Here is the first in a series of posts on terrestrial birds, defined rather loosely as those species that spend most of their time foraging on the ground, rather than in trees or hunting on the wing. First up is the southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).
Continue reading “Terrestrial Birds in Southern Africa: Southern Ground Hornbill”
Giant baobab trees are icons of sub-Saharan Africa’s dry savannahs. Their vital statistics are impressive, they dominate the landscape and they provide resources for people and for many species of animals.
Continue reading “The African baobab: Super tree with super fruit”
Rivers with natural vegetation along their banks are special spaces that for some may evoke spiritual responses and notions of the sacred. Even when rivers are dry the riverine vegetation retains a sheltering and nurturing power.
Continue reading “Take me to the river: Riverine roaming at Kruger National Park”
Giraffe are always fascinating to watch. Usually they are sedate and they spend a lot of time browsing leaves to provide nutrition for their enormous bodies. Recently at Kruger National Park we saw giraffes galloping away from an apparent threat, and later a giraffe nearly trod on a ground-roosting nightjar that otherwise we would have overlooked.
Continue reading “From tall giraffes to a ground-dwelling nightjar”
On a morning drive at Kruger National Park, seeing a large group of buffalo approaching we stopped our car to watch. They came closer and closer and then they stopped too. We had thought that we were watching them, but it turned out that they were also watching us.
Continue reading “Scrutinized by buffalos at the Kruger National Park”
Light, texture, pattern and other elements attracted my camera lens to capture some abstract images while on our visit to the Kruger National Park.
Continue reading “Abstract photos from Kruger National Park”
We were fortunate to see three species of dwarf antelopes on our recent trip to Kruger National Park. For an idea of their size, they stand no more than about 60 cm (23.5 in) tall at the shoulder and the average weight of individuals is in the region of 8–13 kg (17.5–28.5 lbs).
Continue reading “Three dwarf antelope: Steenbok, Sharpe’s grysbok and klipspringer”
Few words this week as I share a small selection of photos using the zoom lens for a slightly closer look. All these photos were taken on our recent trip to Kruger National Park.
Continue reading “Zooming in: Kruger Park pics for Christmas”
Mopani trees with their butterfly-shaped leaves and variable growth habits are beautiful to look at, and being hardy and nutritious too they support an abundance of life in hot, dry and low-lying areas, such as in the northern sections of Kruger National Park.
Continue reading “Life in the mopane scrub and woodlands at Kruger National Park”