Monthly Archives: August 2023

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – Getting there

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Saturday and Sunday

So how did this trip come about?

The short version is that: 1. Our granddaughter Maia (aged 16) has a passion for playing the flute (dwarsfluit in Afrikaans) and was very keen to attend the summer school run by Flute Scotland at Strathallan School near Perth, Scotland. 2. Her parents could not afford the additional time off to chaperone her to Scotland, especially as the family had just returned from a holiday trip to England the previous week. 3. On hearing this Gerda ‘volunteered’ me to be chaperone and it was an easy decision as it opened up all kinds of opportunities for a brief tour of the Scottish Highlands and discovering some Scottish birds, while Maia attended the summer school. This all happened just two months prior to the trip so plans had to be put in place and bookings made without delay.

The Journey to Scotland

Traveling overseas is never easy and when it involves three separate consecutive flights the challenges are increased. As I was tasked with chaperoning Maia to her week-long Flute school, I felt an extra responsibility to make sure she got there safely and without too many hassles

As it turned out the journey to Scotland went as well as can be expected, considering that Europe had just started their summer holidays and we experienced peak numbers of travellers, all seemingly heading to their chosen destinations at the same time as us. That meant queues at every step in the process, especially at Schiphol which normally provides a pleasant experience for transit passengers but when you have to queue for 20 minutes to buy a much needed take away coffee it takes a lot of patience not to get too agitated.

KLM to Edinburgh

At the security checkpoint where full body x-ray machines are used an irritated official decided to take it out on me and called me aside after complaining that I did not remove the tissues I had in my pants pocket (!) and performed a body search of every nook and cranny of my body, while reminding me ‘to remove everything from my pockets next time’. Needless to say I left the security area in a less than happy frame of mind, wondering, not for the first time, why such miserable individuals are chosen for this job.

Total travel time from Mossel Bay to Maia’s drop off at Strathallan school was around 25 hours. Fortunately I had booked extra legroom seats on all flights and on the main flight we had a spare seat between us so could achieve a better level of comfort and I managed to sleep more than I usually can on a long flight, albeit in that unnatural upright position that airplane seats force you to adopt.

That took-up most of the second day – Sunday – as well but I did fit in some very pleasant activities after the long trip.

Finding Strathallan

We collected the rental car from Avis at Edinburgh Airport and headed tentatively out and northwards towards the first point of call at Strathallan School in the countryside south-west of Perth. A panicky yet funny moment occurred while getting out of the rental car parking area – I just could not get the manual gears sorted until I realized I had forgotten how to drive with three pedals and was trying to find first gear without using the clutch. That is what happens when you drive only automatic cars for a couple of years – and your aged brain momentarily forgets how you drove manual cars for so many years

After that mild hiccup I was soon into my stride with the car and we followed the gps instructions which took us close to the school then googled the balance of the route. Scenery along the way was typically urban gradually morphing into attractive countryside once we turned off the main A90 route. The standout sight was seeing the bridges while crossing the Firth of Forth, especially the one we were on which is clearly quite new and very spectacular in design. 

Firth of Forth Bridge, Edinburgh

The school seemed deserted and we drove all over the beautiful grounds to find someone in charge, without avail until Maia checked her papers and saw the name Glenbrae House which turned-out to be the right place

Strathallan School near Perth

Birnam and Dunkeld

Once she was settled I carried on towards Perth and beyond to Birnam for my first night in Scotland. The route took me along narrow country roads through idyllic scenery – green fields dotted with mostly white and a few black sheep (every family has them) with a glorious backdrop of hills and cloudy skies – I couldn’t ask for more on my first day in this really beautiful country.

Farmland, Perth and Kinross
Farmland, Perth and Kinross

In Birnam I found the Merryburn Apartments and checked in, only to discover the apartment I was allocated on the ground floor was named after a Reid – how’s that for good karma!

Merryburn Guest house, Birnam
Merryburn Guest house, Birnam

 But the best of the day was yet to come …..

Once I had checked in I freshened up after the long journey and set out for a walk to the nearby village of Dunkeld, just a couple of kms away. I was feeling jaded and stiff from sitting in plane seats for 16 hours in total and a walk in the cool late afternoon air was what I craved.

I started off down the main street of Birnam finding interesting spots along the way and enjoying the well kept old architecture, the verdant lawns and gardens with a touch of wildness about them.

Architecture in Birnam
Beatrix Potter garden, Birnam

I crossed the old bridge over the River Tay – a wide fast flowing river with water which looked pristine – and walked along the main street of Dunkeld keeping a look out for a place to eat.

Dunkeld main street

My plan had been to enjoy a sit down meal but a bright and clean looking fish and chips shop changed my mind so I ordered a ‘small haddock supper’ and headed back to the river where I had seen people seated outdoors next to the river

I soon had a decent glass of Pinot Noir and a seat at a long communal table right next to the river where I had one of the nicest meals and best views of the handsome old bridge – way better than sitting in a restaurant (and a lot cheaper, which is always heartwarming for someone with a Scots heritage)

River Tay, Dunkeld
A simple supper on the banks of the River Tay, Dunkeld

Mallards were swimming about at the river edge as I revelled in the view of the old bridge and sparkling waters – will it get better than this?

Mallard, River Tay, Dunkeld (cellphone photo through my binos)

After soaking it all up I headed back to Birnam, walking to the opposite end of the village then back to my accommodation. By this time it was close to 8pm but still light with a couple of hours to go before sundown

Unique house, Birnam
A statue commemorates one Niel Gow ‘Fiddler and Composer, Inver, Dunkeld’

What a pleasant day it turned out to be !

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 4)

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Another species that fits the description of birds with striking eyes is the diminutive Cape Batis

Cape Batis (Kaapse bosbontrokkie) Batis capensis

Where to find them

The Cape Batis occurs mainly, but not exclusively, in forest habitat – I have come across them in bushy areas not 200m from our Mossel Bay home and in various other locations outside ‘proper’ forests.

Distribution is confined to southern Africa as shown on the map below – courtesy of Birds of the World.

What to Look for

Batises can be confusingly similar in appearance, but the Cape Batis is the only one with orange flanks and wing bar, while the male is told by the broad black band across its chest.

Cape Batis Batis capensis Kaapse bosbontrokkie (male), Friemersheim area

The Firefinch app refers to this species as the “standard” forest bird – common, bold, noisy and striking. It is an active bird, flitting between bushes with a ‘fripping’ sound caused by rapid beating of its tiny wings and can often be found at the centre of bird parties.

Cape Batis Batis capensis Kaapse bosbontrokkie (male), Friemersheim area

Getting the Photo

The images above were taken while atlasing in the Friemersheim area not far from George – I stopped to scan a forested patch next to the road when I noticed movement among the branches not far from where I was standing, and pointed the camera in the general direction just as a Cape Batis popped into view, posing in sunlight just long enough to get a few shots.

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 3)

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As a follow up to the previous posts on the subject of birds with striking eyes – here’s a look at another species, familiar to South African birders, with eyes that beg your attention –

Burchell’s Coucal (Vleiloerie)

Centropus burchellii

This is a species best known for its bubbling call from the depths of dense bush or trees – a call which Roberts VII describes as “like water being poured from a bottle”.


And that may be the only clue you get to its existence until, one day, you actually get a glimpse of the bird as it flies heavily from one bush then crashes clumsily into the next one and disappears again. This is a bird that does not crave attention as it goes about its daily routine of searching on the ground and in bushes for just about anything it can lay its claws on – rodents, reptiles, other birds, nestlings, frogs, snails, insects … etc

Distribution

Birds of the World (see footnote) – lumps two species together with a combined distribution across Africa and a narrow stretch of Arabia as per the map below.

Southern African birdlists separate the two species into :

Burchell’s Coucal — Centropus burchelli – with distribution from south-east Tanzania through Mozambique to the Western Cape in South Africa and including south-east Botswana

White-browed Coucal – Centropus superciliosus – with distribution from Yemen, south-west Arabia, Ethiopia south to Zambia, Angola and southern Africa

Getting the Photo

As mentioned above, this is a fairly secretive species so when the opportunity arises one has to be quick off the mark to get a decent photo

I was fortunate enough to have such an opportunity recently while atlasing in the area east of Friemersheim in the southern Cape. I was driving slowly along a dirt road and had just passed a small stream when I spotted movement in the long grass at the roadside and stopped to look further.

I soon saw what had attracted my attention – a Burchell’s Coucal making its way through the lush grass and close enough to the road for a reasonably close-up photo. That sighting had me grabbing my camera and reversing at the same time to get into a position where I could aim the camera through the passenger side window, which I was busy opening while doing all of the above (this just shows men CAN multi-task – provided the motivation is there of course).

Suffice to say I believe my efforts paid off and I was very pleased with the results!

Burchell’s Coucal Centropus burchellii Gewone vleiloerie, Friemersheim area
Burchell’s Coucal Centropus burchellii Gewone vleiloerie, Friemersheim area

What does Faansie say?

The Firefinch app produced by the incomparable Faansie Peacock always has interesting facts about birds and in this case it mentions that Coucals have stiff, spiky breast feathers – which can be seen in the above photo.

Also that they are known as ‘rainbirds’ because they sing just before, during and after rain

Footnote : The website Birds of the World published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides a wealth of information on birds worldwide and the good news is that access to the website is free for Southern African residents – all that is required is to create an account which can be done at : https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home