Kingfisher on The Singemonkey

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.

January 04, 2018

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 10:04:14 +0000

@withoutaleaf is taking no chances in getting that perfect Woodland Kingfisher pic. They’ve defied her for too long. Now she’s staking out the branch on which they do their thing with her book and her script supervisor’s chair.

December 30, 2017

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 20:03:05 +0000

Posting one extra from yesterday to remark on the magic of flying ants. Walking by the riverside here in Skukuza, they rise in great cones of insects - perfectly silent. Not the slightest sound. They fly towards the brilliant summer moon in their hundreds like grey fairies in the dusk. This phenomenon is impossible to photograph and would be a challenge to film.

This is a Woodland Kingfisher, BTW. Its call is the sound of the summer.

September 11, 2017

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:29:28 +0000

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.