In celebration of World Wildlife Day we take a look back at the 53 species of Southern African wildlife we featured in detail here at DeWetsWild through the past twelve months.
Zitting Cisticola
Large Striped Swordtail
Cape Teal
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Blue-billed Teal
Perennial Glasswort
Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko
African Reed Warbler
Marsh Owl
Sandman Butterfly
Southern Pochard (photo by Joubert)
Pea Blue butterflies
Willow Warbler (photo by Joubert)
Caspian Tern
Purple Roller (photo by Joubert)
Broad-billed Roller
Large-leaved Dragon Plant
Streaky-headed Seedeater
Little Bittern
African death’s-head hawkmoth
Freshwater Crab
Chimpanzee
Little Blenny fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Common Tree Euphorbia in fruit
Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbia
Wild Date Palm blowing in the wind
Barn Swallow
Marico Flycatcher
Veined Tip
Red-sided Skink
Ground Pangolin
Red-capped Lark
Black-striped Hairtail
Spotted-necked Otter
Knob Thorn
Millipede
Striped Skaapsteker
Red-billed Spurfowl
African Veined White slurping nectar from an Impala Lily flower
Flat-crown Tree
Common Scimitarbill
Gemsbok walking through Wild Rosemary (aka Kapokbos) in seed
We’ve been having loads of rain in Pretoria since mid-December and our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve has turned into a lush green paradise where even rhinos and buffalo can disappear among the tall grass, in striking contrast to the fire-ravaged veld in early spring. The reserve was even closed due to flooding for a few days in February! Nature’s resilience is remarkable! The month of February marks a year since I started guiding guests on drives and walks through this special reserve on a freelance basis, and in conjunction with Hannes Rossouw Photography we presented another “introduction to wildlife photography” workshop for aspirant wildlife photographers from Gauteng at the reserve in February as well.
Early morning at Rietvlei, on my way to meet my guests for the morning drive
Sunrise at Rietvlei
Sooty Blue butterfly pair
Speckled Rock Skink
Speckled Rock Skink
Mosquito Fish
Mosquito Fish
Common Diadem butterfly
Swainson’s Spurfowl landing on a dead branch
Storm building over Rietvlei
Storm building over Rietvlei
Heading home in the evening
The young Black-chested Snake Eagle is venturing further afield of the nest in which it was raised, though still returning to it regularly. I haven’t seen its parents at the nest at all during January and February, and suspect they’re probably coaxing the youngster to roam more widely by feeding it at other places.
Adult Black-chested Snake Eagle
Juvenile Black-chested Snake Eagle
Juvenile Black-chested Snake Eagle
Juvenile Black-chested Snake Eagle
Aside from the Black-chested Snake Eagles, Rietvlei’s grasslands, thorny thickets and wetlands are positively bursting at the seams with a wide-variety of other birds, several of them in enormous numbers.
African Black Duck
African Darter
African Quail Finch
African Stonechat
Amur Falcon
Banded Martin
Black-chested Prinia
Bokmakierie
Cape Grassbird
Cape Longclaw
Cape Longclaw
Cattle Egret
Crowned Lapwing
Diederik Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Widowbird
Giant Kingfisher
Hamerkop
Orange-breasted Waxbills
Ostriches dustbathing
Ostriches
Ostriches females in a tiff
Pin-tailed Whydah male displaying to the female
Pin-tailed Whydah
Red Bishop
Red-billed Quelea
Red-collared Widowbird
Red-throated Wryneck
Red-throated Wryneck
Reed Cormorant
Rufous-naped Lark
Southern Masked weaver
Spotted Thick-knee
Spotted Thick-knee
Wattled Lapwing
Willow Warbler
Yellow-billed Duck
Yellow-billed Duck
Yellow-fronted Canary
Zitting Cisticola
List of birds seen at Rietvlei in January and February 2025:
Scientific
Afrikaans
English
Coturnix coturnix
Afrikaanse Kwartel
Common Quail
Gallinago nigripennis
Afrikaanse Snip
African Snipe
Fulica cristata
Bleshoender
Red-knobbed Coot
Elanus caeruleus
Blouvalk
Black-winged Kite
Telophorus zeylonus
Bokmakierie
Bokmakierie
Tricholaema leucomelas
Bonthoutkapper
Acacia Pied Barbet
Vanellus armatus
Bontkiewiet
Blacksmith Lapwing
Pternistis swainsonii
Bosveldfisant
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Buteo buteo
Bruinjakkalsvoel
Common Buzzard
Prinia subflava
Bruinsylangstertjie
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Chrysococcyx caprius
Diederikkie
Diederik Cuckoo
Jynx ruficollis
Draaihals
Red-throated Wryneck
Merops apiaster
Europese Byvreter
European Bee-eater
Hirundo rustica
Europese Swael
Barn Swallow
Muscicapa striata
Europese Vlieevanger
Spotted Flycatcher
Apus apus
Europese Windswael
Common Swift
Lanius collaris
Fiskaallaksman
Common Fiscal
Sigelus silens
Fiskaalvlieevanger
Fiscal Flycatcher
Neophedina cincta
Gebande Oewerswael
Banded Martin
Anas undulata
Geelbekeend
Yellow-billed Duck
Turdus smithi
Geelbeklyster
Karoo Thrush
Crithagra mozambica
Geeloogkanarie
Yellow-fronted Canary
Colius striatus
Gevlekte Muisvoel
Speckled Mousebird
Saxicola torquatus
Gewone Bontrokkie
African Stonechat
Burhinus capensis
Gewone Dikkop
Spotted Thick-knee
Dessonornis caffer
Gewone Janfrederik
Cape Robin-Chat
Anthus cinnamomeus
Gewone Koester
African Pipit
Ortygospiza atricollis
Gewone Kwartelvinkie
African Quail Finch
Motacilla capensis
Gewone Kwikkie
Cape Wagtail
Passer melanurus
Gewone Mossie
Cape Sparrow
Tringa hypoleucos
Gewone Ruiter
Common Sandpiper
Numida meleagris
Gewone Tarentaal
Helmeted Guineafowl
Streptopelia capicola
Gewone Tortelduif
Cape Turtle Dove
Centropus burchellii
Gewone Vleiloerie
Burchell’s Coucal
Plegadis falcinellus
Glansibis
Glossy Ibis
Sphenoeacus afer
Grasvoel
Cape Grassbird
Streptopelia semitorquata
Grootringduif
Red-eyed Dove
Cecropis cucullata
Grootstreepswael
Greater Striped Swallow
Gallinula chloropus
Grootwaterhoender
Common Moorhen
Passer diffusus
Gryskopmossie
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
Lophoceros nasutus
Grysneushoringvoel
African Grey Hornbill
Bostrychia hagedash
Hadeda
Hadeda Ibis
Scopus umbretta
Hamerkop
Hamerkop
Upupa africana
Hoephoep
African Hoopoe
Phylloscopus trochilus
Hofsanger
Willow Warbler
Acridotheres tristis
Indiese Spreeu
Common Myna
Zosterops virens
Kaapse Glasogie
Cape White-eye
Acrocephalus gracilirostris
Kaapse Rietsanger
Lesser Swamp Warbler
Ploceus capensis
Kaapse Wewer
Cape Weaver
Scleroptila gutturalis
Kalaharipatrys
Orange River Francolin
Tachybaptus ruficollis
Kleindobbertjie
Little Grebe
Lamprotornis nitens
Kleinglansspreeu
Cape Glossy Starling
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Kolgans
Egyptian Goose
Vidua macroura
Koningrooibekkie
Pin-tailed Whydah
Euplectes axillaris
Kortstertflap
Fan-tailed Whydah
Vanellus coronatus
Kroonkiewiet
Crowned Lapwing
Trachyphonus vaillantii
Kuifkophoutkapper
Crested Barbet
Corythornis cristatus
Kuifkopvisvanger
Malachite Kingfisher
Crinifer concolor
Kwevoel
Grey Go-Away Bird
Cisticola juncidis
Landeryklopkloppie
Zitting Cisticola
Euplectes progne
Langstertflap
Longtailed Widowbird
Vanellus senegallus
Lelkiewiet
Wattled Lapwing
Dicrurus adsimilis
Mikstertbyvanger
Fork-tailed Drongo
Falco amurensis
Oostelike Rooipootvalk
Amur Falcon
Macronyx capensis
Oranjekeel Kalkoentjie
Cape Longclaw
Cypsiurus parvus
Palmwindswael
African Palm Swift
Turdoides jardineii
Pylvlekkatlagter
Arrow-marked Babbler
Microcarbo africanus
Rietduiker
Reed Cormorant
Amandava subflava
Rooiassie
Orange-breasted Waxbill
Anas erythrorhyncha
Rooibekeend
Red-billed Teal
Phoeniculus purpureus
Rooibekkakelaar
Green Wood-hoopoe
Quelea quelea
Rooibekkwelea
Red-billed Quelea
Estrilda astrild
Rooibeksysie
Common Waxbill
Spilopelia senegalensis
Rooiborsduifie
Laughing Dove
Laniarius atrococcineus
Rooiborslaksman
Crimson-breasted Shrike
Euplectes ardens
Rooikeelflap
Red-collared Widowbird
Amadina erythrocephala
Rooikopvink
Red-headed Finch
Mirafra africana
Rooineklewerik
Rufous-naped Lark
Euplectes orix
Rooivink
Southern Red Bishop
Urocolius indicus
Rooiwangmuisvoel
Red-faced Mousebird
Threskiornis aethiopicus
Skoorsteenveer
African Sacred Ibis
Anhinga rufa
Slanghalsvoel
African Darter
Laniarius ferrugineus
Suidelike Waterfiskaal
Southern Boubou
Prinia flavicans
Swartbandlangstertjie
Black-chested Prinia
Circaetus pectoralis
Swartborsslangarend
Black-chested Snake Eagle
Anas sparsa
Swarteend
African Black Duck
Ploceus velatus
Swartkeelgeelvink
Southern Masked Weaver
Ardea melanocephala
Swartkopreier
Black-headed Heron
Pycnonotus tricolor
Swartoogtiptol
Dark-capped Bulbul
Chalcomitra amethystina
Swartsuikerbekkie
Amethyst Sunbird
Apus barbatus
Swartwindswael
African Black Swift
Bubulcus ibis
Veereier
Western Cattle Egret
Icthyophaga vocifer
Visarend
Fish Eagle
Cisticola tinniens
Vleitinktinkie
Levaillant’s Cisticola
Asio capensis
Vlei-uil
Marsh Owl
Struthio camelus
Volstruis
Common Ostrich
Phalacrocorax lucidus
Witborsduiker
White-breasted Cormorant
Corvus albus
Witborskraai
Pied Cow
Lamprotornis bicolor
Witgatspreeu
Pied Starling
Hirundo albigularis
Witkeelswael
White-throated Swallow
Apus caffer
Witkruiswindswael
White-rumped Swift
Euplectes albonotatus
Witvlerkflap
White-winged Widowbird
Afrotis afraoides
Witvlerkkorhaan
Northern Black Korhaan
The tall grass and lush vegetation is making it very difficult to see most of the mammals and especially the smaller kinds. One exception is the zebras, seeming to now prefer the reserve’s roads for walking from one grazing area to the next and giving me and my guests wonderful up-close encounters with these beautiful animals.
Black-backed Jackal with a bullfrog
Black Wildebeest
Blesbok
Buffalo
Plains Zebras
Plains Zebras
Plains Zebra
Plains Zebra female and foal
Plains Zebra foal getting a tail in the face
Plains Zebra
Plains Zebra
Plains Zebras
Red Hartebeest calf
Eland running across the road
List of mammals seen at Rietvlei in January and February 2025:
Scientific
Afrikaans
English
Damaliscus pygargus
Blesbok
Blesbuck
Equus quagga
Bontsebra
Plains Zebra
Syncerus caffer
Buffel
Cape Buffalo
Taurotragus oryx
Eland
Eland
Sylvicapra grimmia
Grysduiker
Common Duiker
Suricata suricatta
Meerkat
Suricate
Alcelaphus buselaphus
Rooihartbees
Red Hartebeest
Canis mesomelas
Rooijakkals
Black-backed Jackal
Hippopotamus amphibius
Seekoei
Hippopotamus
Antidorcas marsupialis
Springbok
Springbuck
Connochaetes gnou
Swartwildebees
Black Wildebeest
Leptailurus serval
Tierboskat
Serval
Kobus ellipsyprymnus
Waterbok
Waterbuck
Cynictis penicillata
Witkwasmuishond
Yellow Mongoose
Ceratotherium simum
Witrenoster
White Rhinoceros
If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of Rietvlei – on a hike or on an open vehicle drive – you can book through melanie@rietvleicoffee.co.za / +27(0)74-820-9926.
The species of owl with the widest distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica, the Barn Owl is also found throughout South Africa and often in close association with human habitation. While it may roost in mine shafts and on buildings in towns and cities, in natural environments Barn Owls roost in trees and caves in any habitat with suitable numbers of prey. Barn Owls are almost completely nocturnal and feed on an extremely wide variety of creatures, ranging from insects and other invertebrates, small reptiles and birds to mammals the size of hares and rabbits.
Barn Owls nest at any time of year, using roost sites in building, hollows in trees or caves in which the female incubate clutches of about 6 eggs for approximately a month while the male provides her with food. When food is scarce chicks that hatch earlier may sometimes cannibalise their younger siblings. The chicks may stay in the nest for up to 2 months before taking their first flight, and usually start hunting for themselves at about 3 months of age.
The vibrant colours of the Common Milkweed Locust, both in the adults and in the nymphs, serves as a warning to any would-be predators that these insects are not only foul-tasting but also potentially lethally toxic. They feed on poisonous plants, incorporating the toxins into their own tissues. The females lay their eggs in late summer with the nymphs then appearing the following spring and maturing slowly over the next 2 years. They’re found in open habitats over most of South Africa and usually in groups congregating on their favourite food plants.
The Ludwig’s Bustard inhabits open, arid scrubland in the Karoo, Kalahari and Namib, migrating considerable distances over these areas as it follows the rains and the resultant proliferation of seeds, rodents, insects and other invertebrates (it is an omnivore) that follows. They’re usually seen either singly or in small groups though congregations of up to 80 individuals have been recorded.
Male Ludwig’s Bustards are territorial, defending a small patch in which they try to keep and mate with as many females as possible during the breeding season that spans the spring and summer months, and playing no further role in the rearing of the precocial chicks. The female nests in a shallow scrape in the ground, usually surrounded by vegetation, incubating a clutch of 1-3 eggs. Fully grown they stand approximately 85cm tall, with a wingspan of up to 1.8m and weighing between 2.5kg and 4.5kg, males being considerably larger than females.
The tiny Fairy Flycatcher occurs only in South Africa and Lesotho and marginally into neighbouring Namibia and Botswana. Their distribution in our winter months is much wider than in the rest of the year. Fairy Flycatchers live in the more arid and open regions of the country, preferring areas of thorny shrubland and grasslands with pockets of thorn trees, though they have become increasingly numerous in suburban gardens and plantations. Their diet is restricted to invertebrates, including insects and spiders, and they are usually seen singly or in pairs but only very rarely in small groups.
At the start of the nesting period in our spring season the female constructs a cup-shaped nest using very fine materials in a dense shrub. She also takes sole responsibility for incubating the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs which hatch within 3 weeks of being laid, though the male will provide her with food while she is on the nest. Fully grown Fairy Flycatchers weigh only about 6g and measure approximately 11cm in length.
The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin has a wide distribution in the coastal waters off Australia, Asia and Africa’s eastern seaboard. Locally they’re found as far west as Table Bay, living on a diet of fish and squid.
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins live in pods numbering between 20 and 2,000 individuals. Females give birth to a single baby at 2-6 year intervals, following a 12-month long gestation. Fully grown, these dolphins measure about 2.6m in length and weigh between 150-230kg, and have a life expectancy of up to 40 years in the wild.
The IUCN considers the Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin to be near-threatened, citing the species’ coastal occurrence which brings them into contact with many negative human-induced factors but also indicating that there’s been insufficient research on their population numbers and trends on a global scale.
The Buff-streaked Chat is a bird that is found only in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), where it occurs mainly on the Drakensberg range and in its foothills (with an apparently isolated population in the Waterberg), being a denizen of grassy, boulder-strewn hillsides and isolated rocky outcrops, though it has also adapted to living near human dwellings on farms and in small towns. They feed primarily on insects and other invertebrates, taking seeds and nectar on occasion.
Usually encountered in territorial pairs, Buff-streaked Chats breed in the summer months, when the female builds a large, untidy cup of twigs, fine roots and grass in which she incubates a clutch of 2-4 eggs, usually in a crevice, under an overhanging rock or in a thick tuft of grass. Both parents take care of the nestlings and are often assisted by the young from the previous brood. Fully grown they measure about 16cm in length and weigh approximately 30g.
The IUCN considers the Buff-streaked Chat to be of least concern, and though commonly encountered where they occur their habitat must’ve been severely diminished in recent history with the proliferation on exotic plantations in their preferred distribution range.
The Common Brown Water Snake is a small snake that on average grows to about 60cm in length, adult females being considerably larger than males. It is of no danger to anything except the small frogs, tadpoles and fish it feeds on, being as its name suggests closely associated with watery habitats where it is an excellent swimmer. The Common Brown Water Snake is non-venomous and kills its prey by constriction. It is placid by nature and rarely bites when handled. Females lay between 10 and 20 eggs in the summer months, with the babies hatching about 2 months later.
We have Joubert’s sharp eyes to thank for seeing this beautifully camouflaged specimen at a stream in the Mountain Zebra National Park. The sighting was rather unusual as these snakes are usually active at night.
For the majority of local and international tourists the Mountain Zebra National Park is probably one of the country’s most underestimated protected areas. Conservationists and those visitors who have fell under its spell, however, can’t praise the place highly enough. But don’t give away the secret – we love Mountain Zebra National Park for its untrammeled wilderness feeling far from the madding crowds!
During our visit earlier in January I posted a few photographs on a daily basis to give those following along on our travels a glimpse of what we were experiencing. Let’s start this recap with those.
Kudu bull eating sweet-thorn blossoms
Gemsbok
Black Rhino
Springbok ewe (photo by Joubert)
Blesbok lamb (photo by Joubert)
Mountain Zebra (photo by Joubert)
Young Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)
Black Rhino (photo by Joubert)
Speckled Mousebird
Mountain Zebra National Park: Scenery along the Kranskop Loop
Mountain Zebra family squabble
Black Wildebeest
Black Rhino
Springbok
Black Rhino
Ostrich chick
Yellow Mongoose
Ground Squirrel
Marsh Terrapin
Mountain Zebra
Kudu calf
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Of course, pride of place goes to the population of Cape Mountain Zebra, as saving these beautiful creatures from extinction was the reason behind the Park’s proclamation almost 90 years ago.
Cape Mountain Zebras
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra foal
Cape Mountain Zebra foal being shy
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra mare and foal
But of course, Mountain Zebra National Park is also home to an amazing variety of other wildlife that also finds a home in this beautiful landscape.
Ludwig’s Bustard
Chat Flycatcher
Blesbok
Warthog (photo by Joubert)
Southern African Ground Squirrel
Yellow Mongoose
Yellow Canary
Ammocharis lily
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Four-striped Grass Mouse
Blesbok
Springbok herd on the move
Meerkat
Cape Longclaw
Familiar Chat
I suspect this is Cotyledon campanulata
Common River Frogs
Blue Cranes
Southern Ground Agama
Namaqua Sand Lizard
Springbok (photo by Joubert)
Eastern Clapper Lark
Blesbok lamb
Spike-heeled Lark
Black Wildebeest herd
Scaly-feathered Finch
Bar-throated Apalis
Red Hartebeest
Poynton’s River Frog
Southern African Ground Squirrels
Male Ostrich sunbathing
Blesbok Ram standing proud
Malachite Kingfisher (photo by Joubert)
Grey Rhebok
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow
Nile Monitor
Male Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)
Common Brown Water Snake
Female Sentinel Rock Thrush
One of the most exciting sightings of our entire trip occurred early morning on our last full day in the Park, when we came across a herd of buffalo anxiously milling on the road at a precarious downhill stretch on the Kranskop Loop, just where it crosses a small stream. Only after some of the herd passed us, nerve-wreckingly due to the steep slope next to us parked off to the side of the very narrow roadway, we could go around the corner and saw the reason for the buffaloes’ distress – they were being stalked by two lionesses! The cats never went into a full blown attack while we were watching but seemed content to keep following the buffaloes and working on their nerves.
Buffalo roadblock
Buffalo herd on the move – photo by Joubert
Buffalo herd almost forcing their way past our vehicle on a narrow, steep road!
Buffalo close-up (photo by Joubert)
Buffalo
Buffalo
Very nervous buffalo cow – photo by Joubert
Nervous buffalo cow
Nervous buffalo cow
Buffalo herd continuing over the stream and up the hill to get distance between them and the lions
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness eyeing us and the buffaloes from the grass (photo by Joubert)
Lioness
Lioness
Seen high from the Kranskop Loop Road the buffaloes are still trying to put distance between them and the lions
But the lionesses are following patiently behind
We ended our visit to Mountain Zebra National Park with a night drive. The Park is renowned for the quality sightings of otherwise rarely seen nocturnal creatures and our drive certainly did not disappoint!
DeWetsWild 