When I was a child growing up in Kwa-Zulu Natal, elephants had not yet been introduced into our provincial parks, and so apart from sighting elephants on two brief trips to Kruger National Park, it was only in the early 1990s on slightly more extended trips to Botswana that we spent more time observing elephants – usually from our vehicle but sometimes too as they walked by, or even into, our camping site.
Continue reading “Elephant rumbles”
The Kgalagadi desert’s butterflies featured in this post resonate with two posts from last year reflecting on resilience and fragility (symbolised by desert flowers) and the need for hope (symbolised by butterflies). It is just over a year since South Africa recorded its first confirmed case of Covid-19 and those posts were in response to the burgeoning uncertainty and fear as the pandemic’s inexorable infection rates escalated across the world.
Continue reading “Butterflies of the Great Thirstland”
Although I love the four species of doves and pigeons that visit our garden, there are several other species in the country that I have missed seeing in these travel-free times. In this post I showcase the almost ubiquitous ring-necked dove (except in our specific neighbourhood it seems) and the Namaqua dove, which I have mostly seen in the more arid regions.
Continue reading “Ring-necked doves, Namaqua doves and a lanner falcon on the hunt”
There was a time when we wished for solitary Christmases when we had to take our holidays over Christmas and we chose to be away in remote places. But of course this year, a solitary Christmas is thrust upon us. Not having a choice is a different matter, and for many of us it is distressing or at the very least disappointing not to be with family and friends over the festive season.
Continue reading “Remembering another solitary Christmas: Botswana, December 1999”
Continuing with the baby animal series is this photo of a fledgling Marico Flycatcher. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Baby Marico Flycatcher”
I thought I’d stick with the baby animal theme, following on from last week’s baby Striped Ground Squirrel. Continue reading “Weekly photo find: Springbok lamb with its mum”
Cuteness won me over this week. Ground squirrels are very appealing anyway, but baby ones with their frail vulnerability even more so. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find 6: Baby Ground Squirrel”
Portraits of trees is another category of photography that I greatly admire. I love photographing trees, but find it too be much more challenging than I initially expected. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Camel thorn tree of the arid regions”
I got down to grazing antelope eye level to take this photo of wild grasses in Mabuasehube Game Reserve in Botswana. The horizon behind the dry pan in the distance can scarcely be seen in the brightness of the early morning sunshine backlighting these grasses and their lovely plumes of seed. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Wild grasses protecting desert sands”
letting nature back in 