A September outing took us up a farm road, offering a spot of birdwatching, and then past the Sugarbird Nature Reserve that was rich with flowers as the vegetation regenerated after a previous fire.
Continue reading “Springtime in the Overberg, Part 2: Feathers, farmlands and flowers”
Although the males are unmistakable and conspicuous in the breeding season, initially I didn’t recognize the first non-breeding pin-tailed whydahs I saw in our Western Cape garden.
Continue reading “The pretty and pugnacious pin-tailed whydah”
This summer, charismatic Cape sugarbirds (Promerops cafer) have been regular visitors to our garden. Named sugarbirds as they are largely nectar feeders, they are closely associated with proteas for food and shelter. Cape sugarbirds occur only in the fynbos regions of the Western Cape and into parts of the Eastern Cape.
Continue reading “Cape sugarbird: Summer visitors to our garden”
In the nick of time before 2024 draws to a close, lets celebrate BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year, the gorgeous eagle known as the bateleur. By championing an individual species each year, BirdLife South Africa hopes that the year-long information campaigns highlight the conservation importance of each named species and of South Africa’s amazing birdlife more generally. The bateleur is listed as an endangered species and so it needs all the help it can get.
Continue reading “The Bateleur Eagle – South African Bird of the Year 2024”
Arid it is in the Tankwa Karoo, but there is life to be found on the stony ground if one slows down and refocuses – generally a satisfying thing to do, and especially so when travelling to new places. And the rocks and stones are interesting not only to geologists and archaeologists. Their variety in colour, form and density are interesting to anyone – though the stones do have their drawbacks for those travelling by road!
Continue reading “Tankwa Karoo Part 2: Plants and birds and rocks and things”
Our small garden attracts a number of species of birds across the seasons. Here are some photos I snapped of visiting birds over the past few months. The delicately hued laughing doves (Spilopelia senegalensis) are among the more numerous of our visitors.
Continue reading “Bird visitors brightening our garden in the Overberg”
A day trip to the De Hoop Nature Reserve could not possibly do justice to its wonders from the high sand dunes near the coast to the mountains on its inland side, its endangered lowland fynbos vegetation and the 12 km-long (7,5 miles) vlei (lake) that is rich with waterbirds. Plus, its rocky shoreline adjoins a marine protected area in the Indian Ocean. De Hoop, home to Cape Nature’s Whale Trail, offers remarkable land-based whale watching opportunities from June to September each year.
Continue reading “Day trip to De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Overberg”
A few weeks ago, in the late afternoon after very heavy rains and high winds, we found a bedraggled little dove in the garden. It had found a safe enough place to shelter in our back garden, which is enclosed and safe from our dogs and cats.
Continue reading “Shelter from the storm: Two fledgling doves survive soaking rains”
It’s a little over a year since we moved to the Overberg region of the Western Cape. To celebrate this anniversary, here is a random round-up of some the photographs taken when we were out and about during the course of the year.
Continue reading “Over in the Overberg”