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”
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”
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”
It is somewhat trite to say that change is a constant – be it good or bad or even when we try to be indifferent. Moving house, especially when moving further afield, certainly foregrounds change. And even when the change is chosen, adapting can be demanding and nostalgia can become one’s go-to space.
Continue reading “Ch-ch-ch-changes”
In our 21 years living here we have identified over 70 species of birds visiting our garden. Now seems a good time to attempt an overview highlighting some our avian visitors, such as the chorister robin-chat (Cossypha dichroa) in the header photo.
Continue reading “Highlighting some of our garden birds“
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”