Birds

The Karoo National Park is a surprisingly good place to photograph Southern Masked Weavers.

Blue-Eared Starling cooling off in Lower-Sabie.

A new bird count begins. As always it’s early days and we don’t see all that much. But a pair of these Levaillant’s Cisticolas did appear in front of the holes meant to entice broody kingfishers we were watching. I don’t know if I’ve photographed one before. Quite a crop though. I need to bring the teleconverter with me.

A Little Grebe gliding across the still water at Rondevlei yesterday with my old man. Not much success with photography but an absolutely perfect winter’s day in Cape Town. Warm and sunny.

Bird dump: Little Bee-Eater, African Darter, Greenback Heron, White Helmetshrike, Blue Waxbill.

We popped into The World of Birds the other day. I was remembering that I first went there in 1983 and have found it fascinating ever since. Apart from the rehabilitation they do (there are a huge whack of pied crows and spotted eagle owls no doubt mostly brought in injured) you get a chance to see birds up close in real life that you’d seldom or never get to see - like this handsome Amazonian Blue and Yellow Macaw. ...

Xmas looking out over the Melville koppie. Loads of fancy bushveld birds abound.

To me the Red Winged Starlings eating Syringa berries in the tree outside the Cape Mental Health Society as I cross the railway bridge in Obs have the feeling of a child’s story book illustration. Especially when there’s a whole bunch of these super-smart black starlings among the yellow berries. Just a really pretty winter scene on the way to breakfast @hello_sailor_bistro on Lwr Main. Oh. This is a girl Starling btw. You can tell by the grey head. The boy’s is shiny black.

Great white #pelicans on our #walk the way to #lunch. Like #galleons under #sail. We also saw a #malachite #kingfisher - our little #jewel with #wings.

The #gremmies in their #nest. Like two little #birds. Thank goodness I have #Crumb and #Trinket.