing strongly. This female Fish Eagle stopped to rest with some nesting material in one talon. She had to balance on one foot and lifted a wing just to keep her balance. After a short rest she flew up to her nest which was close by in one of the three Jackalberry trees alongside the River. Often when it is nest-building season, around this time of the year, Fish Eagles can be seen flying and trailing large strands of grass and reeds for lining on route to their nests.

Every trip to the Chobe River and almost every day, we see a Marsh Harrier scouring the reeds beds for something to eat. They can be tricky to photograph as their flight path can be very erratic. They are not fussy feeders going for small reptiles, birds and even eggs.

It is amazing how quickly these Marsh Harriers fly  and are able to cover vast distances in a morning. Invariably the photographic opportunity is a fly by.

There are many Egyptian Geese on the Chobe River. They make great subjects for photographers to practice their flying bird photography, as they tend to fly is a straight line.

It is always a thrill to see Bee-eaters. They are all incredibly colourful and superb fliers. In May, the last of the Carmine Bee-eaters are still around. Most have already migrated north to warmer climes. Small groups of remaining Carmines were feeding on insects disturbed by Herons and Egrets as they fly in and out of the reeds.

Every time an Egret flew into the reed bed in front of us, a group of Carmine Bee-eaters would dart over to that spot to catch the insects which were disturbed. Trying to get a decent pin sharp shot of flying Carmines catching insects is really challenging – much practice is needed as is an understanding of the Carmine’s interactions.

One of the most impressive raptors, in my opinion, in the African Hawk Eagle. This is one aggressive hunter. It is a big bird but is capable of tight flying through the trees almost like a Goshawk and can also soar in thermals like an Eagle.

The Black-winged Stilt is the long-legged model of the shoreline birds. It has a petite build and very long, pinkish red legs which are ultra thin.

At this time of the year, there are massive flocks of Collared Pratincoles along the Chobe River. These are beautiful birds and elegant flyers. In the mornings, they appear to fly in what looks like swarms swinging this way and that. As an observer they seem to be flying for the pure joy of it.

Another ubiquitous bird along the Chobe River shoreline is the Cape Turtle Dove. They fly down to drink to from the river’s edge from adjacent trees. They put their whole beak into the water to drink.  Smaller crocodiles try to catch these very quick birds, and are often lucky. This is a great way to practice your flying bird skills. Don’t be fooled, once these birds have slated their thirst, they take off like rockets, similar to Sandgrouse .

We don’t often see African Harrier Hawks along the Chobe River. This trip we were lucky enough to see them on most days. These must be the most hated birds along the river as they feed on other birds chicks. They have long double-jointed legs that reach into normally inaccessible places. These birds are beautifully coloured  with a yellow face surrounding black eyes. Their wide wings allow them to fly slowly along the river bank looking for edibles.

I hope you get a sense of how interesting flying birds are for photographers. The shape of the bird’s wing and its size gives many clues as to how it flies and consequently how it feeds. This in turn will give the photographer some insight as to how best to get that flying shot. Getting good flying bird shots comes with practice and techniques you pick up from other sharing photographers.

Next week, I will share a variety of bird and mammal shots taken along the Chobe River, some of which are of my favourite antelope, the Sable.

Try to get into the bush!

“In all things nature there is something of the marvellous” – Aristotle

Have fun

Mike

Along the Chobe, photography from the river rather than the land side offers many benefits. Firstly, the perspective is much better. You get to look up at the Elephants walking along the river bank. This perspective produces more dramatic shots. As you can see, we are able to get really close to the Elephant without alarming them. They are not alarmed unless someone on the boat moved quickly or made a sudden loud noise. The wildlife seems to accept you more from the water side.

One morning, we watched five big Elephant bulls walking along the river bank. These bulls seemed to be a close coalition as later that afternoon we found them crossing the river together to get to the reed beds, which offered much better feeding. This is another advantage of being in a boat on the river, you get close to the Elephant swimming, cooling off and just playing in the water.

The Elephant of all sizes and ages seem to really enjoy playing in the water and they are good swimmers.

These three bulls were on route to some tasty water lilly and reed beds on one of the submerged islands in the middle of the river. They were determined to get to the salad bowl and seemed unfazed by the depth of the water. These bulls obviously knew this part of the river and the best crossing routes, as they did not go straight across the river.

You will find many herds of Elephant along the Chobe river mostly in the afternoon. There are herds of all different sizes and composition, breeding herds and small herds of bulls. In May, there were many calves, some like the one below were very small. By photographing from the water and using a long lens we can get a sense of just how big everything is around these little guys. Obviously at this age they stick close to Mum.

At this time of the year, as the flood waters are beginning to subside, there was an abundance of water lillies. Not only do the Elephant love this lilly salad but there were a plethora of blooming flowers which provided an interesting background. The waterways through the lilly beds were made by boats, Elephant and Hippos.

The flood waters spread over a wide area, especially where the ground was relatively flat. This photograph was taken of a breeding herd of Elephant making its way through the flooded grassland. The blue skies, yellow grass and sprinkles of colour from the water lillies made a beautiful setting for the Elephant to walk through.

As you can imagine, the lilly trotting birds such as Jacana’s, Gallinules and Crakes just love the abundance of  water lillies at this time of the year. The lillies attract alot of insects which the lilly trotters feed on as do the Bee-eaters and Weavers.

The Elephants are not the only ones who love the abundant salad bowl. As the next shot shows, so to do the Hippo.

One morning, we came upon a pod of Hippos basking in shallow water in the river. This pod comprised mostly females, but there were a few calves too. These Hippo seemed to be blissfully sleeping in the shallow water after a busy night feeding on land. One or two pod members  were always on guard just to make sure enthusiastic photographers did not get too close.

The basking Hippos provided a perfect feeding spot for all sorts of birds from Oxpeckers to Blacksmith Lapwings and Cattle Egrets. Around the Hippos were Black-winged Stilts, Egyptian Geese and Little Egrets all feeding. Numerous small fish seemed to be attracted by the Hippo dung.

As with most youngsters, once they have had a sleep they are up and rearing to play. This young Hippo was no exception, but he was surrounded by grumpy unco-operative adults trying to sleep.

With the water levels so high there were plenty of fish. The Reed Cormorants were having a grand time. This particular character caught a big mud-sucker, which it was not going to let go. He struggled for some time to kill and  swallow it. It seemed too big, but he did.

There were reminders that even in paradise you still have to be wide awake. There are many Crocodiles in the Chobe River. This next shot was of an especially big character.  Although there is no reference point to judge how big he really was, one measure is the shape of the face. This particular crocodile’s head was probably one-third the size of a wildebeest’s body.

Cattle Egrets fed well on all the insects attracted and disturbed by the pod of basking Hippo.

Blacksmith Lapwings were similarly attracted by all the insects around the Hippo.  The Hippos did not seem to mind in the least, the birds walking all over them, even on their faces.

As you can see there are unique perspectives and close-ups of Elephant, Hippos and Crocodiles which can be achieved  from a  boat. The boat must be almost flat-bottomed for stability otherwise the ripples caused by passing boats  and wind can make for some very frustrating photography. The boats used by CNP are custom designed to be able to get into shallow water  for close-ups and provide a stable platform from which to photograph. The boat drivers have been well-trained to turn the boats so that all photographers get an opportunity to photograph the subject they are approaching. The many advantages of photographing from the water side of the riverbank can be negated if the photographic platform is unstable.

I hope you have enjoyed some more of my shots taken while in a CNP Safari on the Chobe river in early May. I had a successful photographic trip so have more shots to show you next week.

Until then have fun

Mike

I have just returned from a five-day photographic workshop with Coetzer Nature Photography. I have been  to the Chobe with Coetzer Nature Photography numerous times before and absolutely love it. Lou Coetzer is the owner/manager of the photographic safari company. The company operates two boats on the Chobe River, each specifically rigged for eight photographers. These boats provide an ideal platform for enthusiasts like myself who are looking to improve the quality of their wildlife images. A big thank you to Lou Coetzer and Neal Cooper for all your advice and knowledge of the river. It was a wonderful, productive week.

I intend posting a different set of shots each week in May from the recent Chobe River trip. For a photographer, the opportunities and challenges on the river are endless. The Chobe River floods in April to June each year. The current flooding started to subside in early May.  The flood waters cover almost all of the islands in the river and spreads out over a vast area. The subsiding flood waters provide ample feeding grounds for Elephants, Hippo and water birds. With the falling water level, the islands in the river have just started to emerge, leaving numerous channels to navigate through. The photographic boat is relatively flat-bottomed allowing us to get into places most other conventional boats can not access. This meant that we could venture into areas to get unique shots.

The floods change much along the river. We have greater access to areas which are seasonally dry in summer. This improves the  photographic opportunities  for mammals such as Elephants, Sable, Giraffe, Buffalo, Baboons, Impala and the cats (which we did not see this last trip).

Herons and Egrets have a great time as the river starts to subside because there is so much food for them. The next shot is of a Little Egret having just caught a small fish is busy re-aligning it to gulp down.

There were mornings on the Chobe River when the air and water was serenely still. This creates a glass-like surface on the river. This reflective water surface creates opportunities for some colourful and interesting shots of water lilies.

Jacanas are polyandrous meaning that the females have many mates and the males raise the young. We were fortunate enough to see a Jacana male with four young chicks. The chicks climb under the male’s wing for protection and he often picks them up this way and runs to safety. In the shot below, one chick is trying desperately to climb under Dad’s wing, but it is fully occupied. Soon after this shot, the exposed chick moved under its father’s left-wing.

These Jacana chicks are no more than two to three inches tall. They were already feeding themselves but still needed Dad for protection.

The chicks are born ready to fend for themselves. I don’t know how old this chick is but it is very young and is already looking for food on its own. Nature is remarkable in so many ways.

Black Crakes are skittish birds and will not usually allow you to get close, so a long lens is required to get a decent shot. These Crakes have striking colours with red eyes and legs, a vivid yellow beak and black feathers. They seem to feed on much the same type of insects as the Jacanas but are not nearly as brave. They stick close to the reeds and hide in them at the slightest sign of danger.

Jacana Alley is the favourite place for photographing Jacana’s, Crakes and sometimes Gallinules. Lou keeps drumming into us that the background is as important as the subject. Usually when the Jacanas are walking on top of the lily pads the backgrounds are messy. It takes patience and timing to get a clean background.

Allen’s Gallinules are not common. We came across a two pairs in Jacana Alley. The front shield above the bird’s bill was not a distinct green or blue, indicating its non-breeding status.

There were times on the river,  particularly early in the morning when the water surface looked like a mirror. It is hard to describe the beauty and tranquility when cruising down the river in what seems to be heaven on earth.

We came upon a spot where a group of Fork-tailed Drongos were bathing themselves. They would dive down from a high tree next to the river, fully immersing themselves before flying back up to the tree to groom. We had a great time trying to photograph these small birds diving into the water – it was not easy!

This Cattle Egret managed to find a lizard which it beat to death then spent some time manoeuvring it to be able to shallow it whole.

We often saw a troop of Baboons down at Elephant Valley. The youngsters were playing and the older ones grooming. The also seem to love picking through the drying Elephant dung looking for undigested seeds. Interestingly, the dung beetles which are attracted by the Elephant dung provide an attractive food source for Sacred Ibis and small crocodiles.

Late one afternoon at Puku Flats beyond Chobe Game Lodge and Elephant Valley, we saw three Giraffe walking with purpose through the shallow flood waters kicking up a spray of water as they walked.  The shot of a Giraffe below made a great silhouette.

Squacco Herons are ubiquitous along the Chobe River, usually being flushed out as we pass by in the boat. This gives us many opportunities to get shots of them flying.

Probably because of the seasonal flood, there were many water lilies and they make irresistible photographic subjects because they are so beautiful and colourful.

We only saw one Malachite Kingfisher the whole trip. This was probably because the water is still so high  leaving no place for them to nest. There were many Pied Kingfishers, a few Giant Kingfishers and we saw a Half Collared Kingfisher on one occasion, but we could not get a shot of it.

A few Carmine Bee-eaters are still around frequenting the reed beds where all the Egret and Squacco Herons are feeding. These birds flush out insects which the Carmine Bee-eaters catch and swallow in flight. As an Egret lands in the reeds a few Carmines speed over to that spot to catch the insects which were disturbed.

One hot afternoon, we came across five bull Elephant crossing from the mainland onto one of the reed islands to feed. Yes, it is still hot there in the middle of the day and in the afternoons and coolish in the evenings, but not cold. It is quite clear that the Elephant of all ages love the water and frolic and play, diving under the water, mock fighting and climbing all over each other – even the old boys!

Another afternoon four bull Elephant were walking along the edge of one of the islands in the middle of the Chobe disturbing large flocks of Collared Pratincoles.

We had a great bunch of photographers on the boats. We are up and ready for a cup of coffee and rusk at 6h30 each morning waiting for the sun to rise sufficiently to light up the reed beds. Each afternoon we would go out around 14h30 for three and a half hours of photography. The intriguing aspect about the river is that you never see the same thing, doing the same thing in the same place. There were different photographic opportunities each time we went out.

More to come next week from a wonderful week on the Chobe River.

Have fun

Mike

I needed some practice before my trip to Chobe in early May, so Helen and I decided to go to Marievale early last Sunday morning. The weather service indicated that it would be cool but sunny. We travelled south of Johannesburg to Nigel. At around 7h00 the mist was so thick that we had to slow to around 40 kms per hour. We arrived at Marievale and it was covered in thick mist. We could hear all the ducks and coots so realised that there was plenty going on despite the weather. The mist eventually cleared. The light around 8h00 was beautiful and the air clear after the heavy rains on Friday and Saturday – perfect for photography. The reeds had been burnt in some sections which gave better visuals of some of the waterways.

Marievale is a bird sanctuary but you  can also see animals if you are lucky. We often have fleeting glimpses of Water Mongoose and Yellow Mongoose. The bird variety is superb and you are likely to see a new bird each time you go there.

The Cape Shovellers were busy eating the green and pink algae on the water surface.

There were two little Hottentot Teal feeding furiously on the pink and green algae on the water surface. These are such beautiful ducks.

Yellow-billed Ducks were busy feeding and  showing off some of the best colours.

A Black Headed Heron did some posing for us. It is interesting the way they sway their necks when they are hunting. I am not sure what purpose it serves?

A Black Headed Heron was very obliging and did some practice circuits for us just to get some landing shots.

You will find big ones at Marievale and small ones too!

This little male Stonechat was very accommodating. Most of the widow birds have lost their breeding colours but the little Stonechats are ubiquitious and always colourful.

This Little Grebe (previously called Dabchick) was very busy diving in the water in front of us for food.

While you can see a superb selection of birds at Marievale, you may also be fortunate enough to see some mammals too.

In an open patch of grass behind one of the bird hides this little Yellow Mongoose was very busy hunting for insects and watching out for birds of prey.

I was fortunate enough to get a good sighting of a Water Mongoose. It is much bigger than the normal mongoose and is a very good swimmer, as would be expected. It is probably as big as a decent sized cane rate. This Mongoose is furtive, so you have to be quick to get a shot.

In all, Helen and I spent a happy six hours at Marievale. It was cool but very productive until the clouds started to roll in and the wind picked up, so as the light deteriorated and the softies packed up and went home.

It was disturbing to see one of the hides had been badly damaged. Some individuals had broken the hide’s precast concrete walling and effectively destroyed two of the four walls of the one hide. Human beings …….!!??

I hope you liked the shots. I have added a Mongoose category and added to the Ducks, Lapwings and  Heron categories.

You will always be rewarded by something you never expected to see when you go into the bush.

Have fun

Mike

The variety of birds in Southern Africa is astounding. The variations of colour,  behaviour and movements make us humans appear positively tame by comparison

Oxpeckers

In southern Africa we have two types of Oxpecker, the red and yellow-billed. The bills of these two species are slightly different with the Yellow-billed Oxpecker having a stouter bill for plucking parasites and ticks off their host while the Red-billed Oxpecker has a  smaller more flattened bills for combing or scissoring through their hosts hair. The next shot shows Red-billed Oxpeckers scissoring through a bull Giraffe’s hide.

Other hosts can be very big. A small flock of Red-billed Oxpeckers do a fine cleaning job on the Giraffe bull’s neck.

The Yellow-billed Oxpecker looks and behaves in a very similar way to its Red-billed cousin. The two-tone colour of the bill and its red eye are distinguishing features of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker, as is its larger bill. The Red-billed Oxpecker has a yellow ring around its eye. These birds do a wonderful job providing a personal hygiene service for many animal plagued with ticks and parasites and they clean up open sores sipping the blood in the process.

Yellow-billed Oxpecker on a Buffalo’s back.

Oxpeckers nest in natural holes or  broken branch stumps of trees and are prone to Harrier-hawk raids. They often use the hair of their hosts as nest lining in their cup-shaped nests.

Woodpeckers

These birds can be difficult to photograph because they are usually out of the sun behind the dead branch searching for insects. It is a question of being patient and watching for the bird to hopefully come out into the sun. The colouring of these birds is usually beautiful with reds, blacks and golden tails. I was lucky enough to spot a pair of Bennett’s Woodpeckers foraging on the ground at Pretoriuskop in the Kruger Park. This pair hopped around eating ants and the male even climbed a stone wall to get at the ants in a crack.

Male Bennett’s Woodpecker

It is not often you see a Woodpecker. Usually you hear them first tapping on a dead branch. They are either searching for insects,  hollowing out a nest or tapping on the dead branch in avian morse code communication. This is how I found this little Cardinal Woodpecker in Borokalalo. It is always difficult to  get a clean shot as they are usually high up in the tree with lots of dead branches in the way.

Male Cardinal Woodpecker with what looks like a punk red hairstyle. It also has the small black moustache which differentiates it from its Golden-tailed cousin.

I have a long way to go to get my ideal woodpecker shots and to achieve full species coverage but that is part of the fun.

In early ,May I am off on a photographic trip to the Chobe with Coetzer Nature Photography. The link will give you an idea of what kind of photography is possible on the river.

http://www.coetzernaturephotography.com/chobe-chat/

I hope you enjoy the additions.

The bush is waiting for you – make space for it!

Best wishes

Mike

This post introduces two new bird categories – Cuckoos and Starlings

Cuckoos

Many of this bird species are secretive and not often seen. They are generally parasitic breeders and many migrate north in winter. They vary enormously in size and colour.

I have found these birds quite difficult to photograph as they are very wary and fly off if you get closer than about 30 metres.

Often Cuckoos will be heard before they are seen and when seen are often perched in thick bushes.

I had been waiting for ages to get a reasonable shot of a Diederik Cuckoo and finally on my last trip in Mashatu I got this hot below. Again, we could not get close enough and the perch did not offer a clean shot, but I will take what I am offered when I am offered it.

A Diederik Cuckoo overlooking the vlei at Mashatu. This was the only one I managed to take a shot of but you could hear them all over the reserve early in the morning.

I would love to get a good shot of a Klaas’s Cuckoo which is also a beautiful emerald green – striking colouration in the sun. I have seen a few but never been able to get a decent shot of one. I will keep searching!

The Red-chested Cuckoo with the distinctive  ‘Piet my vrou” call is heard so often but I just never see them. One birder suggested they often sit close to the tree trunk rather than at the end of the branch. I cannot confirm this as I haven’t seen one yet.

This is one category of birds that I will have to keep trying to get better shots of – refinement needed.

The second  new category of birds are the Starlings

Starlings

Many of these birds are a glossy blue in colour, but not all. Starlings are smaller than the bigger Cuckoos but bigger than thrushes. Most Starlings are not nearly as secretive as many Cuckoos. Most Starlings are striking in colour from the gorgeous Plum Coloured Starling, now called the Violet-backed Starling to the Glossys to the more bizarre Wattled Starling.

Long-tailed Starling in Mashatu – an unusual pose.

There are many long-tailed Starlings in Mashatu and are usually seen in pairs or small groups unlike Glossy Starlings which can be found in large groups thronging the picnic and camp sites in Kruger Park. Away from all of the people in a secluded fig tree along the beautiful Olifants river in Kruger, I saw this Plum Coloured Starling. I have not seen this bird more than twice. The colouring is absolutely magnificent.

A Plum-coloured Starling in a fig tree along the Olifants river in Kruger

In my last trip to Mashatu, I saw many flocks of Wattled Starlings, all chattering at the same time. They seem to enjoy following the Elephant as they foraged through the grass disturbing all the insects.

A male Wattled Starling – certainly unusual facial features. There were many flocks of these noisy birds following the Elephant as they foraged and stirred up the insects in the grass

Wattled Starling males are unusual but certainly not beautiful. Besides sightings in Mashatu, we often see Wattled Starlings in Kruger Park too.

I added the Hoopoe and Wood-Hoopoe category a few days ago and also added to the Cheetah, Lion and Elephant shots taken on my recent trip to Mashatu, in south eastern Botswana.

I hope you enjoy the additions – more to come next week.

RHINO POACHING – latest statistics as at 3 Apr 13

http://www.uniteagainstpoaching.co.za/index.php/statistics

While the international efforts to combat the scourge of rhino poaching is increasing, the number of rhino poached in South Africa so far this year has increased to 203.

Data from Environmental Affairs as at 3 April 2013

Hopefully, if nothing else comes out of the latest BRIC meeting in South Africa the MoU will slow the killing rate.

We have a lot worth preserving in South Africa, but the wildlife, birds and habitat seems to be coming off second best.

Knowledge, awareness and appreciation can help us see that our ‘glass is not half full but bountiful’. IT WILL NOT STAY THAT WAY IF WE CARRY ON THE WAY WE ARE GOING – INTER-GENERATIONAL FAIRNESS – WHAT WE WILL LEAVE OUR CHILDREN???!!!

Our natural beauty is all around us – just stop for a minute and look and listen!!

Have fun

Mike

This is the second post on my trip to Mashatu in March. Already, I can’t wait to go back.

These bush trips are often made up of many small but interesting sightings, which are not about the big five. These wildlife sightings are usually wrapped in wonderful scenes of:

Tree-lined river beds

A tree line sand tributary of the Matabole river in Mashatu.

Peaceful drinking places

A peaceful scene where a herd of Elephant is drinking from the Matabole River in Mashatu.

Millions of years of weathering

Powerful avian predators

Long-legged beauties

Verdant vistas

A small part of a large herd of Elephants feeding on the grasses in the vlei at Mashatu. After the recent flooding of the Limpopo it was beautifully green but much of the water had drained out after the dam wall was breached by the flood waters.

and vistas which stretch forever

Rivers lined country borders

This relaxed river scene of the Limpopo river belies the incredible flood a few weeks before where the river burst its banks for kilometres either side.

Little beauties

Babies fooling around

This little guy was fooling around trying to climb over his much bigger friend and slipped and went A over T – you don’t often see an Elephant upside down. He wasn’t hurt and carried on fooling about.

Watchful speedsters

A male and female Cheetah appear from around a bush and stop to survey the scene in Mashatu

Silhouettes

Relaxed mothers

and relaxed cubs

The odd not so relaxed musth bull Elephant

It was late one afternoon in Mashatu in a herd of over 300 Elephant and this bull was chasing all the young males away. On one of his chases he came charging over this rise to be surprised by us. Thankfully he was just surprised.

One predator we only got a fleeting glimpse of was big male Leopard. The bush was very thick and perfect for him to melt away in the undergrowth unseen.

Wild dogs have been a feature in Mashatu but were poisoned last year, so the population has been decimated  – for now!!!

I hope the series of shots give you an idea of the incredible diversity of life and scenery you can see in Mashatu. For anyone who enjoys history, this area is steeped in it; especially Mapungubwe; Bryce’s store; past kingdoms; and signs of gold and bead trading between Great Zimbabwe and the Mozambique coast. The first crossing over the Limpopo called ‘Rhodes Drift’ was in 1890, and is situated in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. A few months after the fist crossing, a second drift was constructed about eight kilometres upstream from Rhodes’ Drift, as part of the Zeederberg Coach Route. This drift was known as Pont Drift, and is the point through which we, and most other visitors into Mashatu, cross the Limpopo river.

Botswana is one of the few African countries making a concerted effort to preserve its wildlife for future generations. Well done guys you stand head and shoulders above your neighbours.

I cannot think of anything better than going to a place like Mashatu with like-minded friends who also love the bush. The anticipation on the game drives never dies and you will always be surprised and humbled.

I hope you enjoy the new shots of scenes, Cheetah, Hyaena, Elephant, Jackal and birds.

The bush is waiting for you!!!.

Have fun

Mike

I will show some of my latest Mashatu shots in two instalments.This is the first.

After the Limpopo flooded in February, Mashatu is now in full bloom. It was absolutely astonishing how high the Limpopo river rose, flooding vast areas on either side, which are relatively flat. It must have been frightening to have seen the flooding water reaching so far from the main river course.

The first morning around five I heard a Leopard coughing right next to the lodge – what a way to start with Hyaena whooping in the distance, Black -headed Oriole and Woodland Kingfishers calling – paradise!!!!!!!

The flood waters deposited tons of silt. The flood waters and added silt have made large parts of Mashatu look like the Garden of Eden. The bush is lush and green with wild flowers everywhere. The numerous pools of water everywhere were enjoyed by mammals and birds alike for drinking, playing in and bathing. Another aspect of the Reserve which was very evident was the explosion of young. Hyaenas with pups, Lions with cubs, Elephants, Impala, Eland and Wildebeest with calves

One of the more unusual stories to come out of Mashatu recently involved a lion pride with two females and eleven cubs. What makes this pride unusual is that the two mothers were kicked out of the pride by their two eldest daughters. This resulted in the two mothers moving off to an adjacent area called ‘Charter’ with two new resident male lions, leaving the remaining two young lionesses with thirteen cubs to raise. Unfortunately, two cubs have died leaving eleven growing cubs to provide for. Interestingly, the two young lionesses seemed to be taking the massive task of rearing eleven cubs in their stride.

There were vast herds of Impala nd Elephant. We were fortunate enough to spend about a hour late one afternoon amongst a herd of over 300 Elephant. It was blissful but for the trumpeting and rampaging of one or two bulls in musth chasing other younger bulls away.

Not only were the  the mammal sightings superb but the variety of birdlife was incredible.We saw African Hawk Eagles almost every early morning.

Tawny Eagles were also resident in Mashatu. Unfortunately we did not get to see a Martial Eagle and the migrants such as Lesser, Steppe and Wahlberg Eagles had already left.

We were also privileged to see a Lanner Falcon fly past with a Wattled Starling it had just killed.

There were plenty of Cuckoos everywhere from Great Spotted to Stripped and Diederik.

We also saw a pair of Secretary Birds striding through the open grasslands and rocky outcrops looking for edibles. The male found what looked to be a baby Francolin which it picked out of the rocks and swallowed in one gulp. The next shot is of a female Secretary Bird which does not have the racket type tail feathers of the male.

Wattled Starlings are not the prettiest birds but were ubiquitous and followed the elephant around catching insects which were disturbed by the elephants foraging.

These are a few of my latest shots from Mashatu. The Limpopo was the highest I have seen it in recent years but by the time we left in late March it was crossable by vehicle.

I have added to my Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, Cuckoos,  Birds of Prey  and scene categories. Lots more to come next week, once I have a little more time to edit them.

I hope you enjoy them.

Mother nature reveals herself in her own time not ours, but what she reveals at times is astounding.

Have fun

Mike