Because the Lemon Dove forages discreetly on the ground or in the shrubby understorey it is often overlooked. It occurs in forest habitats and also in gardens that are well wooded. Continue reading “The forest-dwelling Lemon Dove”
A Grey Duiker picks its way through fallen leaves as it forages at the margins of a patch of mistbelt forest in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Forest Foraging”
I seldom see ladybirds nowadays, so I was pleased when I noticed this pair of ladybirds when I was doing some planting in the veggie patch. They were rapidly twirling and whirling as they made the way up and down the stalks. Oh good, I thought, they might munch some of the aphids, but I just hope they are not ladybirds of the invasive alien kind. Continue reading “Ladybirds: Not a bird but a beetle”
A section of a spider’s web, photographed in mistbelt forest in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Web design”
Usually the Tree Agamas in our garden appear to be peaceful, even in the breeding season. But this week I witnessed a prolonged duelling match that turned quite violent at times between two competing males. Continue reading “The battle of the rival Tree Agamas”
My find this week takes us to the indigenous mistbelt forest patches of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. In this photo, the huge base of a Lemonwood (Xymalos monospora) suggests the size of this impressive old tree. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Survivors in the Mistbelt Forest”
Perhaps because Bladder Grasshoppers are active at night, they are heard rather than seen. The call of the male Bladder Grasshopper, something between a bleat, a shriek and a croak, is alarmingly loud. Continue reading “The grasshopper that shrieks in the night”
Taken in spring last year, these Common River Frogs are making sure of a fecund spring. Common River Frogs are very variable in colour, so I hope that I have identified this pair correctly. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: River frogs”
Small flocks of mannikins are frequent garden visitors, arriving in a sudden flurry often accompanied by high-pitched chirping. These are very small birds weighing only 10 g (less than half an ounce). Continue reading “Mannikins: Gregarious seed-eaters gracing the garden”
