Birthday outing to Rietvlei

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This past weekend saw us, accompanied by good friends and close family, heading to our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve to celebrate Joubert’s tenth birthday. The highlight of the day for Joubert and his mates was a tour to Rietvlei’s lions, with the birthday boy getting the seat of honour next to the very knowledgeable ranger-guide.

White Rhino Bull (horns humanely removed to deter poachers)
Cormorant colony at Rietvlei Dam (photo by Joubert)
Reed Cormorant in flight
Reed Cormorant in flight
African Wattled Lapwing
Crowned Lapwing
Blacksmith Lapwing
Waterbuck bull
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Rufous-naped Lark in full song
Rose-ringed Parakeet – these exotics seem to have become established in the reserve.
Red Hartebeest with an itch
Two very dusty zebras (photo by Joubert)
Male ostrich
Immature Dabchick
Lazy lioness (photo by Joubert)
Lioness
Rietvlei’s lions live a life of leisure
Groundscraper Thrush
Grey Go-away Bird
Green, or Red-billed, Wood-Hoopoe
Fork-tailed Drongo
Eland herd
Egyptian Goose
Crimson-breasted Shrike
Common Moorhen
Common Moorhen
Spotted Dikkop (Spotted Thick-knee)
Cape Longclaw
Buffalo
Blesbok
Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)
African Stonechat (photo by Joubert)
African Stonechat male
10 years old: August 2019. Joubert at Rietvlei Nature Reserve celebrating his 10th birthday party
Very special birthday cake
All aboard the safari vehicle!
10 years old: August 2019. Joubert sitting next to the ranger-guide on a tour to see Rietvlei’s lions

30 thoughts on “Birthday outing to Rietvlei”

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Baie dankie, Dina. Ja-nee, nog nie een van Joubert se partytjies was binnensmuurs nie, al is Augustus nie altyd lekker warm soos hierdie jaar nie. Ek kan my ook nie verbeel dat ons dit andersins sal wil hê nie…

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  9. Tranature - quiet moments in nature

    Beautiful images Dries and what a wonderful birthday treat for Joubert to see the lions 🦁 The cake looks amazing, such a fun idea too! 🙂🎂

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thank you Anne. As for the Groundscraper Thrush, we’ve been seeing them much more frequently recently – we even have a pair living on the sidewalks here in our neighbourhood!

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  12. loisajay

    The birthday cake is adorable! The lazy lioness….you almost want to reach out and pet her, don’t you? Humanely removed the horn. That is a thing? I’m glad it deters poachers but, really, what a shame.

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thanks very much, Lois! The little cake-photographer was a present from one of Marilize’s very talented colleagues.
      Joubert really managed to capture that lioness’s laziness perfectly, you can see in her eyes that she is utterly bored…
      Sadly yes, in reserves with small populations of rhinos managers and vets now routinely remove the horns to protect them against rhino poachers. It is a very costly and time-consuming exercise and needs to be done regularly as the horn keeps growing out (it is made of the same stuff as nails and hair)

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  13. H.J. for avian101

    Joubert is a lucky boy having you as a father! What a birthday present! Fantastic!
    What a great gallery of birds! It was my present! Thanks, D. 🙂

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