Atop a leaf, a dragonfly perches waiting for prey. Continue reading “Dragonfly hawking”
The name “sparrowhawk” comes from the prey (sparrows) of some species of sparrowhawks, and does not refer to the size of the raptor itself. Continue reading “Black Sparrowhawks in urban areas: Where to now?”
“Sharing wishes with strangers makes a powerful emotional statement”. This week’s photo challenge is inspired by the Japanese tradition of sharing hopes and dreams by writing wishes on small wooden plaques called ema, which are a hung up together in Shinto shrines in the hope that the spirits will grant these wishes. Continue reading “A wish for the vulnerable”
Even those who don’t like caterpillars tend to like butterflies, perhaps forgetting that caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies? Continue reading “Take me to your Commodore: Garden butterflies from the African savannahs”
The odds against identifying this tree frog were not good, as they have very variable colouration, so I hope that I am right in saying that this is a Natal Forest Tree Frog. We live close to the edge of its range, and that reduces the odds of seeing it here, in our inland garden, when they are more common in the coastal region. Continue reading “Against the odds: Finding tree frogs in flowers”
This elegantly slender, auburn-hued mongoose with a distinctive black tip to its long tail is most often seen dashing for cover, although sometimes it does stop to look back over its shoulder before disappearing into dense vegetation. Seeing this mongoose just beyond the bottom of our garden was a special experience. Continue reading “Elusive garden visitor: Slender Mongoose”
Not all Kingfishers catch fish, as can be seen in this photo of a Brownhooded Kingfisher. Rather than a fish, he has just caught a cricket. This Kingfisher hunts by sitting on a low perch, in this case our garden fence, watching the ground for potential prey. Continue reading “Brownhooded Kingfisher: The art of hunting by sitting still”
