Capebirding on The Singemonkey

April 03, 2023

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 18:55:47 +0000

Last Tuesday at my bird count with Jane. It’s been a miserable anxious week with my boy cat Crumb missing without trace since last Monday. We did see a bittern after the count though, which is still an absolute treat.

January 31, 2023

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:38:13 +0000

Today marked two years of our weekly bird count at the Liesbeek Confluence. Terna has had me up for it at 6:30 this year - excruciating for me except that it’s close to the dawn and the light is beautiful. Also Ana had hot rooibos tea and it was a treat sitting on the grass with them and looking out at this familiar scene.

February 13, 2022

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:46:44 +0000

Our Liesbeek bird counting group had an away day this morning at Strandfontein Sewerage works. Jane and Terna looking out at the thousands of birds in every direction. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the place so dense with avian life. As we drove down the tracks, Barn Swallows swirled around the car stuffing themselves with unseen bugs - to fatten up for their long journey back to the summer of Europe. We saw so many different ducks - Cape, Red-Billed, and Blue-billed Teals. Cape Shovelers. Spur-Winged Geese, Egyptian Geese, Southern Pochards, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, and Yellow-Billed Ducks.

July 28, 2021

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:26:23 +0000

Our little dawn bird-counting team. Jane and Terna plus me. A lovely misty morning by the Black River. Commuters rushing to work on the M5 behind us. It’s very much an urban wild space.

July 06, 2021

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:44:27 +0000

No otters down by the river. But great flights of ibis - including two flocks of Glossy Ibis; about a dozen each.

Might be getting new lenses for the little XE1 today. Excited about that.

June 25, 2021

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 09:23:57 +0000

I didn’t see an otter today. I saw two.

January 20, 2021

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 10:24:58 +0000

I’ve joined a tiny bird group to monitor the presence of birds where the Liesbeek River meets the Black River. Once a week we go out to this spot on the Black River in the morning and spend 5 minutes noting every species we can see and their numbers. Yesterday was a two kingfisher day with a trio of Pied Kingfishers fussing just on the right edge of the Liesbeek mouth and a Malachite Kingfisher I didn’t see (I was taking notes and, when I thought I saw it later, was asked if I wasn’t looking at a Morning Glory flower - I was 😂). Despite being an urban river system, it’s bursting with wildlife.

November 14, 2020

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 13:46:12 +0000

These ones are greater flamingoes - although their pink beaks are underwater. Almost a retro-80s, vapour-wave kinda thing going on with the colour scheme and the ripple patterns.

September 17, 2020

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:45:40 +0000

#balconybirds No.4 The Cape Bulbul. Distinguishable from other Bulbuls (or Greenbuls, I should say. I think they’re all called Greenbulls now) by it’s white eye-ring. These are fun little birds. Busy as heck foraging about in small groups. In fact, about 30 minutes after taking this two sat up on the line and were being incredibly sweet - the one grooming the other’s neck in the golden light. Of course my battery would die then. And of course I’d find the other was uncharged…