By chance we were back in the “big smoke” for a week after our week at Giant’s Castle when my brother Jerry told me that his guest who was going to take the week in Mashatu could not make it. Helen and I jumped at the opportunity to return to Mashatu in February this year which was toward the end of the rainy season. We are members of a syndicate operating Rock Camp in Mashatu which is sited along the Limpopo river close to the Ponte Drift border post.

“Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them. Everyone must be challenged. A day dawns, quite like other days; in it, a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us.” ~ Maltbie Davenport Babcock

There is prolific bird life in Mashatu when in and around the camp and when on game drives. Part of the beauty is that you often do not see the same species on consecutive game drives.

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” — Sun Tzu

A male Bearded woodpecker in a large tree in the front of Rock Camp’s patio. The top of the male’s crown is red while the female’s crown is black, otherwise they look similar. They use their beaks to search for grubs under the bark and to communicate by tapping on the trunks of trees.

This Blue waxbill waited for the activity around bird bath to quieten down and proceeded to have a proper bath. It was very hot so many of the birds that visited the bird bath also bathed to cool down.

A male Green-winged pytillia was also cooling down in the heat of the afternoon.

A Spotted flycatcher found a perfect perch from which to hawk insects in the heat of the afternoon behind the Rock Camp main lodge near the swimming pool. The Spotted flycatcher is a summer visitor and is identified by the light brown streaks on its buff coloured breast and belly.

“Most people miss great opportunities because of their misperception of time. Don’t wait! The time will never be just right.” ~ Stephen C. Hogan

Although there are many birds in the camp area, it was summer so the birdlife was more spread out and could find water everywhere. There are many Sabota larks in Mashatu. This lark is identified by the strong brown streaks on its chest and its distinctive white eyebrow. This species seems to prefer the Mopani woodland interspersed with rocky areas where the grass is sparse.

Southern African summer is a time when the palearctic and inter-Africa migrants arrive to feast on the profusion of insects that respond to the rains and warmth. Mashatu is well known for being a good area to see most of the species of cuckoo which visit in summer. The most common cuckoo was the Diedrick’s cuckoo. The male has barred flanks, white flecking on the wing, white patches in front of and behind the eye, and a distinctly red eye surrounded by a red eye-ring.

The bronze-green female has a diagnostic white patch in front of the eye, a plain back, and white patches in the wings and her eye ring is brown not red. Both images are of male Diederik’s cuckoo as the female has a more pronounced coppery sheen on her back. The name “diederik” is an approximate rendition of the loud, persistent “deed-deed-deed-er-ick” call of the territorial male.

At Rock Camp we often hear the distinctive call of a Black cuckoo along the Limpopo river but I have yet to see one. During this visit we saw many Jacobin cuckoos but very few Striped cuckoos. Usually it is the other way around.

The Jacobin is differentiated from the Striped or Levaillant’s cuckoo because the former does not have black stripes on its chest. Both the Jacobin and Striped cuckoos have black plumage on their head and a crest on the back of the head. Both species have black and white bars on their tail feathers.

We also regularly see the Great spotted cuckoo. This is the largest of the summer migrant cuckoos. The adult is grey above, it has a grey cap, grey wings, a yellowish face and upper breast, and white underparts. This species of cuckoo prefers warm open woodland savanna. It feeds on insects, spiders, small reptiles and hairy caterpillars, which are avoided by many birds. Like most cuckoo species, this is a brood parasite, but it targets larger species such as crows and starlings

Another summer migrant is the Carmine bee-eater. It has exquisite carmine red, blue and brown plumage with an aquamarine crown. It is an adept aerial hunter and is usually seen hawking flying insects in the afternoon when it is very hot.

We see Carmine bee-eaters – young and adult. The fledged juveniles are browner and have not yet developed that gorgeous carmine breast and throat plumage and its crown has not yet turned to a vivid aquamarine.

Several shrikes are also summer visitors such as the Lesser grey shrike and the Red-backed shrike. The Red-backed shrike is quite skittish and normally will not let you get close so a long focal length lens is needed. This shrike migrates from its breeding grounds in eastern Europe and Russia down to southern Africa.

The Fiscal, Southern White-crowned shrikes and Grey-headed bushshrike are common residents in Mashatu. Another migrant, the Lesser grey shrike has a full black facial mask with a grey crown and back. Its belly, chest and throat plumage are white. These shrikes hawk insects from a prominent perch. The Lesser grey shrike also migrates to southern Africa from its breeding grounds in southern Europe and western Asia.

The White-browed sparrow-weaver is a common resident. It has a distinctive white eyebrow, black cap and black malar stripe. This species is very talkative and seems to be constantly busy building its untidy nests on the west side of larger trees. Since breeding mainly occurs in the warmer months, it may be because easterly winds prevail during summer, thus the nests are more protected on the western side of the tree.

A male Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark. It has a distinctive chestnut coloured back and covert plumage. Its head is black and it has a white cheek and white stripe on its nape. These diminutive sparrow larks are found in the dry rocky areas of Mashatu. They are normally seen in small flocks.

A male Black-backed puffback shrike. This diminutive shrike is usually heard before it is seen. The male has a black crown and face mask and a bright red eye. The female differs in that it does not have a black face mask. This is a highly active shrike constantly moving around in the upper reaches of the tree canopy. The males puffout the loose white rump and lower back feathers in display.

The ubiquitous Lilac-breasted roller. A stunningly coloured roller which is common in Mashatu. It was usually seen hawking insects from a perch. In Mashatu during summer, we see very few European rollers and the odd Purple roller. By contrast, we saw many more European rollers further south in Zululand and very few Lilac-breasted roller in that region.

“We’ve moved from a small world on a big planet to a big world on a small planet.” ~ Johan Rockstrom

Another summer migrant, a Woodland kingfisher. Its trilling call can be heard in camp and along the Majale river. It is an insect eater with a vibrant turquoise blue back, wing and tail plumage.

A Barn swallow migrates to the southern Africa summer flying from across Eurasia. This annual migration has been recorded covering up to 11,660 km. The Barn swallow is distinguished by its brown forehead and throat and steel blue back and shoulder plumage and white breast with a steel blue collar.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” ~ Anonymous

A male Paradise whydah preening himself. Whydahs are distinguished from widow birds as the former has more colour on its body. Widow birds have all black plumage but for a flash of colour on their throat, rump or shoulders. The Paradise whydahs congregate in flocks and the females are parasitic breeders. The male Paradise whydah is all black except for a thick brown band across its chest to its shoulders and a yellow-buff coloured nape and belly.

A male Namaqua dove preening itself.

The bantam-like Crested francolin foraging in the underground. These francolin can be heard all over Mashatu and often gives away the presence of either a predator or snake.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau

The ever shy Kori bustard. This bird will always walk away from you in Mashatu and will not let you get close. Usually we see a single Kori but at times we are lucky enough to see the whole family which can comprise two adults and three juveniles. This is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore. Male Kori bustards can be more than twice the weight of a female and will try to breed with as many females as possible and consequently takes little or no part in the raising of the young.

We invariably see a Secretary bird striding around the southern section of Mashatu near the vlei. It strides through the grasslands searching for anything from small birds to rodents, and grasshoppers to chameleons. The Secretary bird is a large bird standing up to 1.3 metres in height and is instantly recognisable because of its eagle-like body on crane-like legs which give this raptor its height.

“The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin to setting fire to our lifeboat.” ~ Johan Rockstrom

The Secretary bird hunts and catches prey on the ground and is very nimble aided by its wings. Having caught its prey it usually stomps on its victim to kill it. Being a bird of prey it is carnivorous. The sexes resemble one another, although the male is larger and tends to have longer tail feathers, more black erectile crest plumes, a shorter head and more blue-grey upperparts and less extensive bare orange facial skin behind the eye.

One of my favourites, a Lanner falcon perched on top of a Shepherd tree scanning the surrounding area for potential prey which can include queleas, doves and sandgrouse. This falcon is larger than a Peregrine and usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit rather than a vertical dive. The Lanner has a brown crown and a buff coloured head with a black eye stripe and a black malar stripe. Its belly is buff coloured with brown blotches across its chest and belly. Watching this bird of prey hunt is a thrilling experience because of its sheer speed.

A beige morph Tawny eagle. This species of eagle has many colours from fawn to tawny, striped and even a dark morph.

Tawny Eagles are opportunistic hunters, meaning they will feed on just about anything they are able to catch or find. They will hunt mammals including hares and dikdiks, birds such as francolins, bustards, and even hornbills, and will also take reptiles, such as lizards,  fish, amphibians, and insects (including termites). They are not adverse to scavenging on a predator kill.

I was confused as to whether this was a dark morph Booted eagle or a juvenile African hawk-eagle. A lifelong birder, Terence Archibald, thankfully corrected me indicating it was a juvenile African hawk-eagle highlighting it strong beak, powerful talons, narrow stovepipe like leg feathers and spots on the wing coverts. This is an aggressive aerial hunter, targeting mainly birds up to the size of francolin and small-sized mammals. It will also prey on rodents and lizards when it can find them. This raptor prefers miombo and especially Mopane woodland in southern Africa.

A Brown snake-eagle with its distinctive brown plumage and vivid yellow eye. Snake-eagles have a distinctive angular shape to their head, with a crest of sorts on the back of its head and a small very hooked beak. We see many Brown Snake-eagles in Mashatu but no Black-chested snake-eagles or Western banded snake-eagles.

The Limpopo river is the southern boundary of Mashatu. There are numerous pairs of Fish-eagles along the Limpopo but every now and then one or a pair venture along the Majale river when it is drying out hoping to find stranded fish. A juvenile fish eagle can take between four and five years to develop its adult plumage.

The bird photography in Mashatu is highly productive. Patience and guidance is always required. The guides know where resident species stay and when unique species are in a particular area, which is particularly helpful.

There is a big difference in the diversity of species seen between summer and winter due to the influx of migrants in summer. Mashatu is known for its diversity of species and not necessary the quantity of a particular species. This is mainly because of the six different ecosystems in Mashatu which attract very different species.

“The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.” ~ Johannes Kepler

This post has shown is just a smattering of the diversity of avian species that you can see in Mashatu. In summer this dry part of Botswana transforms into the garden of Eden with its verdant greenery and carpets of yellow and pink flowers. Inevitably, the garden provides a wonderful background for bird and wild wild photography.

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” ~ Ansel Adams

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

Have fun, Mike

This is the last post from our six day sojourn at the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. Helen and I stayed for a longer than usual period hoping to see different behaviour that we had not seen during our previous one and two day visits.

We awoke on our last morning to heavily overcast weather with swirling mist. If there is one thing I have learnt over the years with wildlife photography, do not stay in bed when the weather is bad. We got up at 5h30 and picked up our allocated bucket of bones and then drove up to the vulture hide. It was deeply overcast, cool and wet with thick mist. The one thing you can never predict while driving up to the hide in heavily overcast weather with low visibility is when and the weather will break. It is very seldom once the summer temperatures warm up that the heavily overcast weather with thick mist persists.

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo

In wildlife photography you need the overcast weather to lift and the light to brighten just as there is wildlife action. You only need a couple of seconds. More is just a bonus.

We settled into the hide at around 6h30. The mist was so thick that we could not see the end of the terrace where most of the raptors usually landed. Priorities, a cup of coffee and a rusk first, second setting up my cameras and third strategically placing the bones. Then we waited. Initially, there were several White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings feeding on the bones. Eventually, the weather started to break around 10h30. It was interesting to note what the birds are doing, and what they are not doing, in front of the hide when the weather is poor. This all helps build an understanding of their behaviour which is so important in helping to know what to expect to capture that unique shot.

“If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm.” ~ Frank Lane

With the break in the weather there were patches of sunshine in an otherwise overcast vista. The Bearded vultures started to fly along the ridge at around 10h30.

We saw two Bearded vultures soaring at around 10h30. The young adult with the predominately white head and body plumage that we saw two days before and an older adult, over seven years in age, with a rust-orange stained neck and body plumage.

The young adult began flying closer past the hide and was having a good look at what was on the terrace in front of the hide.

Eventually, close to 11h00, the young adult turned and looked to be on “finals” and coming in to land at the far end of the terrace.

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

The young adult landed below the edge of the terrace and walked up onto the terrace. The heavily overcast weather cleared somewhat improving the illumination of the terrace. This vulture immediately marched over to the bones and started to collect a few and placed them next to each other.

The vulture’s hoarding behaviour did not go unnoticed by the White-necked ravens. One was bold enough to tug at the young adult Bearded vulture’s tail feathers. The vulture did not try to scare it away just turned around and fed on the bone facing the raven. This performance went on for a while before the raven gave up.

This young Bearded vulture was aware of all the White-necked ravens on the terrace and other Bearded vultures above the Bushman’s river valley and was frequently looking up and around.

As soon as another Bearded vulture appeared in the skies above the terrace this young adult began to duck down and squat next to the bones.

After the other Bearded vulture had flown past, the young adult stood up again to see where the former had flown.

The older Bearded vulture circled over the Bushman’s river valley and flew back towards the terrace. Again the younger adult crouched down hiding one or two of the bones. We had never seen this form of hiding behaviour before.

As the older adult got closer, the younger adult crouched even lower this time further hiding some of the bones under its breast.

The young adult realised it was going to have a visitor as the older adult flew close to the terrace and stood up with its red eye sclera clearly visible, signalling a potential threat.

The younger adult stood up to get a better look at what the other Bearded vulture was doing. The bright red scleral ring around its eye showed a threat display.

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.”~ Mary Catherine Bateson

Sure enough the older adult landed close to the younger adult. The younger adult had about half an hour to itself on the terrace before the second older Bearded vulture landed.

The older Bearded vulture stayed a few minutes and never tried to feed on any of the bones.

It was not apparent what the older Bearded vulture was doing and it soon took off.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” ~ Confucius

When an adult Bearded vulture is landing or taking off, it is a magnificent sight with its wings fully extended.

“Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.” ~ Ojibwe Prayer

The younger adult Bearded vulture swallowed six bones behind a large grass tuft so I could not get any reasonable images of it swallowing those bones. After another 15 minutes the younger vulture took off leaving the terrace open. Within 10 minutes the older Bearded vulture flew in to land at the far end of the terrace.

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realise how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” ~ Socrates

The older vulture walked up to where the younger adult had gathered some bones. The sclera eye ring was not bright red signalling it was relaxed.

It was only a few minutes later when a Cape vulture landed fairly close to the older Bearded vulture. The Cape vulture was after the meat and fat on the bones.

The older Bearded vulture immediately took off and flew closer to the Cape vulture in what looked to be an intimidating tactic.

The Cape vulture saw what was going on but did not seem to be too fazed.

“We are gifted with freedom, but with that freedom comes the reality of the unknown and the responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and on guard against those who would do us harm.” ~ Mike Crapo

The two species of threatened vultures remained close to each other with both constantly looking around.

For some inexplicable reason the older adult Bearded vulture stayed only a few minutes close to the Cape vulture before flying off.

The Cape and Bearded vultures are not direct competitors because the Bearded vultures are mainly after the bones and marrow.

Both the Cape and Bearded vultures are the subject of projects by the Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project to conserve the two species, both of which are threatened. The project researchers study the two species using satellite transmitters to observe their ranging behaviour. These projects also aim to dispel the myths associated with these birds and in the process reduce the threats they face from the farming communities in the region.

The behaviour of the Bearded vultures was fascinating. The younger one was clearly threatened by the older one. The Cape vulture seemed unconcerned by the close proximity of the older Bearded vulture.

The landings took place between 10h30 and 11h30 on our last morning. The weather opened up during that period and the level of light improved allowing me get some interesting images of the various vultures. It took six days and endless patience, and not being put off by the weather to get the images.

“What people call serendipity sometimes is just having your eyes open.” ~ Jose Manuel Barroso

By midday the clouds closed in again and the level of light fell. This gave the Black-backed jackals an opportunity to sneak up and steal some of the bones at the far end of the terrace.

The decline of vulture populations in southern Africa has been explained by decreased access to food due to changing farming practices, habitat loss due population growth and various sources of unnatural mortality such as poisonings, electrocutions and collisions.

“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity? ~ EO Wilson

Ongoing campaigning to reduce harmful anthropogenic effects such as the use of poisons and vulture-unfriendly utility structures have not reversed the decline in the vulture populations. The establishment of several vulture restaurants with their associated hides has slowed the population decline. In the case of the Maloti-Drakensberg region, the Giant’s Castle vulture hide plays a vital feeding role and has substantially increased the interest and awareness among nature lovers in these uniquely adapted raptors which play a vital role in the biodiversity of the region’s fauna.

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

Have fun, Mike

On day four, we were just over half way into our six day visit to the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. We had seen many fly-bys by the fledged juveniles and adult Bearded vultures. At times the fly-bys were far away in the middle of the Bushman’s river valley. At other times they were way above the hide and at other times the juveniles and adults flew close to the valley floor.

“… there’s a silent voice in the wilderness that we hear only when no one else is around. When you go far, far beyond, out across the netherlands of the Known, the din of human static slowly fades away, over and out.” ~ Rob Schultheis

There were many occasions when the juvenile and adult Bearded vultures flew very close and had a good look at what was the on the terrace in front of the hide. Not once during the first three days in the hide did we see a Bearded vulture land on the terrace or the rocks at the edge of the terrace in front of the hide, despite many good looks at the available food.

We had frequent visits from Jackal Buzzards where they landed and spent quite a while feeding on the meat on the bones that we had put out on the terrace. We also had fly-bys from a lone Yellow billed kite, a Lanner falcon and a Rock kestrel. The latter landed on the rocks close to the hide but never tried to feed on the meat, marrow and fat on the bones as they feed mainly on insects, small rodents and reptiles. We saw many lizards on the rocks and I am sure there must have been many rodents attracted by the meat and fat on the bones.

“Wildness is more a quality than a place, and though humans can’t manufacture it, they can nourish and husband it…” ~ Michael Pollan

At last, on our fourth morning after a landing by a Jackal Buzzard, we saw a young adult Bearded vulture flying in the Bushman’s river valley. It flew progressively closer and from just above the far edge of the feeding terrace in front of the hide this Bearded vulture looked to be approaching the terrace on “finals”. Helen was my spotter and she called the species, direction, and elevation. Helen called out “adult Bearded vulture at 2 O’ clock approaching from deep in the valley”. With great excitement we got ready for a possible landing. With their wings at full span this vulture is three times its body size. This is a critical estimate to prevent clipping its open wings in the image.

There were so many times that we thought a Bearded vulture was on “finals” to land, only to veer off and fly on by along the ridge. The thrill of watching this massive vulture coming in to land was huge. This was one of the sightings we were hoping for. The other was to see a mid-air courtship display but it was the wrong time of the year for that.

Little did we know, in our initial excitement, that this young adult Bearded vulture would stay at the far end of the terrace from the hide for about 45 minutes. Roberts Bird Guide has a Bearded vulture aging chart which shows the progression in head feather colours from black to white with age. Its body feathers change from a mottled brown, black and white to white, which over time, through dust bathing, becomes a strained rich rust-orange colour. This young adult Bearded vulture looked to be around six years old.

For a while this Bearded vulture walked around the far end of the terrace collecting bones. Some of the bones had a small amount of meat and fat on them.

Bearded vultures are uniquely specialised to live on a diet of bones and bone marrow. This Bearded vulture picked up a large bone with its beak, tilted its head back and began to progressively swallow this huge bone. Its esophagus is highly elastic and the walls of the esophagus are thicker than those of other vultures, which prevent potential internal injury from bones with jagged edges. (Source: Bone Dropping Bearded Vulture, Reed College, Biology 342 Fall 2012 by Ivy Hellickson).

“Much of human behaviour can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.” ~ Suzy Kassem

Bearded vultures are known to be able to swallow bones as long as 25cm. This vulture lacks a large crop but has an unusually large stomach and intestine. Its stomach acid has a ph of less than one. This high degree of acidity enables this species to break down large chunks of bone within 24 hours.

If the bone is too large to swallow, Bearded vultures pick up the large bone either with their beak or talons and fly above large open flat rocks called ossuaries then drop the bone from a height of up to 60 metres. The drop usually shatters the bones into smaller pieces which enables them to swallowable size. The long strong tongue enables this vulture to access the hollow centre of the bone to extract the nutritious marrow. The Bearded vulture diet comprises between 85% and 90% bones.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

The vulture hide was built with a view to feeding the Bearded vultures with bones under controlled conditions. The increased population pressure and changing rural farming practices have reduced wildlife and stock mortalities and so shrunk the size of this vulture’s feeding ground. The bones provided by Giant’s Castle staff as part of the hide booking provide the necessary supplementary food which is poison and pharmaceutical free

We watched this adult Bearded vulture swallow two large bones before taking off from the far end of the terrace. The next image shows the huge bulge in its chest due to the bones.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

This vulture is not a carrion eater like other vultures but is capable cutting through ligaments and removing bones from a carcass with its large strong beak with a sharp tip. It was such a privilege to watch this species swallowing bones.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Vulture Conservation Foundation research showed a 27% reduction in breeding range and 20% reduction in breeding densities between the first study period (1960 to 1999) and the second study period (2000 to 2020). The adult vultures prefer open grasslands and avoid forested areas and built up rural and urban areas. In southern Africa, much of the breeding range reduction had taken place away from the eastern Cape and Lesotho resulting in an isolated population concentrated in the Drakensberg-Maluti mountains.

Projectvulture.org.za estimates that only about 350 individual Bearded vultures and 100 breeding pairs remain in southern Africa and are now considered critically endangered. The global Bearded vulture population has been classified in the IUCN Red List as near threatened since 2014. Today, the Bearded vulture lives and breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, southern Africa, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Tibet, and the Caucasus.

The Bearded vulture is a magnificent raptor because of its size, plumage and unique physiology. This species’ role in ensuring biodiversity is unique and necessary and so has a special place in the conservation efforts.

“Most people are on the world, not in it — have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them — undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” ~ John Muir

It was interesting to visit the hide outside the breeding season where we saw more landings than during breeding season (June to August). In the last post from our six day experience in the Bearded vulture hide, I show some unusual behaviour by Bearded vultures that we have never seen before.

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

Have fun, Mike

The main attraction of the Bearded vulture hide in Giant’s Castle Reserve is the sightings of rare raptors such as the Bearded and Cape vultures. These vultures are not around the hide all the time. While waiting for the vultures to appear above the Bushman’s river valley there was plenty of wildlife activity in front of the hide to keep Helen and I occupied.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching.” ~ Gerard Way

This post shows a selection of the wildlife that we saw in front of the hide when the vultures were elsewhere. The Orange-throated or Cape longclaw was a regular visitor. It has brown and cryptic upperparts. Its underparts are striking with its throat which is a deep orange colour which is bordered by a broad black necklace, and its belly is yellow with buff flanks. It has white-tipped tail feathers that make the tail distinctive in flight. Similar to a pipit, this species has a long hind claw.

It is summer in the southern hemisphere in January so it was light when driving up to the hide at 6h00. This was the first time we had seen a Secretary bird on the plateau leading up to the hide. This Secretary bird took no notice of us and continued to stride across the plateau looking for snakes, small mammals and birds, and reptiles and various invertebrates, such as insects, scorpions, and millipedes.

Another bird not seen at the hide but while driving up to the hide was an adult Southern Bald-headed ibis. The Southern Bald Ibis is endemic to a restricted region in South Africa with its main range lying in the north-eastern Free State, Mpumalanga and the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg. The distinguishing feature of an adult Southern Bald Ibis is its crown which is naked, bright red and domed. This species of ibis prefers grasslands in high rainfall and high-altitude areas. This species is classified “Vulnerable” by IUCN with an estimated population of 6 592 individuals which is in a declining trend according to the Southern Bald Ibis Species Champion Project of BirdLife South Africa.

“I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence – that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light.” ~ Lynn Thomson

You know when you are getting close to the hide because you can see the White-necked ravens sitting on the rocks near the hide and many Red-winged starlings waiting in the trees next to the hide. This pair of Red-winged starlings had been enjoying the fat and marrow offered by the bones.

One of the advantages of visiting the hide in summer is that the smaller birds have moulted into their breeding plumage. The Yellow bishop is also known as the Cape bishop, Cape widow or Yellow-rumped widow. Its breeding plumage is black with a bright yellow lower back, rump and shoulder patches. This bishop is a seed eater and was attracted by the grass on the terrace in front of the hide which was relatively long with plenty of seed.

“The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them.”~ Julie Zickefoose

This trip was the first time we had seen Black crows in front of the hide. Black crows are also known as Cape crows. Their plumage is completely black with a slight gloss of purple in the feathers. The Black crow has a sharp narrow beak which is differently shaped to the White-necked raven and so feeds differently. In front of the hide it pecked at the marrow in the bones. It normally eats seeds and fruit but will also feed on reptiles and invertebrates, small birds and their eggs. These crows are known to be highly intelligent.

The Greater striped swallows were challenging to photograph because they fly fast and do not have a constant flight path and are highly agile in flight. Fortunately, they flew past the hide regularly so gave me plenty of practice.

Several pairs of Greater striped swallows flew around the hide each day for most of the day. We assumed there must have be plenty of flying insects for them to feed on. The insects could have been attracted by the meat and fat on the bones and also borne up onto the terrace from the updraft from the Bushman’s river valley below.

A male Speckled pigeon. This pigeon is a seed eater and was not visiting the terrace in front of the hide for the bones but for the plentiful seed on the long grass in front of the hide. The Speckled Pigeon has strong, fast flight. We normally did not see these pigeons arriving until the last moment as they flew up from below the ridge.

A female Cape Rock thrush. There was only one pair around the hide. They were there mainly for the fat and marrow in the bones. The female is differentiated from other rock-thrushes by her shape and rich buff underparts broken only by a small white patch on the centre of the throat. This female’s underparts were mottled and not a uniform rich buff indicating she was a young female.

“Creative expression, whether that means writing, dancing, bird-watching, or cooking, can give a person almost everything that he or she has been searching for: enlivenment, peace, meaning, and the incalculable wealth of time spent quietly in beauty.” ~ Anne Lamott

A male Cape rock thrush. This species is larger than the other species of rock thrushes and has darker uniform grey-blue breeding plumage on his head and neck. His underparts and outer tail feathers are a rust-orange, and his wings and back are brown. This pair of rock thrushes were feeding on the fat and marrow on the bones but had to regularly submit to the larger Red-winged starlings and White-necked ravens.

A Streak-headed canary. This small seedeater only visited the area in front of the hide once. I have never seen this species of canary before or since around the hide. This little seed-eater was not there for the marrow but the seeds on the long grass in front of the hide.

An African pipit visited once and foraged for insects mainly on the rocks. This is a slender bird with an erect stance. It has dark brown upperparts with buffy-brown leading edges to its primary wing feathers and coverts. The underparts are white or pale buff with a streaked breast and plain belly and flanks. The face is boldly patterned with a pale stripe over the eye and a dark malar stripe. The legs are long and pinkish and the slender beak is dark with a yellow/pinkish lower mandible.

A Familiar chat was very busy trying to get at the bone marrow while avoiding the larger birds. This chat was the smallest bird competing for the bone marrow in front of the hide. It was, and needed to be, the artful dodger.

A male Malachite sunbird stayed briefly in the trees just below the edge of the terrace. This male was adorned with his breeding plumage which is a iridescent copper green colour with dark green primary wing and tail feathers. Its central tail feathers are around 25 cm in length.

We did not see the female Malachite sunbird which has much duller plumage with brown upperparts and a light yellow coloured throat, chest and belly with malachite green flecks. She has shorter central tail feathers around 15 cm in length. The male spent some time in the coral tree below the hide and seemed to be looking for nectar.

A Black-backed jackal. One or two members of the jackal family appeared through the day to steal bones that still had meat and fat on them. The jackal family must have lived in the rock shelves further along the ridge. The jackals certainly claimed their fair share of the bones despite being very skittish.

There is a fascinating variety of wildlife activity on the terrace in front of the hide. The weather affects the dynamics of the activity. In summer the weather in this part of the Drakensberg can be highly variable. It might be heavily overcast and raining at 5h30 but a break in the clouds later in the morning can produce beautiful light. The clouds do provide dramatic backgrounds and the mist adds mood to the backgrounds.

We spent six days in the hide in an attempt to better understand the avian behaviour in front and around the hide. Each day the weather was different and birds that appeared differed. There were the perennials such as White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings but different seedeaters, insectivores and even nectarivores appeared.

The longer time in the hide took off the pressure from expectations and gave repeated opportunities to practice my bird in flight photography.

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

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

Have fun, Mike

The Bearded vulture hide in Giant’s Castle National Park is sited on the eastern section of a terrace on the edge of a plateau which falls away into the Bushman’s River valley some 700 metres below. The hide is a perfectly positioned to observe and photograph a variety of birds in their natural environment.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough

In this post I show a selection of birds which flew past and around the hide. The main attraction for most of the birds was the bones that we put out on the terrace. The bones were placed to attract raptors but many other birds, mostly insectivores, sought the fat on, and marrow in, the bones.

Several pairs of Greater striped swallows flew around the hide each day. We assumed they were hawking insects attracted by the meat and fat on the bones. Insects must also have been swept up along the ridge by the updraft from the Bushman’s River valley.

The bones were dominated for most of the day by the White-necked ravens and the Red-winged starlings. These two species competed with the larger ravens frequently pushing the starlings off the bones, but the ravens could not protect every bone. Every time the ravens bullied their way onto the bones the starlings would fly up and move to the next closest unoccupied bone.

“Birds chirping around you is a beautiful realisation that life is incredibly good. Let this sound be a gentle break in your routine.” ~ Hiral Nagda

The White-necked ravens ruled the bones when the major raptors were not present. They fed on the meat and fat on the bones during the morning but once the wind strengthened in the afternoons the ravens preferred to folick in the wind and updrafts.

White-necked ravens were very playful in the afternoon winds. They sparred with each other mid air and liked to dive bomb each other. They are wonderfully skilled fliers.

“Don’t just fly – soar!” ~ Kelly Markey

White-necked ravens were surprisingly strong and often flew off with large bones to feed in peace.

For about an hour one morning we were visited by a lone Yellow-billed kite. Kites are also very accomplished fliers who relish the updrafts and strong winds. While Yellow-billed Kites feed mainly on mice and rats, they will eat almost anything they can scavenge.

On occasions this lone Yellow-billed kite flew straight at the hide providing some wonderful photographic opportunities. Its forked tail was doing most of the lateral control. You can differentiate the Yellow-billed from the Black kite as the latter as a black tip to its beak, otherwise they look very similar.

Each day we saw Jackal buzzards fly in to feed on the meat, fat and marrow on the bones. On one occasion we saw this fledged juvenile Jackal buzzard fly by, but it did not land. It was much more skittish than its parents.

The adult Jackal buzzards were quite habituated to the hide and as soon as they knew there was food on the terrace they would fly in. The Jackal buzzard adults always flew to the outermost point of the terrace and had a good look at the activity around the hide. Once satisfied that it was was safe they would fly closer to feed on the meat on the bones.

“I look in wonder at a raptor with wings fully extended. The span always surprises me and slotted wingtips look like fingers playing with the wind.” ~ Mike Haworth

Besides the Bearded vultures, Jackal buzzards were the other main raptor to visit the terrace in front of the hide. There was a pair that visited the hide daily, usually arriving singly. They were not intimidated by all the ravens and often attempted, and succeeded, in flying off with a bone to feed away from all the competition.

By mid-morning the temperatures had risen and the updrafts had developed enabling the Bearded vultures to start their daily “fly-bys”. Some “fly-bys” were very close and other some distance away in the centre of the valley. A mature Bearded vulture has white to rust strained head and neck feathers. This Bearded vulture flying above the Bushman’s river valley had relatively white head feathers signalling that it was not an old adult whose head would have been more oxide stained rust-brown in colour.

“Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly.” ~ John Lennon

A fledged juvenile Bearded vulture had a good look at the bones on the terrace in front of the hide while flying by. Its black neck and head feathers showed that it was about two to three years old. The colour of the head feathers changes and turns whiter as it matures. Its body plumage also changes progressively from a pattern of black, brown and white blotches to rust-brown and white plumage.

Often the Bearded vultures would fly very close to the ridge and the hide. When doing so they had a good look at what is inside the hide.

Over the six days we were in the vulture hide, a single Cape vulture visited on two occasions. It invariably approached from high up in the Drakensberg mountains. The Cape vulture tucks its neck in when flying to retain longitudinal flight balance much like herons.

It was alway a thrill to see this impressive vulture coming in to land. Their final approach took them to the furthest point of the terrace. This vulture was not intimidated by one or two ravens but was not comfortable with a gang.

On occasions we saw four Bearded vultures flying above the Bushman’s river valley. Each vulture flew singly and they seldom flew in pairs and never in a group.

There was plenty of activity on the terrace around the bones and plenty of “fly-by” activity from the ravens, starlings and raptors. The frequent “fly-bys” gave me many opportunities to practice my “bird in flight” photography. The sun rises from the east which was behind the hide so by 7h30 it had begun to illuminate the terrace. The direction of the light was perfect in the mornings when photographing birds flying past the hide.

“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” ~  E. O. Wilson

The afternoon light became more problematic at it progressively fell behind the birds so timing and position of the subject became more important. Raptors are larger so shooting needed relatively lower shutters speeds(1/4000sec) but the smaller ravens and starlings required high shutter speeds (1/6400sec and higher) to freeze their wing movement. I tried to keep my shutter speeds as high as possible to try and capture the sudden surprise interactions. The ravens and starlings were active around the hide all the time but the raptors seldom gave any signal they were flying by or flying in so we had to remain alert all the time. On rare occasions we heard a Jackal buzzard calling in the Bushman’s river valley before in approach the terrace.

“Wild animals, like wild places, are invaluable to us precisely because they are not us. They are uncompromisingly different. The paths they follow, the impulses that guide them, are of other orders. The seal’s holding gaze, before it flukes to push another tunnel through the sea, the hare’s run, the hawk’s high gyres : such things are wild. Seeing them, you are made briefly aware of a world at work around and beside our own, a world operating in patterns and purposes that you do not share. These are creatures, you realise that live by voices inaudible to you.”
~ Robert Macfarlane

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

Have fun, Mike

Helen and I visited Giant’s Castle Reserve in late January this year. Apart from wonderful scenery and walks, the big attraction in Giant’s Castle Reserve is its Bearded vulture hide. We usually visit the vulture hide in winter when the Bearded vultures are breeding. This time we were interested to see how things change around the vulture hide in mid-summer, in terms of the variety of birds, breeding plumage and behaviour.

The obvious first change was the weather. It was mixed with mist, rain, overcast skies and patches of bright sunshine. At times, it was warm and other times as cold as it had been in winter. The vulture hide has been built on the edge of a terrace on a ridge on the south side of the Bushman’s river valley. In winter, the grass on the terrace is short, dry and yellow/brown which enables cleaner photography, without grass stems in the way. In summer the grass is long, green and verdant which makes photographing small birds tricker.

“Don’t let the weather dictate your photographic mood. Get up early regardless of the weather. The clouds can improve backgrounds. The light before or just after a storm can be unique. That break in the mist or storm clouds can be just long enough to create opportunities you never imagined.” ~ Mike Haworth

On the terrace in front of the vulture’s hide there are many exposed rocks. These rocks provide a clean foreground and the ideal opportunity to photograph small birds such as the Yellow-rumped widow bird and Familiar chat.

The vulture hide is booked for exclusive use each day. The Giant’s Castle staff provided us with a bucket of cut bones each day. We placed these bones strategically with the intention of trying to see the best flying and feeding behaviour. The cut bones have exposed marrow and plenty of meat and fat on them. It is amazing to see how many of the insect eaters, raptors and ravens favour the marrow and fat. The Red-winged starlings and White-necked ravens are particularly fond of the fat and marrow, and greedily feed on the bones. The Familiar chats and Cape Rock thrushes are similarly drawn to the marrow and fat.

The male Cape Rock thrush has a uniform blue-grey plumage on his head and neck. His underparts are a rust-orange and his back is brown. These Rock thrushes are normally seen in pairs and the female has a speckled brown, white and orange colouring on her head and neck. She has a white patch on her throat and her underparts are a rust-orange speckled with buff and dark brown. These Cape Rock thrushes love the marrow and the fat on the bones.

We saw many pairs of Greater striped swallows flying in front of the hide. They seemed to enjoy flying in the updraft which flowed up the ridge from the valley floor and over the terrace. The so-called “greater striped” refers to the size of the swallow not the size of the stripes.

“The hide gives you, the photographer, a chance to get closer to a variety of birds. You will better understand the bird behavior, and there will be many opportunities for capturing images of birds in flight.” ~ Mike Haworth

The two species that dominate the terrace and bones in front of the hide are White-necked ravens and Red-winged starlings. The White-necked ravens bully the smaller birds off the bones and help themselves to whatever they like. These bullies feed mainly in the morning and seem to really enjoying frolicking in the wind and updrafts which strengthen in the afternoon.

Once the bones have been put out in front of the hide you have no control over who gets to feed on them. There seems to be a family of Black-backed jackals that live further along the ridge in a rocky section where I think there must be some caves which provide shelter from some of the colder and wetter weather. One of the sub-adult pups must have seen the ravens and figured out that breakfast must have been served. All the jackals are very wary of the hide and are spooked by any movement or noise in the hide.

There is always great excitement when the raptors arrive. A pair of Jackal buzzards are daily visitors. They normally arrive individually and approach from the far end of the terrace. We have to remain alert all the time because there is usually no warning before they arrive. They suddenly appear over the crest of the terrace without a sound.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching.” ~ Gerard Way

As with most birds, they initially fly in to a safe place and assess the situation to see if it is safe to feed. Once they are satisfied that all is well they fly in to feed.

The female Jackal buzzard is larger than the male and has a black neck with a whitish collar, whereas the female has a black neck and no white collar. Both sexes have rufous coloured tail feathers with a black bar at the trailing end. Both sexes have striking black, white and rufous coloured plumage.

We decided to spend a longer time in the hide on this trip. Normally we book the hide for two or three days. This time we booked for six days to see how things changed over a longer period. The longer period takes a lot of pressure out of the expectation of having to see certain raptors and other birds in a limited time period. It also removes concern about the weather and quality of light.

“Expectation has brought me disappointment. Disappointment has brought me wisdom. Acceptance, gratitude and appreciation have brought me joy and fulfilment.” ~  Rasheed Ogunlaru

Activity around the hide is affected by the weather. The large birds seem less affected but the smaller seed eaters, thrushes and chats are less active in cold windy, rainy conditions.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu Game Reserve is located in the south-eastern corner of Botswana. There is a great variety of wildlife, both mammals and birds, in the several different ecosystems. In this post, I show a few images of the main mammal predators which I have seen prowling around Mashatu.

“It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed.” ~ Art Wolfe

The main seasonal river coursing through Mashatu is the Majale river which flows into the Limpopo river. Along the Majale river the vegetation is verdant throughout the year with massive Mashatu (also known as Nyala berry) trees, Leadwoods, Apple leaf trees and groves of crotons. This is an ideal environment for leopards. When it is dry the game must come down to the Majale to drink for the remaining pools of water. There is also plenty of shade and large trees where the leopards are unlikely to be disturbed, unless a troop of baboons find them.

A young Spotted hyaena managed to steal the leg bone of an eland which it was taking back to its den. Hyaenas are able to crunch through these large bones to get at the marrow.

In a previous post, I showed images of a cheetah mother and her five sub-adult cubs and their interaction with a leopard. All the cubs were almost old enough to leave the family group. The cheetah mother and the sub-adult cubs were hunting effectively as a six member cheetah team. The next image shows one of the sub-adult cheetahs in the dried out vlei area where the six cheetah were stalking their way towards a herd of eland.

” Being privy to a hunt is like being let into one of nature’s secrets.” ~ Mike Haworth

With minimal cover, I was surprised to see how close the six cheetahs were able to approach the eland herd. The eland may have been more confident because there was a family herd of elephants foraging close by in the vlei. After watching the cheetahs stalking the eland for about half an hour they eventually gave up as there were no young eland small enough to take on.

On another occasion we were driving along the south side of the Majale river when we came across this female leopard lying in the shade under a Shepherd tree. It was around 9h00 so the sun was high enough and hot enough for the wildlife to be already seeking shade.

This leopardess was in a good position to look out for Impala and Steenbok which feed along the fringes of the verdant vegetation lining the banks of the Majale river. She looked like she had a busy previous night and was comfortably lying under the Shepherd tree. She looked unlikely to move unless baboons chased her or she saw prey wandering past. After watching her for a few minutes we left her in peace.

On the same day but in the late afternoon we found another leopard lying in the shade of a steep embankment along the Majale river. In Mashatu, we often found leopards lying on the ground in the early morning or late afternoon. At midday when the sun was at its highest and hottest, the leopard would invariably climb up into the one the large trees lining the Majale river to rest in peace in the shade.

“Predators have a restful peace about them when they are not hunting. In their restful state they are fully alert to all the sounds and smells around them. A form of meditation, restful but present.” ~ Mike Haworth

You can see that this female leopard was very comfortable in her lying position but she was awake and alert to all around her. She needed to be alert because lions and hyaenas would start their nightly patrol after the sun had set and she would need to be more careful when on the ground.

“The mind I love must have wild places.” ~ Katherine Mansfield

The cheetah family of six were lying under a Shepherd tree which was on an elevated ridge so they could see any potential prey if it wandered into their line of sight.

A portrait of the adult female cheetah lying in the shade of the Shepherd tree. The ridge they were lying on enabled us to photograph her at eye level.

On our last afternoon of our six night stay in Mashatu, we found one of the two prides of lion lying in the shade of several large Apple Leaf tees. The pride comprised two females and four cubs of around five months old. The females had killed a female eland so these lions had fed well. With bellies full they were very sleepy in the shade.

“True solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. One’s inner voices become audible… In consequence, one responds more clearly to other lives.” ~ Wendell Berry

One of the four cubs lying in the shade after a good meal.

Another leopard lying in the shade on the horizontal bough of a large Apple leaf tree. She had a good vantage point and was able to scan a long section of the Majale river.

A lone male cheetah had brought down a male impala in the late afternoon. The shadows were lengthening so he was lying in the open next to the Shepherd tree with the carcass he had dragged under the tree. He had partially fed on the hind quarters of the impala and was likely to keep feeding for as long as he could, before the vultures spotted the carcass.

A close up of this male cheetah with his prey in the background. We watched him for about fifteen minutes then left him in peace. Hopefully he got the opportunity to eat most of his meal without interruption from hyaenas, jackals or vultures.

On a separate occasion, we found the two lionesses and their four cubs. It was family time with the cubs and females very relaxed in the late morning shade. One cub was very affectionate towards its mother and received a good grooming in response.

The young are always inquisitive. This lion cub was no exception, it walked toward our game vehicle for a closer look and lay down and just watched us. It was a very peaceful scene where the cubs did not pester their mothers for milk. Lion cubs only drink milk for around the first 10 weeks, then the weaning process is usually complete when the lion cubs are 10 months old.

Leopards are found all along the Majale river whereas the lionesses tend to operate in the southern section of Mashatu where there is plenty of game and thick reed beds to hide their cubs when the lionesses go hunting. The male lions patrol their territory so can be found anywhere in Mashatu. The hyaenas den all over Mashatu with their most recent den being in the rock outcrop next to Rock Camp, close to the Limpopo river. The cheetahs are the most nomadic of all the cats.

‘We need wild places. They give us perspective. We realise that there is much going on around us other than ourselves. There is something refreshing about the deep whispers and quiet communication with nature.” ~ Mike Haworth

There is a wonderful variety of wildlife in Mashatu. The leopards are particularly plentiful along the Majale river. I once saw six different leopards in one day along the Majale river.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu Game Reserve is located in south eastern Botswana. It is a dry part of Botswana where the rains usually only fall between November and April each year. In September, it is early spring in Mashatu and is very dry.

I am fortunate to be part of a syndicate which operates Rock Camp, a bush camp, located along the Limpopo river in Mashatu close to the Pont Drift border post. The camp has a water hole in front of it which attracts a variety of animals during the winter and spring months. The camp also has several stone bird baths which are filled daily and attract birds during the dry period. The stone bird baths are concave and have been shaped by rural women manually grinding maize in food preparation over many years. Many of the birds shown in this post were photographed at the camp’s bird baths. Others did not seem to require water as regularly.

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~ Robert Lynd

A Yellow-bellied bulbul or Greenbul. It can be identified by its olive-green upperparts and yellow underparts. It has a red eyes and clear white eyelids. I have only ever seen Greenbuls in Mashatu.

Another unusual visitor was this Terrestrial Bulbul or Brownbul. This bird has the GISS ( General Shape and Size) of a bulbul. It has dull light brown upperparts and whitish throat and underparts and it has a dark red eye. This insect eater prefers thickly vegetated habitats such as the croton groves along the Limpopo river.

An Ashy flycatcher with grey upperparts and white underparts. Its wing feathers and tail have a brownish tinge to them. This dainty little flycatcher prefers the riverine forests and broad leafed woodlands. It hawks insects from same perch which helps photographers.

A Grey-headed bushshrike taking a few deep drinks of water in the midday heat. You will invariably hear this bushshrike’s long piping call well before you see it. Its colours are vivid with a grey-head and a bright yellow eye. It has an olive green back and tail feathers. Its throat and belly are a bright yellow and its breast is orange.

A Tropical boubou slating its thirst on a warm day in Mashatu. The Tropical boubou distribution overlaps the Southern boubou in the south eastern section of Botswana. The Tropical boubou differs from its Southern cousin as it has a almost white underparts with a slight pinkish tinge where as its Southern cousin has a deeper cinnamon-orange wash on its belly and vent.

A White-crested helmet-shrike. This pied coloured shrike has black upperparts and white underparts. It has a white forecrown and the rest of the crown is grey. It has a black stripe on its cheeks and a striking bright yellow eye wattle. This species is noisy and normally flies in groups of between six and 12 birds.

“Listen to silence. It has much to say.” ~ Rumi

When driving along the dry river beds in the game vehicle we often find White-fronted bee-eaters which are resident in Mashatu. They hawk insects from either a branch jutting of the riverbank or from a protruding rock in the dry river bed. They seem to call to each other continuously. They have to regurgitate the exoskeleton of many of the insects they catch which is what this character is about to do.

A special treat, a yellow-morph Crimson-breasted shrike. We found it in the dry thorn veld along a drainage line in Mashatu. We were privileged to have extensive sightings of this unusual morph on two separate days.

A Crimson-breasted shrike singing away to its mate a few trees away next to the Appleleaf grove alongside the vlei in Mashatu. The crimson plumes on its underparts is one of the most vivid colours in the bush. This shrike is resident in Mashatu. It is unusual to have this shrike perched out in the open as they are usually very active moving in and through thorn bushes.

Similar to the White-fronted bee-eater, this Lilac-breasted roller was agitated by an intruder in its territory. This roller hawks insects from a perch but does not always return to the same perch. It also has to regurgitate the exoskeleton of the insects it feeds on.

A Sabota lark singing away from a dead branch in a prominent position. All larks have the distinctive white eyebrow but this species has a white throat with uneven streaks, and dark brown streaks on its chest. The Sabota lark is resident in Mashatu and its preferred habitat is Mopane woodland with sparse grass cover.

This was the first time I had seen a Great sparrow. It is the one and only individual that I have ever seen. It came down to the bird bath, had a deep drink of water and left never to be seen again. We see many Southern grey-headed sparrows which come down to drink at the birdbath every 45 minutes in the heat of the day.

” As a photographer you focus on your subject, time the interaction, take notice of your background, recognise the direction and quality of the light which is about seeing the whole rather than just the subject.” ~ Mike Haworth

Also regular visitors to the bird bath during the heat of the day are Blue waxbills. It is unusual to find power blue colours in the bush. Being very small they usually have to give way to the larger birds. These waxbills have powder blue plumes on their face, neck, chest, and flanks. Their belly is white and their upperparts are a light brown colour. The shape of the beak indicates that these diminutive birds are seed eaters.

A male Red-billed firefinch. This species is a frequent daily visitor to the camp’s birdbath. This firefinch has red underparts with white spots on its flanks. Its upper parts are a brownish red and it has a red rump. A key factor distinguishing this firefinch from the Jameson’s firefinch is its red beak. The shape of its beak shows it is a seed eater.

A male Jameson’s firefinch drinking from the camp’s birdbath in the middle of the day. Note this firefinch has a black to steel-grey beak. The underparts are more rose pink than red.

A Tawny-flanked prinia waiting for the traffic around the bird bath to clear. This is a slender, unstreaked warbler (prinias are sometimes called long-tailed warblers) which has a long graduated tail and has light brown upper parts and pale beige underparts. This prinia has a distinctive light coloured eyebrow. This small bird likes to forage in riverine scrub and thickets which are found along the Limpopo. The prinia’s beak is typical of an insectivore being thin and slightly curved.

A Red-billed buffalo-weaver. This is a large black plumed weaver with a vivid red beak. It has white streaks on its shoulders and flanks.

A family of Natal spurfowls came to drink when the bird bath was clear. These spurfowls will not come to the bird bath to drink if there is chatter and movement on the lodge’s patio near the bird bath. In the foreground are two juvenile Natal spurfowls with their mother at the back. Female spurfowls do grow spurs but they are smaller than those on the male legs. The juveniles had not yet started to develop spurs.

” Be quiet and be patient, you will begin to see subtleties, notice more and start to recognise the interconnectedness.” ~ Mike Haworth

The Brown-hooded kingfisher is a resident around the camp in the winter and autumn months. It seems to get pushed out by the Woodland kingfishers when they arrive in late spring. The Brown-hooded kingfisher is one of the five southern African kingfishers which do not hunt fish, but insects instead. The Striped Kingfisher can be confused with the Brown-hooded Kingfisher but the striped is the smaller of the two and has well defined stripes on its crown, a black eyestripe and its beak is two coloured with the maxilla being dark brown and the lower mandible being red. The Brown-hooded kingfisher has a red maxilla and mandible and no black eye band.

A Burchell’s coucal in an unusual position. It has creamy-white underparts, a black head, a ruby red eye and a black beak. It looks similar to a Senegal coucal but it has finely barred upper tail coverts which can be seen backlit.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~ Mohandas Gandhi

A female Red-crested korhaan. These korhaans are shy and will immediately start walking away from you as soon as they see you. The female has light brown upperparts with distinctive white V marks. It has a white breast and black belly plumes. The female does not have the red crest which the male uses during mating displays.

The birds I have shown were mostly seen around the bird bath in camp. The migrants had not yet arrived and when they do arrive they significantly multiply the numbers and species of bird that can bee seen. The several different ecosystems in Mashatu facilitate the diversity of birds resident in the south eastern part of Botswana.

“In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves.” ~ Rumi

A bird bath in a bush camp is likely to attract many different types of birds especially in the drier times where water is hard to find. Many of the birds are skittish and not used any close proximity to human activity. I have found the best time to photograph birds around the camp bird baths is after everyone has had brunch and they retire to their rooms for a siesta. When it is quiet in camp it is remarkable how many birds arrive at the bird bath. Some are regular daily visitors and come down to drink every hour or so, such as the waxbills, sparrows, weavers and starlings. Others visit occasionally.

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

Have fun, Mike

September in Mashatu is early spring but the rains have not fallen for the past five months so it is very dry, especially away from the main rivers. At this time of the year we get out of camp at 6h00 every morning because sunrise is a few minutes before 6h00.

“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.” ~ Aristotle

This particular morning, our guide Justice, decided to drive along the M1 past the airfield. The M1, as it is affectionately known, is the main gravel road from the Pontdrift border post to Mashatu main and tented camps. We had been driving for about half an hour when Justice received a message over the radio that there were five cheetahs about 100 metres off the M1 opposite the airfield.

“Wake up early every day so that while others are still dreaming, you can make your dreams come true.” ~ Hal Elrod

After a short search we found the five cheetahs scattered about thirty metres apart lying down in the shade of various acacia and shepherd trees. The cheetah in the image below was playing with dried out ball of elephant dung. All cheetahs, even when they are a few months old, have black tear markings from under their eyes running either side of the nose down to the mouth. These black tear markings are thought to reduce the sun’s glare and improve focus on the targeted prey when moving at speed.

The five cheetahs comprised a cheetah mother and her four almost fully grown male cubs. The flick of the tail showed that the tail is flat from about 200mm from the body. The tail is flattened on a vertical axis and acts as a rudder when the cheetah is moving at high speed.

The terrain was very dry which helped the photography and also helped the cheetahs see further under the trees. You will notice that cheetahs do not all lie in the same direction. This is so they can see an incoming threat or prey from any direction.

We watched the cheetahs resting in the shade for about fifteen minutes when all of sudden all five cheetahs got up very quickly and rushed off together.

One of the cheetahs saw a leopard walking some distance away. Usually a cheetah would not take on a leopard which is much stronger and more aggressive. The leopard saw the incoming cheetahs in time and bolted.

The leopard decided not to take on the five cheetahs and climbed up a small shepherd’s tree. The cheetah were highly excited chirping constantly and moved to within 20 meters of the leopard in the shepherd tree. Cheetahs are able to climb inclined trees or trees with little vegetation but their climbing ability is restricted by their non-retractable claws. They climb the trees to be able to see further across the plains. These cheetahs could not have climbed the dense shepherd tree to get at the leopard.

The stand-off lasted a few minutes after which two of the cheetahs lost interest and started to move away. That was the cue for the leopard to get out of the shepherd tree and make a dash for it. The movement immediately triggered a reaction of all the cheetahs and they chased after the leopard. Realistically, not even five cheetahs would take on the leopard in a fight but the leopard was taking no chances and when the cheetahs were closing in, it scaled up a heavily thorned acacia tree. I looked at the size of the thorns in that acacia and the leopard must have been severely pricked by all the thorns.

“Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” ~ Jamais Cascio

Eventually, it became clear to the cheetahs that the leopard was not going to come down from the acacia while they were around so they lost interest and moved off.

All the excitement caught the attention of a lone Spotted hyaena which came over to investigate. When the hyaena arrived on the scene all it found were five cheetahs lying the the shade so it moved off too.

The cheetahs lay in the shade for some time. They had moved quite a distance from the treed leopard and the hyaena disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

After a period one cheetah rose and started to move off with its eyes fixed on something in the distance. The other four watched the lone cheetah walking off with intent.

The other cheetahs quickly picked up on the targeted prey which was an impala. The cheetahs must have run half a kilometre before eventually catching their prey. The take down was too far away for the hyaena to have seen what had happened. The hyaena would have tried to steal the carcass if it had seen what had happened. Immediately after the chase the cheetahs needed to catch their breath and rest due to the buildup of lactic acid in their muscles.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford

For a long time wildlife guides indicated that cheetahs overheat in a hunt and need to cool down before eating their prey. In an article published by the Royal Society, researchers Robyn Hetem et al, studied cheetah hunts at the Tusk Trust Cheetah Rehabilitation Camp within the Okonjima Nature Reserve which is home to the AfriCat Foundation. The research team found that body temperature averaged 38.4 degrees centigrade when the chase was terminated. Storage of body heat did not compromise hunts. The increase in the body temperature following a successful hunts was double that of an unsuccessful hunt even though the level of activity in the hunts was similar. The research paper proposed that the increase in body temperature following successful hunt was a stress hyperthermia, rather than an exercise-induced hyperthermia (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0472).

Cheetah’s eat their kill fast as it is often stolen by hyaenas or leopards. While the others were feeding there is always one or two cheetahs standing guard looking out for potential threats.

All the cheetahs got to feed on the kill without interruption. The cheetah mother is clearly a superb mother being able to bring up four male cheetah cubs almost to adulthood in a place where lions, leopards and hyaenas were ever present.

We must have spent around 90 minutes with this cheetah family experiencing the period of calm, the threats from unexpected visitors and eventually managing to get a successful kill which they got to finish themselves without interruption.

The interaction with the leopard is something that none of us had ever seen before especially when the appearance of the hyaena looked like it was going to destroy our chances any further action from the cheetahs. Given that cheetahs use a stalk and chase hunting strategy, if the hyaena had decided to shadow the cheetahs it would have seen the chase. The chase and kill took place more than half a kilometre from where we saw the hyaena so thankfully there was no interruption by the hyaena.

“You have got to be out there to experience unusual sightings. Fortune favours those who go out and look for the unexpected. Sitting in your armchair dreaming of fascinating experiences will never build memories and create stories.” ~ Mike Haworth

Our vehicle and one other game viewing vehicle were privileged to experience a fascinating morning watching this family of five cheetahs go through a gambit of experiences.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu offers a variety of raptors many of which are resident but their numbers build as migrants arrive for the summer. I did not see a Martial eagle this trip but there is a pair resident in Mashatu and I am told that Black eagle’s have been seen hunting dassies in the rock outcrop next to Rock Camp near the Limpopo river.

I have a penchant for raptors which started in high school at Falcon College in Zimbabwe where falconry was encouraged as an extra mural activity and there was an active ornithological society which was overseen by our english teacher, Peter Steyn, now a recognised authority on raptors.

“If I have ever seen magic, it is in Africa.” ~ Ernest Hemmingway

A favourite of the larger raptors is the African Hawk-eagle. This is one of the most aggressive predators I have come across and it hunts in pairs making it even more dangerous. The female is the larger of the pair. Once the morning air warms up sufficiently for thermals to develop this pair of African hawk-eagles can be regularly seen soaring over Mashatu. This species prefers assorted woodland in drier areas. It is a relatively large diurnal and non-migratory bird of prey.

The African hawk-eagle can be mistaken for a Martial eagle from a distance but the Martial is around 30% larger than the African hawk-eagle and has dark brown plumage on its throat and chest whereas the African hawk-eagle has dark streaking from just below its beak and eyes down to its legs. The African Hawk-eagle has a varied diet preying upon birds, from francolins to hornbills and guineafowl. It also feeds on mammals (such as hares, dik-diks, squirrels, monkeys, and mongoose), reptiles and occasionally on insects.

Even though the main river coursing through Mashatu, the Majale, is seasonal, we often see Fish eagles along this river. Sometimes there are remaining pools of water which have trapped Catfish. More often than not in spring the Fish eagles can be seen along the Limpopo river on the southern and eastern border of Mashatu where large pools of water remain throughout the year.

A closeup of the Fish eagle reveals how big this raptor is, with its large strong beak to rip open its prey. Its feet has rough soles and are equipped with powerful talons to enable it to grasp slippery aquatic prey. When the fish are few and far between the Fish eagle will adapt and catch water birds such as ducks, ibis, storks, herons, Greater and Lesser flamingos, also small turtles and terrapins, baby crocodiles, lizards, frogs, and carrion. African fish eagles are known to steal the catch of other bird species (such as Goliath herons), which is behavior known as kleptoparasitism. Its distinctive cry is one of the more evocative sounds of Africa.

“Hearing a Fish eagle cry you are transported to a cathedral of large trees lining a river in Africa. It is early in the morning, it is fresh, the colours are soft pastels blues, mauves, greens, and apricots, the air is still and the river reflects the sky.” ~ Mike Haworth

A juvenile Gabar goshawk hunting red-billed queleas from a hidden vantage point. This is a small goshawk and the juvenile has quite different coloured plumage to the adult which has grey upper parts, a light grey throat and chest and grey horizontal barring on its belly legs and rump. Gabars tend to hunt in pairs. They perch on the sides of bushes and trees, waiting for hunting opportunities. They are highly agile and can climb through branches to attack their prey. Given their small size they prey on queleas and weavers and juvenile francolin and guineafowl. These goshawks will also prey on small mammals, reptiles and insects.

A melanistic Gabar goshawk perched on a dead tree trunk next to the Apple Leaf grove alongside the vlei. This is a dark morph and is seen occasionally. It seems to be able to hunt just as effectively as its normal coloured cousin. Melanism is known to occur more regularly in the Gabar goshawk than in other species of birds.  It is caused by an excess of the dark pigment in their feathers making the birds look dark all over.  This is one of the few raptors recognised to be polymorphic and the melanistic morph occurs in up to 25% of individuals in some areas.

A Greater kestrel is not often seen in Mashatu. It has a beige plumage with brown streaks on its throat and chest and brown bars on its upper parts and belly. It is a perch hunter. It feeds mainly on invertebrates such as grasshoppers, termites, beetles and sun spiders. It also preys on lizards and sometimes small birds, mammals and snakes.

“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” ~ African proverb

This Greater kestrel was perched on top of a Shepherd’s tree. These raptors are often seen perching conspicuously in an isolated tree which gives them a good view of the surrounding area. It is usually found in semi-desert, grassland, and arid savanna which in winter and spring makes Mashatu one of its hunting grounds.

A Verreaux eagle-owl first thing in the morning. These large owls are nocturnal hunters so retreat to the deep shade of a large Apple Leaf of Mashatu tree when the sun rises high in the sky. We usually see a pair of Verreaux’s eagle-owls when we leave camp first thing in the morning. They seem to enjoy the thick foliage of the Apple Leaf trees next to the rock outcrop near Rock Camp. This is the largest owl in Africa. Apart from its large size, an easy identifiable feature is its whitish face and noticeable pink eyelids when it blinks. The ears have distinct ear tufts. This eagle-owl is known to hunt mammals such as genets, hares, small monkeys, squirrels, bats, rats, birds (including other owls) and mice. They will even go for a reptiles, insects and fish if available.

There are numerous Tawny eagles in Mashatu, including the different coloured morphs. The most common is the tawny coloured plumage seen in the image below. The image was taken to give some perspective as to the size of tree that this large eagle was sitting in. Tawny eagles are good hunters in their own right but are happy to feed to carrion if they find it before the vultures.

This is just a small selection of raptors that you can see while travelling around Mashatu. Its varied landscapes facilitates the diversity of birdlife. Mashatu is also home to Martial eagles, Dark chanting goshawks, Lanner falcons and a variety of vultures. Springtime heralds the arrival of the migrants such as Wahlbergs, Lesser spotted and Greater spotted eagles. You will not see Bateleur or Crowned eagles in this environment.

“Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just home.” ~ Beryl Markham

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

Have fun, Mike