Africanbirding

Another day, another bird hide. Loads of flamingos, avocets, three-banded plovers, Kilitz’s plovers, whimbrels, greenshanks, African oystercatchers, even in the Southern winter.

Crested Barbet. Not uncommon to see in Johannesburg gardens. I managed to photograph a few things that got close enough for my Pentax 67 film camera. I’ll have to wait and see whether any of them worked out. I might try it again though. It’s a lot of fun to use and the clatter of that enormous shutter is very satisfying.

The first success of camp day. This Violet-Backed Starling appeared in the tree next to where I was sewing a button and @withoutaleaf was preparing breakfast. I’ve wanted to photograph one of these since forever. A jewel of the bushveld.

The car thermometer peaked at 48C this afternoon. So the lions we saw were asleep under a bush. But at Lake Panic, this killer was undeterred. We probably have little furry ancestors that hung from the jaws of this Squaco Heron’s dinosaur ancestors like this doomed frog.

It’s hot in the Kruger Park. Yesterday was 42 degrees. Today is predicted for 44 (as usual, I have no idea what that is in loony units - join civilization and go metric). Everything we saw on our drive from Malalane to Skukuza was moving slow in the boil. Birds were panting in the trees. If anyone can say what this dark brown eagle is, I’d appreciate it. Brown eagles are my Waterloo. ...