Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Gemsbok

Oryx gazella

The large and beautiful Gemsbok (also known as the Southern Oryx) is synonymous with South Africa’s arid Karoo and Kalahari regions. They occur under the harshest imaginable conditions in the Namib desert, but also in a wide range of more hospitable environments, such as open thornveld, mopane shrub and open grasslands, and are often encountered on rocky hillsides in these areas. Gemsbok are mixed feeders, consuming mostly short grass, leaves and shoots, roots and tubers, fruits and seedpods, showing specific preferences in each season. They are entirely independent of drinking water, but will drink up to 9 liters a day when it is available.

Gemsbok bulls can weigh up to 240kg and stand up to 1.3m high at the shoulder. Cows are slightly smaller in build, but usually have longer (and thinner) horns. For such large animals they are superbly adapted to a life in harsh, arid environments, being able to concentrate their urine and reabsorbing the maximum possible moisture from their dung. Gemsbok can even allow their body temperature to rise from a normal 36°C to 45°C before having to sweat and pant to cool down!

Gemsbok in thornveld

Gemsbok herd in the Karoo

Gemsbok in the Karoo

Gemsbok

Gemsbok roaming the plains of Camdeboo

Gemsbok

Gemsbok herd on the move

Gemsbok in the Auob River

Gemsbok

Gemsbok drinking

Gemsbok herd

Gemsbok

Gemsbok calf

Gemsbok

Gemsbok (photo by Joubert)

Gemsbok and Springbok

Gemsbok scaling a hill in Mokala

Gemsbok walking through Wild Rosemary (aka Kapokbos) in seed

Gemsbok

Gemsbok calves

Gemsbok occur in herds consisting of cows, calves and non-breeding bulls that move over the territories of several dominant territorial breeding males. The mixed herds are normally quite small, numbering between 5 and 40 animals, but can at times form temporary aggregations of up to 300 strong in response to favourable localised conditions. Breeding herds can cover enormous home ranges, especially during times of drought. They are normally active in the early morning and late afternoon, and often throughout the night, resting up during the heat of the day in any available shade.

Gemsbok in thornveld

Solitary Gemsbok bull

Gemsbok at Mokala National Park

Gemsbok are often encountered on rocky hillsides

Gemsbok on the run

Gemsbok are regular visitors at Haak-en-Steek in Mokala

Gemsbok

Gemsbok dominance display

Gemsbok

Gemsbok family

Gemsbok on Mokala’s open plains

Gemsbok

Gemsbok at Mokala National Park, April 2018

Gemsbok caught in the rain

A herd of gemsbok huddled together in the thunderstorm

Gemsbok are brave and aggressive, and thus very dangerous, especially when wounded or cornered or when protecting their calves. Single calves are born away from the herd at the end of the dry season, and remain hidden for the first few weeks after birth. Mothers return to the calves twice daily for nursing until she introduces the calf to the herd at between 3 and 6 weeks of age. Adult Gemsbok are only attacked by lions and spotted hyenas, who are often killed in the process, but unattended calves are easy prey for most of Africa’s predators. Gemsbok have a natural life expectancy of up to 20 years.

Gemsbok occur in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, with the IUCN estimating a total population of between 326,000 and 373,000 and recognising no major threats to their continued survival. South Africa’s biggest single population of Gemsbok occur in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, but they can also be seen at Karoo, Mapungubwe, Marakele, Mokala and Mountain Zebra National Parks, several other game and nature reserves, and on many private farms, where they are a popular game ranching species. The Beisa Oryx (Oryx beisa) from East Africa is now considered a seperate species.

Gemsbok

A herd of gemsbok huddled together in the thunderstorm

Gemsbok

Gemsbok on the plains

Red Hartebeest

27 Replies

Alcelaphus buselaphus caama

The Red Hartebeest was one of the first animals encountered by Dutch settlers when they arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in the mid 1600’s, the “hart” in their name coming from the Dutch word for deer. On average, at 160kg, Red Hartebeest bulls weigh around 30kg more than the cows and grow to a shoulder height of about 1.3m.

Red Hartebeest Bull

Red Hartebeest Cow

Red Hartebeest juvenile

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest occupy a wide range of habitats, from the edge of the Namib desert through the entire spectrum of semi-deserts, fynbos, grasslands and bushveld to mountainous highlands and floodplains. They are grazers, preferring medium to long grass, but in some areas they also include a substantial amount of browse in their diet. These hartebeests are independent of drinking water, though they will drink where it is available.

Red Hartbeest in thornveld at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Red Hartebeest in arid grasslands at Mountain Zebra National Park

Red Hartebeest in mixed thronveld-savana at Ithala Game Reserve

Red Hartebeest in grassland at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Red Hartebeest in the open grassland of Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Red hartebeest in the game park at Midmar

Red hartebeest on burnt grassland in the game park at Midmar

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest on the run, totally ignoring the speed limit!

Red Hartebeest

Red hartebeest

Red Hartbeest

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest with an itch

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest (photo by Joubert)

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest with newborn calf

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest Calf

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest cow and calf

Red Hartebeest Calf

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest are social animals, at times congregating in enormous herds, especially when migrating. Breeding herds consist of cows and their calves, while mature bulls maintain territories, in some areas throughout the year, into which they try to herd harems of breeding cows. Bulls too young or old to compete for territories keep to bachelor herds. Bulls get involved in serious fights to protect their territories (which are demarcated with dung piles and scent glands and advertised through ritual displays), sometimes leading to the death of both combatants when their horns become inextricably locked. Like the tsessebe, the Red Hartebeest is a very athletic antelope, capable of running continuously over distances of up to 15km and reaching speeds of up to 75km/h. They are most active in the morning and evening, and at times throughout the night.

Red Hartebeest Bull

Red Hartebeest cow at rest

Red Hartebeest bull at rest

Dominant Red Hartebeest bull

Red Hartebeest bull at rest

Sub-adult Red Hartebeest

Inquisitive hartebeest cow having noticed a predator

Red hartebeest resting in Mokala National Park

Red hartebeest cow standing watch in Mokala

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest cows give birth to single calves at the the onset of the rainy season. The calves remain hidden in dense cover for the first few days of life, before joining “creches” in their maternal herds. Red Hartebeest are not easily preyed on, though they do feature in the menu of all Africa’s big predators on occasion, and have a life expectancy of up to 19 years in the wild.

Juvenile Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest calf

Red Hartebeest cow and calf

Juvenile Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest

Red hartebeest in the wide open spaces

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest on the run

The Red Hartebeest is one of seven subspecies of the Common Hartebeest occurring in Africa – six if you count the closely related Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest as a seperate species, although the Red Hartebeest is also considered a separate species in its own right by some authorities. The IUCN indicates that the Red Hartebeest’s population is increasing, estimating the current population at more than 130,000 and without any concern of threats to their continued survival. They can be found in state reserves and private game farms almost all over South Africa, with the exception of the Lowveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga and the north-east of Kwazulu Natal (areas where historically the Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest were more likely to have occurred). In our experience good places to find and photograph Red Hartbeest would be Addo Elephant, Golden Gate, Karoo, Mountain Zebra and Pilanesberg National Parks, Ithala Game Reserve and Rietvlei Nature Reserve.

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest on the run

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest (photo by Joubert)

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest trio

Red Hartebeest

Red Hartebeest calf

Herd of Red Hartbeest on the edge of Sua Pan

Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest

10 Replies

Alcelaphus buselaphus lichtensteinii

Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest is a large antelope occurring in marshland and floodplains and the adjacent grasslands and woodlands of East-Central Africa, where they subsist almost exclusively on a grazing diet and requires daily access to drinking water. Bulls can weigh up to 200kg with a shoulder height of up to 1.36m, with cows being slightly smaller. These hartebeests often have a dirty patch on their flanks, due to their habit of wiping their faces and horns clean against their sides.

Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest are diurnal animals, being most active in the early morning and evening. They keep in small family groups consisting of a territorial bull, several adult cows (who apparently has a hierarchy linked to their age) and their calves. Bigger groups are just temporary and form in response to localised favourable grazing. Solitary bulls and bachelor groups also occur and move on the fringes of the territories held by the breeding bulls in the areas with the best grazing. Territories are demarcated through scent marking and dung piles and bulls will get involved in serious fights to prevent their harems being stolen by neighbours or interlopers. Lichtenstein’s Hartebeests often associate in mixed herds with wildebeest, impala and other herbivorous creatures, and are as curious as they are athletic. They fall prey to all Africa’s larger predators. Single calves are normally born at the end of the dry season.

A Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest mixing with tsessebe and ostrich at Tinhongonyeni waterhole in the Kruger National Park.

South Africa has only one very small population of about 50 Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest occurring in the Kruger National Park, to where they were reintroduced from Malawi in the 1980’s after being hunted to local extinction at the end of the 19th century. We’ve been lucky to have a handful of sightings of them in Kruger near Punda Maria, Mopani and Pretoriuskop. Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest are still numerous enough, especially in Tanzania and Zambia, for the IUCN to consider their populations stable and their conservation status as “Least Concern“, with an estimated population of around 82,000, though they also do highlight that the subspecies is vulnerable to poaching and reliant on continued protection in formal conservation areas.

Some authorities consider Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest to be a seperate species from other races of the Common Hartebeest (A. buselaphus), also represented in South Africa by the Red Hartbeest (A. buselaphus caama).

Tsessebe

29 Replies

Damaliscus lunatus lunatus

The Tsessebe is considered to be Africa’s most athletic antelope, though you would probably not immediately guess that when looking upon their ungainly physiques for the first time. Not only are they the fastest antelope (up to 80km/h), but they have tremendous stamina, being able to maintain a speed of 60km/h over distances of up to 5km.

Tsessebes are large antelopes, much larger than their close cousin the Blesbok, weighing in at an average of 140kg and standing up to 1.3m high at the shoulder. Bulls have thicker horns than cows.

Tsessebe Calf

Tsessebe Cow

Tsessebe Bull

These fleet-footed antelope live in open woodlands, lightly wooded and open grasslands and flood plains, where they require easy access to drinking water and shade. They subsist almost exclusively on grass and are especially attracted to new growth sprouting after veld fires.

Tsessebe like open areas

Tsessebe

Tsessebe in Mokala National Park

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tsessebe along the Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe like open areas

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe

Tsessebes are territorial animals. In areas with low population density they live in stable herds consisting of a single territorial bull, 2 to 6 cows and their dependent calves with large home ranges, while in more densely populated areas, specifically during the rutting season, bulls establish small territories into which they try to herd traversing cows for mating. Solitary bulls and bachelor groups also occur, and move along the edges of the territories. Territories are maintained through ritual displays (including horning the ground) and fighting, and demarcated with scent glands and dung heaps by both sexes. They are normally found in small herds of up to eleven animals, but can at times congregate in huge numbers when conditions are favourable. Herds are lead by the most dominant cow. Tsessebes often associate with other herbivorous animals, regularly occurring in mixed herds with waterbuck, wildebeest, zebras and ostriches. They are very curious and will even approach something unknown for a closer look, or when fleeing run away for only a short distance before turning around to check up on what frightened them, often with deadly consequences for the tsessebe.

Tsessebe at rest

Tsessebe are very athletic

Tsessebe at a waterhole in Mokala National Park

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger National Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Tsessebe in the Pilanesberg

Tsessebe in mopane vegetation in Northern Kruger National Park

Tsessebe at Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe in Ithala Game Reserve

Tsessebe at Mooiplaas in Kruger National Park

Tsessebe and zebra at Mooiplaas

Tsessebe searching for fresh growth following a fire in the Pilanesberg

Tsessebe at Nshawu

Tsessebe at Mooiplaas

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Tsessebe silhouette

Tsessebe (photo by Joubert)

Tsessebe

Tsessebe cow and calves

Single calves are born at the onset of the rainy season after a gestation of around 240 days, and are able to keep up with the herd shortly after birth. Females can stay in the same group their entire lives, but young bulls are driven from their maternal herd at about a year of age. Tsessebe and their calves feature on the menu of all Africa’s medium to large predators, and have a natural life expectancy of about 12 years.

Tsessebe in thornveld vegetation in Ithala Game Reserve

Tinhongonyeni in Kruger Park is a reliable spot to find Tsessebe

Posturing Tsessebe Bull at Tinhongonyeni in the Kruger Park

Protective Tsessebe cow with her calf

Tsessebe herd grazing on the plains north of Shingwedzi

Tsessebe

Tsessebes on Tshwene Drive

Grazing Tsessebe on Tshepe Drive

Grazing Tsessebes on Tshepe Drive (photo by Joubert)

Tsessebe and suckling calf

Tsessebe

Tsessebe with calf

Tsessebe close-up

A Tsessebe dwarfed by the landscape

Tsessebes

Africa is home to five different races of Tsessebe, also called Topi, Korrigum and Tiang according to the subspecies they belong to, numbering an estimated 300,000. The IUCN estimates the total population of the southern race of Tsessebe (D.l. lunatus) at around 30,000, with the overall population increasing steadily despite pressures from habitat loss. They are rare in South Africa, though numbers are increasing, with small populations being protected in the Kruger, Marakele, Mokala and Pilanesberg National Parks, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Ithala Game Reserve.

Blesbok

31 Replies

Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi

The Blesbok is a medium-sized antelope endemic to South Africa’s central plains. They have a shoulder height just short of 1m and weigh around 70kg. The “bles” in their name refers to the striking white blaze on their faces. White Blesbok have a leucistic coat and are mainly selectively bred on game ranches.

Blesbok ewe

Blesbok face

Blesbok ram

Blesbok

Blesbok in silhouette

Herd of Blesbok

Blesbok in the golden light of a Golden Gate sunrise

Big herd of blesbok at Golden Gate

Skittish blesbok

Blesbok at sunrise

White Blesbok

Blesbok

White Blesbok

White and normal-coloured Blesbok

White Blesbok

Blesbok

The Blesbok naturally occurs only on the open grasslands of South Africa’s Highveld, where they are well adapted to the cold winters, though they have been introduced to farmland in the more densely wooded Bushveld and drier Karoo regions as well with varying success. Their diet consists almost exclusively of short grasses and require daily access to a supply of fresh drinking water.

Blesbok

Blesbok herd on the move

Blesbok in typical open habitat

Blesbok

Young Blesbok

Blesbok

Blesbok (photo by Joubert)

Blesbok form large mixed herds during winter, but at the onset of the summer the rams will start establishing small territories, demarcated with scent glands and dung heaps, advertised through ritualised displays and maintained through some serious fighting, in which they attempt to herd and keep groups of ewes with which to mate. Blesbok are diurnal animals, resting during the heat of the day by positioning themselves with lowered heads facing the sun. Blesbok are fast runners with great stamina. When moving, herd members follow each other in a straight line, even when fleeing from predators.

Sun-facing posture during heat of the day

Blesbok herd

Blesbok rams posturing

Sun-facing posture during heat of the day

Blesbok ewe

Blesbok ram

Blesbok youngster with adult female

Blesbok ewe

Blesbok

Blesbok lying on their path

Ewes give birth to single lambs, usually in the summer months, and will nurse only their own lambs. Lambs are capable of running with the herd within 20 minutes of birth, and are preyed upon by jackals, caracals and feral dogs. Most of Africa’s large predators have been exterminated from the Blesbok’s range. They have a life expectancy of up to 17 years in the wild.

Blesbok yioungster

Blesbok lambs

Territorial Blesbok ram

Blesbok ewe and lamb

Blesbok lamb

Blesbok lambs

Blesbok

Blesbok in a hurry

Blesbok

The Blesbok once occurred in enormous numbers on the Highveld of South Africa, but excessive hunting led to the population plummeting to a low of about 2,000 at the end of the 19th century. Their numbers have since been built back up, but not nearly to erstwhile levels, with the IUCN estimating a population of approximately 240,000, most of which occur on private land where they are a popular game ranching animal as they can be contained by standard stock fencing. Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Rietvlei Nature Reserve and Willem Pretorius Game Reserve are good places to go searching for Blesbok.

Blesbok ewe with lamb

Blesbok ewe and lamb

Blesbok lamb

Blesbok ewes and lambs

Blesbok

Blesbok lamb

Pregnant Blesbok ewe

Blesbok

Blesbok lamb (photo by Joubert)

Blesbok

Blesbok lamb

Blesbok Ram standing proud

Blesbok

Blesbok running across Otter Bridge (photo by Joubert)

Blesbok

Black Wildebeest

40 Replies

Connochaetes gnou

With their long white tails, stiff mane, whiskery muzzles, and curved, forward facing horns the Black Wildebeest looks quite menacing and is easily recognisable. Bulls have a shoulder height of only 1.2m and weigh in at around 160kg, considerably smaller than their closely related cousins, the Blue Wildebeest.

An inhabitant of open grasslands and semi-desert plains, Black Wildebeest subsists on a diet of grass, low shrubs and succulents, and need to drink daily. They have a preference for highlands and mountain plateaus, and are quite resistant to the extreme cold experienced in such habitats, especially during winter.

Black Wildebeest prefer open grasslands

Black Wildebeest herd in the highlands

Midday posture, facing away from the hot sun

Grazing black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest

Black wildebeest and umbrella thorn

Black wildebeest

Black wildebeest on the trot along Golden Gate’s game viewing circuit

Walking to the battle ground

Black wildebeest

Black Wildebeest

Bewildered Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Black Wildebeest in humorous pose

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest are gregarious animals, coming together in herds of 6 to 60 made up mostly of cows and calves traversing the territories of bulls in their prime. Bulls unable to hold territories of their own join together in bachelor groups. During the hot summer they are mostly active from early evening to early morning, while they are active for most of the daylight hours in winter. As their open habitat usually offers very little in the form of shade, they spend the hottest hours of the day standing still and facing away from the sun. Black Wildebeest are extremely nervous, taking flight at high speed at the scantest sign of danger, and can be aggressive and unpredictable, especially when cornered, which is why you’ll seldom see them in captivity – as recently as 2013 a farmer and his son were killed when the family was attacked by two black wildebeest.

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest herd

Black Wildebeest are incredibly athletic

Just look at that tail!

Menacing, territorial Black Wildebeest Bull

Round 1! Black Wildebeest Duel

Black wildebeest herd on a plateau

Black wildebeest calves

Round 1! Black Wildebeest Duel

The victor and the vanquished

Black Wildebeest

Black wildebeest

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest trio

Black Wildebeest race

Herd of Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest

Cows give birth in the herd to single calves between November and January. The calves can keep up with the herd within minutes of being born. Most of the larger predators have been wiped out in the black wildebeest’s range and as such black-backed jackals preying on calves were the biggest predatory threat to them, though recently lion and cheetah have been reintroduced to some reserves where they occur and should re-establish a natural predator-prey balance. Their natural life expectancy is about 16 years.

Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Black Wildebeest

The Black Wildebeest occurs naturally only in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. In times past the Black Wildebeest was a migrating species, moving seasonally between the moist highveld grasslands and dry Karoo in incredible numbers, but modern farming practices have made such large scale movements impossible and the species is now confined to fenced farms and reserves. Some of the best places to see them include Chelmsford Nature Reserve, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park and Willem Pretorius Game Reserve. By the end of the 19th century indiscriminate hunting had almost driven the species to extinction, but since then concerted conservation efforts have ensured that numbers have been built up to an estimated 18,000 on private land and in state conservation areas, and the IUCN now considers their populations to be safe and increasing. That being said, hybridisation with the closely related Blue Wildebeest is an increasing threat to the genetic purity of the Black Wildebeest.

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Black Wildebeest

Black Wildebeest herd

Black Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest

63 Replies

Connochaetes taurinus taurinus

The Blue (or Common) Wildebeest must be one of Africa’s most familiar antelope, although it will probably never be included in a list of the continent’s most elegant creatures. Bulls stand around 1.5m high at the shoulder, and weigh about 240kg, while cows are more lightly built at around 180kg.

Blue Wildebeest bull close-up

Blue Wildebeest calf close-up

Blue Wildebeest cow close-up

Blue Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest

Large concentration of blue wildebeest at Langklaas waterhole

Blue Wildebeest having a rest in the shade

Blue Wildebeest with an unusual chevron mark on its muzzle

Blue Wildebeest herd

Blue wildebeest inhabit open grasslands, savannas and semi-deserts, where they subsists almost exclusively on short grasses and require a reliable supply of water, even in arid regions.

Blue wildebeest are curious creatures

Blue wildebeest graze on short grass

Vigilant blue wildebeest bull

Blue wildebeest require regular access to drinking water

Always on the move

Blue wildebeest like open terrain

Blue wildebeest too nervous to drink

Blue wildebeest on the move

Wildebeest herd kicking up dust at Makhadzi

Big herd of blue wildebeest at the water

Blue wildebeest

Even Blue Wildebeest appreciate a beautiful spot, like Bhekapanzi Pan

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest in the rain

Blue wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest calf

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest in Mapungubwe National Park

Blue Wildebeest at Mooiplaas

Blue Wildebeest

These diurnal herbivores congregate in herds of up to 10,000 (but mostly much smaller – a few dozen or so), consisting mostly of cows and calves traversing the territories of mature bulls. Smaller bachelor herds made up of bulls unable to maintain a territory of their own also occur. They will cover enormous distances trekking after fresh grazing and water. Blue wildebeest are commonly found associating with other game species, especially impala, giraffes and plains zebras, and have a curious love for rolling in mud and dung!

Blue wildebeest at rest after a stormy night

Blue wildebeest cow

Blue wildebeest often associate with other animals

Blue wildebeest “teenagers”

Blue wildebeest love rolling in mud or dung

Blue wildebeest “teenager”

Blue wildebeest

Curious Wildebeest Calf

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest herd drinking from the Transport Dam

Calves are born in the herd at the onset of the rainy season and can walk within 10 minutes of birth. Blue wildebeest have an expected life span of around 15 years, fall prey to all Africa’s large predators and also suffer from several parasites and sicknesses.

Whispering sweet nothings?

Blue wildebeest calf

Blue wildebeest youngsters

Blue wildebeest twins

Blue wildebeest calf staying close to mom

Blue Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest cows

Juvenile Blue Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest

Blue wildebeest cousins

Blue wildebeest herd

Blue wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest

In South Africa, Blue Wildebeest can be found in all of the northern provinces, though mostly confined to national parks, nature reserves and game ranches. Large populations can be found in Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Pilanesberg National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Ithala Game Reserve and uMkhuze Game Reserve. The IUCN considers the Common Wildebeest (C. taurinus) to be of least concern in conservation terms, estimating the total population at around 1,5-million, of which 130,000 belong to the southern subspecies, the Blue Wildebeest (C. t. taurinus).

Wildebeest silhouette

Blue Wildebeest

Fleeing Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest creche

Baby Blue Wildebeest with mom

Blue Wildebeest drinking

Newborn Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeests

Newly-born Blue Wildebeest stretching his legs

Blue Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest

Wildebeest pest (photo by Joubert)

Blue Wildebeest

Blue Wildebeest cow and calf

A unique colour-variation of the Blue Wildebeest, known as the Golden Wildebeest, is sometimes seen on game ranches.

Golden Wildebeest

“Golden” Blue Wildebeest

Crimson-breasted Shrike

41 Replies

Laniarius atrococcineus

The Crimson-breasted shrike is a small (53g, 25cm) insectivorous bird native to the drier north-western regions of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where it can be found in thorny savanna thickets. They are monogamous and pairs defend a territory throughout the year, though breeding occurs mainly in the summer months. They build their nests of bark and spiderwebs.

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Crimson-breasted Shrike (photo by Joubert)

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Crimson-breasted Shrike (photo by Joubert)

Crimson-breasted Shrike

The striking scarlet, black and white plumage of the Crimson-breasted Shrike is a perfect fit for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge “Vibrant“.

Black Heron

67 Replies

Egretta ardesiaca

One of the most interesting birds you could hope to see in action in South Africa’s wild places, is the Black Heron. It’s a smallish species, about 55cm long and less than 350g in weight. Their black plumage and bright orange-yellow feet make them easily recognisable.

Black Herons roost and breed communally in reedbeds or trees, near or over water, with others of their own species, and other kinds of egrets, herons, cormorants and ibises. Nests are platforms built of twigs at the start of the rainy season, on which clutches of 2 to 4 eggs are incubated.

They search for food, alone or in flocks of varying sizes, in rivers, swamps, lakes and estuaries, and feed predominantly on fish.

Black Heron

Black Herons occur widely in Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the equatorial forests, The IUCN considers the species’ population stable and in no immediate danger of extinction, though they are highly threatened in Madagascar.

A recent visit to Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary afforded us the opportunity to enjoy up-close views of the Black Heron’s characteristic hunting method, knows as “canopy feeding“. The bird uses its wings to create an umbrella around its head, and then picks off fish and tadpoles beneath. This behaviour may serve a dual purpose of preventing glare from the water, making it easier to see their prey, and tricking the prey into thinking that the shadow is a safe hiding place. They are also known to wiggle their toes underwater to attract their fishy prey.