Category Archives: Birding South Africa

Small Birds taking BIG Journeys : Part 1

April 21, 2024 Don Reid 9 Comments

During my birding and atlasing trips I come across a variety of migrant species, some of which I manage to photograph in their local habitat – one in particular, the Little Stint, had me thinking for the umpteenth time how fascinating and amazing these annual migrations are.

Many of the migrant waders – or shorebirds as they are also known – display the most Jeckyll and Hyde characteristics of all birds, living two dramatically different lives and spending time in habitats which are as far removed from each other as can be imagined.

The majority of South African based birders get to know migrant species during their stay in the southern hemisphere, typically during the months from October to April, so let’s find out a bit more about their ‘other’ lives by delving into the typical annual life-cycle of these waders, starting with –

Little Stint

Calidris minuta (Kleinstrandloper)

This is the tiny, compact (13 cm, 23 g) wader found across southern Africa, often in flocks and joining other waders at almost any coastal or inland habitat with shallow water, soft mud and not much vegetation.

Key identification features are the very small size, short black bill and wings that project beyond the tail – the latter is a common trait amongst migrant birds needing extra wing power for those ‘halfway across the world’ journeys that they undertake

Clues to their two very different lives lie in the distribution map (courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology) – the orange area is where breeding occurs in the Northern Hemisphere while the blue area, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, is where they go ‘on vacation’ to build up strength for the next breeding season

Life in the North

Birds are considered as “resident” in the area where they breed, which in the case of the Little Stint is situated within the Arctic Circle in a habitat known as Arctic Tundra, with temperatures well below zero for most of the year and a maximum of just 4 deg C in ‘summer’.

Tundra is known for large stretches of bare ground and rock and for patchy mantles of low vegetation and small shrubs – ‘barren’ and ‘frozen’ are about the kindest words to describe this habitat, yet these tiny waders thrive in this environment

Tundra in Siberia (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

They inhabit dry ground at lower altitudes, often near swampy areas or salt-marshes, avoiding areas with annual rainfall of more than 250mm (No, they don’t have a way of measuring it other than instinct)

Little Stint in breeding plumage (Photo courtesy of Cornell Birds of the World)

Breeding and Migration

Their nest is built on the ground, lined with leaves and grass but otherwise exposed. Eggs are laid starting late June to early July and are incubated by both parents.

Once the young have fledged and can look after themselves, they and the adult birds start migrating south, not necessarily together, heading across Europe before following a route via the Rift Valley lakes of eastern Africa then fanning out across southern Africa

According to estimates, up to 1 million Little Stints migrate to Africa, of which a relatively small proportion venture all the way south to southern Africa. Migration south starts from July with peak numbers arriving in southern Africa between October and December

Life in the South

On arrival in southern Africa (and just before departure) some of the stints will still be in partial breeding plumage with upper parts washed rufous, while others will have adopted their non-breeding plumage of brownish grey

Little Stint, Bloemhof Saltworks : taken in April so showing partial breeding plumage

In southern Africa they seek out suitable habitat, preferring coastal and inland wetlands, especially where wet mud is available. Temporary pans in the interior can often provide the abundant short-term food that is perfect for their requirements.

Voëlvlei, about 30 minutes drive from Mossel Bay, which had no water for many years until the good rains of last year, has attracted hundreds of Little Stints this past summer along with many other migrant waders.

Not only did Voëlvlei provide abundant food for the waders and others, it also provided an ongoing feast for local birders enjoying the abundance of birds along with a few rarities. (More about that in future posts)

Foraging is done in very shallow water or on wet mud, picking small invertebrates off the surface rather than probing as many waders with longer bills tend to do.

Little Stint Calidris minuta Kleinstrandloper, Great Brak River estuary

Stints are fairly easy to spot amongst other waders, not only because they are generally the smallest of the waders present but also due to their hunched appearance which always reminds me of a little old man pottering about

Little Stint, Strandfontein Sewage Works

The Stints start departing from mid-February with the majority having left by end April, heading north to their breeding grounds where the cycle will start all over again…

Little Stint Calidris minuta Kleinstrandloper, Voëlvlei near Vleesbaai

What a privilege it is to welcome these fascinating waders to our shores

References : Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of the World; Roberts VII Birds of Southern Africa

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 5)

February 11, 2024 Don Reid 6 Comments

A while back I showcased a few species with striking eyes – continuing that theme, here’s a look at another species that has formidable eyes -although this is not immediately obvious but does become more so once you get up close and personal with it

Black-headed Heron (Swartkopreier) Ardea melanocephala

Where in the world?

The distribution of this species is extensive across Sub-Saharan Africa, missing only from a few arid areas such as the Kalahari in southern Africa. It is the commonest of the large herons throughout Africa.

What to Look for

This is not a bird that is likely to be confused with any other, with the possible exception of the Grey Heron which is of similar size and, at a distance, of similar appearance. Non-birders (no disrespect, but you are missing out seriously) do mistake this species for the iconic Blue Crane, something I can vouch for from personal experience.

It’s a tall bird, up to 96 cm in height and weighing between 700 and 1650 g

Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala Swartkopreier, Great Brak River

In flight it’s easier to confirm the identification due to the bi-coloured wings – black flight feathers, white underwing coverts

Eyes are yellow, but turn orange, then red during breeding

Black-headed Heron is a terrestial species, not necessarily found near wetlands as with other herons, and is one of the few birds that benefit from human alteration to the environment such as irrigated areas, which suit their preference for damp pastureland

They will often be found striding through grass, hunting for prey

Black-headed Heron, Mossel Bay-Herbertsdale

They eat a variety of rodents,insects, snakes, frogs, crabs, fish – in fact just about anything that crosses their path including small birds. This individual I came across early one morning in the Rayton area near Pretoria had caught a large rodent, possibly a vlei rat, and proceeded to swallow it whole, taking a few minutes to manoeuvre it into position for swallowing. I could see the progress of the prey moving down the bird’s long neck, which bulged as it gradually slipped down.

Black-headed Heron swallowing prey, Rayton-Culinan area

They often nest in or near towns – Great Brak River, just down the road from Mossel Bay, has a busy roost in a tall tree on the main road. The next photo was taken in a more rural area near Pretoria, where numbers of Black-headed Herons occupied a large tree next to a farm dam.

They make themselves known with their harsh squawking calls at all times of the day.

References: Roberts VII Birds of Southern Africa; Firefinch Birding App; Birds of the World – Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birding South Africa, International Birding, Photo Pick, The World around Us

My Photo Pick for 2023

January 1, 2024 Don Reid 8 Comments

Moving home from Pretoria to Mossel Bay during the year took a lot of our energy and meant we travelled less than usual – so much so that we didn’t even manage to fit in a trip to one of our national parks, the first time this has happened in many years!

Nevertheless my photo library increased by some 1500 images, and for this retrospective I have selected 50 images which appeal to me for various reasons.

An unexpected mid-year trip to Scotland for a week was a wonderful opportunity to boost my photo library and try out my new mirrorless camera to its full extent – my verdict is it met all my expectations once I had mastered the myriad settings available.

The brief comments tell a bit of the story of each image. So to start with ….

The Places

Starting at home – one of the pleasures of living on a golf estate is having the golf course to yourself after the last golfers have left – it’s ideal for long walks and an added bonus is the small herd of Springboks that also enjoy the peace and quiet without golf balls flying about

Hoekwil Forest near Wilderness, also known as Big Tree Forest, is one of my favourite spots for forest walks and birding, presenting scenes like this along the trail

A trip to Fransmanshoek (“Frenchman’s Corner”) just a half hour’s drive from Mossel Bay is always worth it – the rugged coastline and big waves make for spectacular coastal scenery on a windy day

Back in March, Gerda’s relative Anlia sent us this photo taken early morning on their farm near Vryheid in Kwazulu Natal – I was immediately blown away by the colours and texture of the scene – almost akin to a Monet Impressionist painting, don’t you think?

It’s impossible to go through a year without taking photos at The Point in Mossel Bay on a day of high seas, capturing (hopefully) the drama of the sand, sea and sky that such days produce

A short breakaway trip to Plettenberg Bay (Plett for short) was an opportunity to explore another part of the beautiful Garden Route and stop at scenes like this

While in Pretoria for our final packing I went out atlasing with friend Koos (the lone figure in the photo) – this was taken as the sun rose on a cold winter morning over the grassland east of Pretoria

And then came the Scotland trip where I was spoilt for choice when it came to striking scenery – here is a selection of the places I visited or simply stopped to admire

The Birds

I spend a lot of my photographic energies on capturing images of birds, often with mixed results. These are some of the better ones

Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus Gevlekte muisvoël, Mossel Bay Golf Estate

Yellow Canary Crithagra flaviventris Geelkanarie (race flaviventris), Gouritzmond

African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus Gewone bontrokkie (race torquatus), Great Brak Inland

Levaillant’s Cisticola Cisticola tinniens Vleitinktinkie (race brookei), Great Brak Inland

Common Tern Sterna hirundo Gewone sterretjie, Hartenbos River mouth

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Groenpootruiter, Hartenbos River mouth

Red-necked Spurfowl Pternistis afer Rooikeelfisant (race castaneiventer) (Juvenile), Robinson Pass

Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata Kuifkopvisvanger, Great Brak inland

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Europese vlieëvanger, Friemersheim area

Agulhas Long-billed Lark Certhilauda brevirostris Overberglangbeklewerik, Vleesbaai area

Cape Teal Anas capensis Teeleend, Great Brak

Kittlitz’s Plover Charadrius pecuarius Geelborsstrandkiewiet, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

Have a closer look at what this Little Egret has caught

Little Egret Egretta garzetta Kleinwitreier, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

On one of my last atlasing outings for the year I came across this delightful pair of protective Blue Cranes looking after junior

Blue Cranes Anthropoides paradiseus Bloukraanvoël, North of Herbertsdale

My trip to Scotland was a great opportunity for some birding in a different environment and I grabbed the chance with both hands

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Loch of the Lowes

This is a sight we don’t get to see in southern Africa – a juvenile Osprey at the nest, waiting to be fed

Osprey (Juvenile) Pandion haliaetus Loch of the Lowes

This cheeky Robin hopped onto the table at a roadside service centre where I stopped for coffee

European Robin Erithacus rubecula coffee stop on A9

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Avielochan

Little Egret Egretta gazetta River Eden Estuary

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata River Eden Estuary

It was a special treat to see Common Redshanks by the hundred at River Eden Estuary – this is a bird rarely seen in southern Africa

Common Redshank Tringa totanus River Eden Estuary

The Mossel Bay area attracted a few rare vagrants during the year and I was happy to be able to see them and get some reasonable photos

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus Mongoolse strandkiewiet, Klein Brak vlei

Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis Taanborsstrandloper, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

Birds in Flight

Birds in flight – or BIF as it’s known – is the most challenging aspect of bird photography, with a success rate of about 1 usable image for every 30 taken, based on my experience. In the same way as golfers seek the perfect shot and surfers the perfect wave, so are bird photographers always on the look out for a better photo.

Here are some of the year’s BIF images that worked

Hartlaub’s Gull Chroicocephalus hartlaubii Hartlaubse meeu, Hartenbos River mouth

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus River Eden Estuary

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus River Eden Estuary

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Bontvisvanger, Gouritzmond

A different view of a Sacred Ibis – it was soaring like an eagle

African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Heilige ibis, Arniston-Bredasdorp

Black Harrier Circus maurus Witkruisvleivalk, Vleesbaai area

The Wildlife

As I mentioned we did not get to visit a single national park during the year so I had to be content with some not-so-wildlife ….

Red Sqirrel Sciurus vulgaris Loch of the Lowes, Scotland

The Other Stuff

South Africa’s infamous load shedding (electricity cuts) got worse this past year – I took this photo in our local supermarket just after the main lights went off, before the generators kicked in

This unusual image was taken in a local nature reserve after a heavy rainstorm, which swept a variety of debris down the stream that runs through the reserve ….

And finally, a quirky decorative topping to the post box in a Scottish village

I can’t imagine a life without photography .. or birding of course

Birding South Africa, Special Birds, Special Sightings

300 Up! And a special bird to celebrate

November 1, 2023 Don Reid 9 Comments

My 300th post is a short one with just one photo of one bird – but I have reason to celebrate both…

The bird in question is a Common Quail – so what’s the big deal I hear you think. Well if I tell you that I’ve heard this bird calling a few hundred times during my birding and atlasing travels over 35 years or so, but have seen it just once before, so briefly that there was no chance to get a photo, then you may appreciate my excitement about my experience last week.

I was out atlasing in the early morning not far from our new home in Mossel Bay and heard the familiar call of Common Quail almost every time I stopped. There were numbers of Larks and other birds in the gravel road and along the verges, then I noticed something different up ahead and raised my binos once more – it was a Common Quail, in fact a pair that were walking along the edge of the gravel amongst grass tufts.

With my heart pumping I grabbed my camera, checked settings and fired away even though the Quails were not ideally positioned and not close enough to achieve sharpness, but I was ecstatic that I had at last seen this bird clearly and at least had a reasonable record photo.

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 4)

August 17, 2023 Don Reid 1 Comment

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.

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)

August 5, 2023 Don Reid 6 Comments

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

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

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 2)

June 24, 2023 Don Reid 3 Comments

As a follow up to the previous post on the subject of birds with striking eyes – which showcased Southern African Cormorants – here’s a look at another species that fits that description to the full

Black-winged Kite (Blouvalk)

Elanus caeruleus

This well-known, small raptor is without doubt the most common raptor to be found across all of Southern Africa – and beyond as you will see from the global distribution map reproduced below courtesy of Birds of the World

Global distribution of Black-winged Kite

It is also the raptor you are most likely to see on any road trip through southern Africa, as their preferred hunting ground is along the road verges and adjoining fields.

They are most often seen perched on roadside powerlines, which provide the ideal vantage point for their hunt for the next small rodent.

However, it’s just as easy to overlook this species, which is similar in size to the many doves which also like to perch on powerlines. The good news is that the flatter pose and habit of slowly wagging its tail up and down will confirm that it’s a Black-winged Kite, even from a good distance, and once it takes to the air there is no doubt about the ID as it hovers, then ‘parachutes’ down to grab its prey.

The images that follow were taken during a recent atlasing trip north of George, on the way to Oudtshoorn – once I had spotted the bird up ahead I approached very slowly, using roadside bush to conceal my approach until I was close enough to quickly take a few photos through the open passenger window.

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus Blouvalk, George-Oudtshoorn Area

And just look at that eye colour! Beyond striking and ready to take you on in a staring competition

On another atlasing trip earlier this year in the Gouritsmond area just south-west of Mossel Bay, I came across another Black-winged Kite, this time a juvenile without the black ‘shoulder’ and with yellow eyes – still fierce looking, mind you, but not yet up to adult standard

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus Blouvalk (Juvenile), Gouritzmond

Footnote:

I would like to mention a birding website that has helped me to broaden my birding info horizons and opened up a world of new knowledge (literally) to add to and enhance that which I have gathered during many years of birding.

The website is Birds of the World published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 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

Bird in the Lens, Birding South Africa

The Eyes Have it! (Part 1)

May 16, 2023 Don Reid 8 Comments

Cormorants

Cormorants are not generally regarded as birds that are high on the list of desirable birds to see – unless it’s a potential lifer of course. When you’ve been ‘into’ birding for a while the most that a cormorant is likely to elicit is a slightly off-hand “Oh, there’s another Reed Cormorant” or “Hey, have a look at that Little Grebe just to the right of that White-breasted Cormorant”.

But there’s more to cormorants than meets the eye – or eyes in this case …..

During one recent day trip, I found an opportunity to visit the area which we know as “The Vlei’s”, to the east of the small town of Wilderness, and spent a pleasant hour or so in the bird hide at Langvlei.

Boardwalk to the hide at Langvlei Wilderness

There were numerous waterbirds on the vlei, mostly Coots but also significant numbers of Grebes, more than I can recall seeing in any location before and including all three southern African species – Little Grebes, Great Crested Grebes and a few Black-necked Grebes. However, they were too distant for photography.

Also distant was a long line of dark birds on the water, as the image below shows, and once I had the scope in position, I could see that it consisted of a few hundred Reed Cormorants, again more than I can recall seeing in one location before. As I watched the line, a few of the foremost swimmers flew up out of the water and circled back to the rear of the “queue” where they settled down in line again. I can only assume they were performing some kind of feeding strategy.

Close to the hide a dead tree stump has been strategically placed and perched on it were two cormorants – the larger White-breasted Cormorant and the somewhat smaller Reed Cormorant.

White-breasted Cormorant above, Reed Cormorant below

The light was favourable, so I took a few shots then zoomed in on their heads and took a few more. And that’s where the magic came in! In contrast to their rather dull appearance and less than comely shape, the cormorants have some of the most stunning eye colours of the bird world.

White-breasted Cormorant (Witborsduiker) (E-bird : Great Cormorant)

Phalacrocorax lucidus

Starting with the brilliant green eyes of the largest cormorant in our region, commonly found in saltwater and freshwater habitats across southern Africa

Now this species is somewhat ungainly on land, but once in the water it will outswim Michael Phelps by a long way – that’s if you can get it to swim in a straight line and stay within its lane. And all it uses are its feet which have four toes connected by webbing, which it uses to propel itself most effectively through the water when chasing prey

It uses that hooked bill to secure small fish, which are eaten underwater, while bigger fish are brought to the surface to juggle into a head-first swallowing position.

Worldwide this species is often referred to as Great Cormorant and occurs across 6 continents – I have seen Great Cormorants in Australia, Canada, UK and Europe during our travels abroad

Reed Cormorant (Rietduiker) (E-bird : Long-tailed Cormorant)

Microcarbo africanus

The Reed Cormorant is substantially smaller than the previous species and has a similar distribution across our region, but unlike the White-breasted (Great) Cormorant it is restricted to the African continent, occurring in most of sub-Saharan Africa

And the eyes? Red instead of green, but just as striking!

A surprising fact (courtesy of Faansie Peacock’s wonderful birding app called Firefinch) is that the feathers of cormorants are less waterproof than those of other birds – the reason is that this makes them less buoyant and allows them to sink when hunting underwater. This also explains why they spend much of their time out of the water with wings spread to dry. It is also believed that they swallow stones for additional weight, much like scuba divers wearing lead weights on their belts.

Cape Cormorant (Trekduiker)

Phalacrocorax capensis

I wasn’t expecting to find a Cape Cormorant alongside the other two species at Langvlei, as they are generally known as an exclusively marine species, but this one clearly thought a day away from the rough seas would be to its liking

Mossel Bay’s Point is a wonderful place to watch seabirds and Cape Cormorants are regular passers-by (or more appropriately flyers-by) flying low and fast over the ocean, singly or in pairs or in long skeins of up to a couple of dozen at a time.

This is usually late afternoon when we like to get a take-away coffee and sit and watch the sea and its inhabitants, which can be anything from humans surfing and snorkelling to seals, dolphins or whales (in season), while yachts and boats of various types and sizes make their way to and from the small harbour nearby.

I haven’t been able to establish where these passing Cape Cormorants roost, but it is probably one of the quieter stretches of beach further east towards Great Brak River and beyond.

Never mind, just look at those turquoise eyes!

This marine species is distributed along the coastline of South Africa, Namibia and Angola

Bird behaviour, Birding South Africa, Special Sightings

Spotted Eagle-Owls Aplenty

April 12, 2023 Don Reid 9 Comments

We relocated to Mossel Bay towards the end of last year – somewhat unexpectedly, although it was always part of our medium-term planning. So you can expect the emphasis of my blog to shift towards the Southern Cape and away from the northern parts of our country, where we have lived for some 50 years.

However the Southern Cape, and in particular Mossel Bay are very familiar to us, having spent ever-increasing periods in our house here over the last 12 years and is the perfect place to spend our retirement years.

Our home in Mossel Bay is situated in the Mossel Bay Golf Estate which has a variety of habitats and gardens which attract many species of birds and this brings me to the subject of this post – the Spotted Eagle-Owl, which “put its hand up” (figuratively) to become the focus of a post by popping up in a number of places around the Golf Estate over the past few weeks.

It also seemed like a good opportunity to get back to the essence of my blog, which after all is called “Mostly Birding” for a reason ……

Here are some images of Spotted Eagle-Owls taken over the last while around our home and on my walks in the estate and adjoining nature areas:

Spotted Eagle-Owl bubo africanus Gevlekte Ooruil

Neighbour Catherine, knowing my interest in all things birding, popped over in the middle of the day to say there was an Owl in her garden, so I went to have a look, taking my camera of course. There it was perched on the garden wall and I surmised it was a juvenile, based on the lack of the “ears” (not really ears but protuding tufts of feathers for camouflage, not for hearing) which are a feature of the adults

‘Goodness, but it’s tiring being awake all night – am I ever going to get used to this …’

Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus Gevlekte ooruil, Mossel Bay

‘Hmmm – suppose I should keep a watch out even though I’m still young’

A few days later I noticed another Owl, this time an adult, sitting on the window cill of the neighbour’s house in broad daylight. More than likely the parent of the above juvenile.

Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus Gevlekte ooruil, Mossel Bay Golf Estate

A week or so later again, neighbour Jan, phoned to say there was an owl in the trees in his back garden, between our two properties. I could not see it from our balcony which is a level higher than Jan’s house so I went downstairs to our garden and quickly spotted the owl on a branch partly concealed by foliage. I positioned myself as best I could without disturbing the owl and took a few shots against the strong backlight of the morning sun.

Spotted Eagle-Owl, Mossel Bay Golf Estate

My daily late afternoon walks take me all over the golf estate – my favourite walk being the one that takes in the nature area to the south and west of the estate as there is always something of interest.

One of my walks included an unusual encounter with an owl, which stood in the middle of the track as I approached and didn’t seem intent on flying away. I waited for a while to see what it would do, concerned that it was ill or injured, but after some 10-15 minutes I walked slowly past it as it moved to one side, eyeing me all the way but seemingly relaxed.

I kept a look out for this owl on my later walks as I was concerned about its health – I believe it was the same owl I spotted twice on the golf course itself, flying about without a problem so assumed it had recovered from any problem it may have had.

This species is well-known in the suburbs of our cities and towns and is often heard calling softly – wooo, hooo – and perched on roofs and streetlights from where it hunts insects, reptiles, rodents and the like.

Oh, and it’s good to have neighbours who keep you informed about birdlife in the garden ….

Birding South Africa, Photo Pick, The World around Us

My Photo Pick for 2022

February 8, 2023 Don Reid 10 Comments

I have taken a bit of a sabbatical from blogging so far this year, so to get things going again I thought I should take a belated look back at 2022 …..

During 2022 my photo library increased by some 2000 images and for this retrospective (Yes! I’ve always wanted to use that word) I have limited my Photo Pick to the 40 images which appeal to me the most, often for different reasons – some are technically good (well, I think so anyway) others are reminders of a particular moment or place or special sighting – the very brief comments tell a bit of the story of each image. So to start with ….

The Places

One of the first places we visited in 2022 was the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus – the evening light was magical

I love the moodiness that overcast skies bring to a scene and this one had the benefit of a sunlit foreground and overcast background

The classic view of Table Mountain from Milnerton beach, a stone’s throw from where I was born

This unusual view of the southern Cape coast was taken from my seat in a plane on its way to land at George

A double rainbow over Mossel Bay just begged to be photographed

Our drive to Weltevrede farm near Prince Albert was an absolute delight with views like this around every bend

Road to Weltevrede Farm, near Prince Albert

Evening tranquility at the dam on the farm Prior Grange near Springfontein, Free State

Our stay in Victoria, Australia provided widely contrasting experiences

Atlasing in the southern Cape around Herbertsdale provided this beautiful early-morning scene along the winding road

Another moody scene, this time with fishermen providing the focal point

Paternoster beach was another excellent spot for sunset photography, with gulls adding that extra punch

The flowers in the Postberg section of the West Coast National Park were spectacular (a separate post on this still to come)

Another view of the iconic mountain that I grew up with, this time from the waterfront at Cape Town

The Birds

I spend most of my photographic energies on capturing images of birds, not always successfully. These are some of the better ones

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Namakwaduifie, (Juvenile) Kleinberg area

The photo of a Cape Longclaw shows why it was given that name

Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis Oranjekeelkalkoentjie, Klein Brak

This is a photo by Estelle Smalberger who kindly allowed me to use her images. What a privilege it was for me to be the one to first find this species – never before recorded in southern Africa!