Tag Archives: nature

Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary

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Austin Roberts was one of South Africa’s most acclaimed zoologists, best known for his authoratitive reference book on the birds of Southern Africa. Today, his legacy is honoured in the Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary, located in Pretoria’s leafy Nieuw Muckleneuk suburb.

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The tiny reserve covers only eleven hectares (about four city blocks), yet more than 170 bird species have been identified here – a consequence of the wide range of habitats that it provides: dense woodland, mixed bushveld, reedbeds and nine small perennial dams. In addition, a few small antelope and a couple of tortoises also occur here.

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Blesbok

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Cape Teal

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Common Moorhen

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Egyptian Geese

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Fulvous Duck

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Laughing Dove nesting inside the hide

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Steenbok

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White-faced Ducks

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Yellow-billed Duck

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Red-knobbed Coot with chick

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The Blue Crane is South Africa’s national bird

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Crowned Crane

Facilities at the sanctuary include a restaurant and photographic hide, both extremely popular, and both offering a very nice lunchtime break from the office!

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A section of the hide at Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary

Our Neighbourhood

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We’re very fortunate in that the housing complex where we live in Pretoria borders the “Serene Valley” – a section of the Moreleta Spruit (“spruit” is a South African term for a small stream) surrounded by natural vegetation right in the centre of our bustling suburb. Because of our proximity to this little nature area we’ve noted more than 70 species of birds in our garden, and we’ve even encountered the odd vervet monkey, bushbaby and slender mongoose from time to time.

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Serene Valley

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Serene Valley

While this week’s WordPress Challenge is specifically targeted at images taken with mobile phones, conventional camera photos aren’t excluded.

Milestone for de Wets Wild

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“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.”
Richard Mullin.

Giraffe at sunrise, near Lower Sabie in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Giraffe at sunrise, near Lower Sabie in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

This is our 100th post on de Wets Wild!

Our deepest gratitude goes to everyone that has contributed to us reaching this milestone by reading, following, liking, commenting and sharing our posts. We appreciate the friendships we’ve made and the inspiration and encouragement you’ve given us through this medium immensely.

There’s still so much beauty and splendour to share from South Africa’s wild places, and as we look forward to doing just that through de Wets Wild for a very long time to come we’d be thrilled to have your continued support.

Our sincere thanks, again!

Dries, Marilize & Joubert – the wild de Wets

The Big-5 in Black-and-White

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The “Big Five” is probably Africa’s most sought-after animals – the term was coined by colonial-era trophy hunters to describe the group of animals considered the most dangerous to hunt: Black Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard and Lion. Today, these animals are a major reason for the popularity of South Africa’s wildlife reserves among locals and tourists from all over the world.

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We’re participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com‘s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge is “Black-and-White“

Letaba Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

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Almost exactly in the middle of the Kruger National Park, on the southern bank of the broad and mostly sandy Letaba River, you will find the Letaba Rest Camp – a tranquil retreat beneath large, shady trees.

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Sunrise between Phalaborwa Gate and Letaba Rest Camp

Letaba welcomed its first guests back in 1929, and remains very popular with visitors to this day. Hutted accommodation and camping is available for overnight guests, the restaurant offers sweeping views of the river and a spacious and shady picnic area, complete with swimming pool, is available to day visitors. Bushbuck, squirrels and a variety of birds have made themselves right at home among the accommodation units and provide endless entertainment to visitors lounging along the riverfront throughout the day.

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Letaba bungalow

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Bushbuck at home among the huts

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Day visitor picnic site

The Elephant Hall is a unique educational facility with exhibits dedicated to every facet of the elephant’s ecology. Also on display is the ivory of several of the Kruger National Park’s famous big tuskers that have sadly departed to heavenly pastures.

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Elephant statue

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Elephant skeleton

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Inside the Elephant Hall

You then won’t be surprised when we tell you that Letaba is elephant country. Visitors here have an excellent chance of encountering both breeding herds and bulls carrying impressive ivory. Masthulele, probably Kruger biggest tusker at the moment, is in fact regularly seen along the river right in front of the camp.

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The late Hlanganini

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Masthulele

Buffalo is another member of the “Big-5” that occurs in large numbers in the Letaba area, and visitors are bound to see a variety of other wildlife, including predators, in the area.

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The best self-drive routes for game viewing from Letaba are those that track the course of the river; road S46 towards the south-east and road S47 to the north-west. Guided activities such as walks and night drives are also very popular.

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Pay Letaba a visit and you’ll quickly understand why it is a firm favourite with many of the Kruger faithful!

Lost in the Details

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Every zebra has a stripe pattern as unique as a human’s thumbprint.

Detail

This week’s WordPress photo challenge is “Lost in the Details“

Look Up!

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LOOK UP!

In South Africa’s wild places danger can lurk anywhere…

Leopard snoozing in a tree, in the Kruger National Park

(you can click on the image for a clearer view)

We’re participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com‘s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge is “Look Up!“

Pilanesberg – 17 February 2013

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Sunrise over the rim of the ancient volcanic crater

Last Sunday Joubert and I accompanied my brother Niël to the Pilanesberg National Park for a day visit – as always it was good to get out of the city and into the wilds, even if only for a day. Pilanesberg’s four entrance gates are all within an easy two-hour drive from Pretoria so it wasn’t difficult at all to be at the Park’s Manyane Gate in time for it opening at 05:30. We departed again, through Bakubung Gate, just as dusk was settling over the reserve at around 18:00 that evening.

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Lake Mankwe

We spent most of the day exploring the Park along the extensive network of roads and also spent some time in the various photographic hides (two of which was damaged considerably by elephants recently and in need of repair). Here’s a collection of photographs of Pilanesberg’s mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, all taken on Sunday.

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Blue wildebeest cow

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Blue wildebeest bull

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Yellow-billed stork

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Barbel (catfish) ambushing small fish in the shallows

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Pied kingfisher

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Terrapins

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Giraffe

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White rhinoceros

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Kudu cow and calf

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Battle scarred zebra stallion

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Elephants have right of way

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Elephant roadblock

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Waterbuck drinking

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Grey heron cooling off next to the water

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Jacana walking on submerged plants

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Juvenile crocodile

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Little Egret in breeding plumage

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Impala

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Springbok, South Africa’s national animal

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Ostrich

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Curious giraffe

For more on Pilanesberg you can read all about our previous visit there in May 2012.

Forward!

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Pachyderms on parade in the Pilanesberg…

Forward!

For more on this week’s photo challenge by WordPress: Forward

Sunrise

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Our visit to the Kruger National Park in April 2012 delivered some of the most gorgeous sunrises we can recall:

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We’re participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com‘s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge is Sunrise