My Photo Picks for 2021 – The Birds and a Bee

With the new year barely out of the starting blocks, it’s once again time to select the photos which best represent our travels and nature experiences during 2021, plus a few others that appeal to me for various reasons. Despite the ongoing restrictions brought upon all of us by Covid 19, we still managed to travel fairly extensively, although it was limited to the borders of South Africa.

I’m hoping you will find some of my favourite images to your liking – if you do, please take a moment to mention them in the comments at the end of the post.

The Birds

During a normal birding year, I take a couple of thousand images of birds – this past year, for various reasons, I did not get out in the field birding and atlasing as much as I would normally have done, nevertheless when it came to choosing images I was happy to find that it was as challenging as ever.

**African Stonechat *Saxicola torquatus* (Gewone bontrokkie) (Female) , Herbertsdale Area**

**Common Buzzard *Buteo buteo* (Bruinjakkalsvoël), Herbertsdale Area**

**Pied Starling *Lamprotornis bicolor* (Witgatspreeu), Herbertsdale Area**

**Orange-breasted Sunbird *Anthobaphes violacea* (Oranjeborssuikerbekkie), Kirstenbosch**

**Rock Kestrel *Falco rupicolus* (Kransvalk), Vleesbaai area**

**Blue-cheeked Bee-eater *Merops persicus* (Blouwangbyvreter) (Western Cape rarity), Gouritzmond Area**

**Large-billed Lark *Galerida magnirostris* (Dikbeklewerik), Herbertsdale Area**

**White-throated Canary *Crithagra albogularis* (Witkeelkanarie), Herbertsdale Area, Western Cape**

**White-bellied Sunbird *Cinnyris talatala* (Witpenssuikerbekkie), Donkerhoek / Boschkop Area, Gauteng**

**Blue Cranes, Sacred Ibises and sheep, Vleesbaai area, Western Cape**

**Zitting Cisticola *Cisticola juncidis* (Landeryklopkloppie), Vleesbaai area**

**White-throated Swallow *Hirundo albigularis* (Witkeelswael) Bronkhorstspruit Area, Gauteng**

**Pin-tailed Whydah *Vidua macroura* (Koningrooibekkie) Bronkhorstspruit Dam, Gauteng**

**Red-chested Cuckoo *Cucula solitarius* (Piet-my-vrou), Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, Gauteng**

**Baird’s Sandpiper *Calidris bairdii* (Bairdse strandloper), (National Rarity), Bronkhorstspruit Nature Reserve, Gauteng**

**Red-capped Lark *Calandrella cinerea* (Rooikoplewerik), Bronkhorstspruit Nature Reserve, Gauteng**

**Common Greenshank *Tringa nebularia* (Groenpootruiter), Bronkhorstspruit Nature Reserve**

**African Penguin *Spheniscus demersus* (Brilpikkewyn), Boulders beach Simon’s Town**

**Sooty Gull *Ichthyaetus hemprichii* (National Rarity), Sunday’s River Mouth. Eastern Cape**

**Cape Robin-Chat *Cossypha caffra* (Gewone janfrederik), Addo Elephant Park, Eastern Cape**

**Cape Weaver *Ploceus capensis* (Kaapse wewer) (female), Addo Elephant Park, Eastern Cape**

**Red-necked Spurfowl *Pternistis afer* (Rooikeelfisant), Addo Elephant Park**

**The usually extremely shy Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus (Gewone willie), Addo Elephant Park**

**Cape Turtle-Dove Streptopelia capicola (Gewone tortelduif), Addo Elephant Park**

**African Rock Pipit *Anthus crenatus* (Klipkoester), Mountain Zebra National Park**

**Familiar Chat *Cercomela familiaris* (Gewone spekvreter), Verlorenkloof**

**Cape Rock Thrush *Monticola rupestris* (Kaapse kliplyster), Verlorenkloof**

**Nest building Cape Weaver *Ploceus capensis* (Kaapse wewer), Mossel Bay**

**Kelp Gull *Larus dominicanus* (Kelpmeeu), Paternoster, Western Cape**

And the Bee….

Have a wonderful 2022!

3 thoughts on “My Photo Picks for 2021 – The Birds and a Bee”

I cannot really choose a favourite, Done, for I like all of these photographs! Twist my arm and I will tell you that I am very impressed with both the Orange-breasted Sunbird and the White-bellied Sunbird – the latter in flight is awesome. The Rock Kestrel pulls at my heartstrings for we used to watch them coming into roost in a eucalyptus tree in Mahikeng. To see Blue Cranes is a great privilege and I was blessed to see four of them this morning!