Today I sneaked a photo of Joubert while he was taking pictures of two playful warthog piglets outside our cottage here in Mpila in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
We had only just arrived at Mpila Camp in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park this afternoon, when we were welcomed by this Spotted Bush Snake on the mosquito screen of our kitchen door – What a welcome!
While exploring the mangrove swamps here at Umlalazi Nature Reserve this morning, this Pink-backed Pelican treated us to a low-level flypast.
Today was our last day here at Umlalazi. Tomorrow, we head for the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. If we have a good enough connection well try to post a daily update from there as well.
We were out the door at 04:20 this morning to take in this spectacular sunrise over the Indian Ocean. We then spent a couple of hours playing on the beach before going back to our cabin for a delicious brunch. Wish every day could start this way…
We spent the morning exploring the beautiful Dlinza Forest Nature Reserve in the town of Eshowe. This panoramic view awaits you at the top of the aerial boardwalk at Dlinza – an excellent way to experience the middle and upper stories of the forest that one doesn’t normally have access to – click on the image for a larger view. Of course we’ll share more about Dlinza when we’re back from holiday!
View from the Dlinza Reserve’s Aerial Boardwalk
Today we spent some time exploring the Raphia Palm National Monument, quite literally one of the biggest attractions here at Umlalazi Nature Reserve. See if you can make out Joubert standing next to two of the towering giants.
The time for our December holidays have finally arrived, and we kick of our summer vacation at beautiful Umlalazi Nature Reserve on the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal Province!
The shy African Firefinch is a tiny (11cm, 10g) seedeater inhabiting humid thickets in savanna and riverine woodland. They are usually seen in pairs or small groups.
Pairs are monogamous and the male is responsible for the building of the small ball-shaped grass-nest in a densely-leaved bush or dense grass during the summer months. Both parents share the incubation duties for the clutch of 2-5 eggs, which hatch after about two weeks. The nestlings are fed on small insects and fledge when they about 3 weeks old. The chicks become independent around 2 weeks after leaving the nest.
The African Firefinch has a rather patchy distribution across much of sub-Saharan Africa. The IUCN lists it as being of least concern. In South Africa they can be found from the Eastern Cape, through Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo and into Gauteng and the North West Province.
The Sombre Greenbul is a shy species, often more easily heard than seen. They are usually encountered singly or in pairs, feeding on insects and other invertebrates as well as ripe fruit and berries, nectar and flowers. They prefer dense habitats, ranging from forests to thickets in coastal scrub, where they usually move around in the middle and upper levels, and has adapted well to densely planted suburban gardens. Sombre Greenbuls breed in spring and summer, building their cup-shaped nests amongst dense leaves quite high above the ground.
The IUCN lists the Sombre Greenbul as being of least concern. It is distributed along Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline and adjacent hinterland from Somalia to South Africa, where it is to be seen in the Western and Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and the Lowveld and Escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.
One of our most familiar swallows, often found in close association with human habitation, is the Greater Striped Swallow. They prefer open, undulating and mountainous habitats, often near open water, where they hawk the flying insects that form their staple diet.
Greater Striped Swallows breed from early spring to deep in autumn and build mud-nests beneath overhanging rocks and toppled trees, but they have adapted well to using the underside of roofs and bridges for the purpose (see photos). Usually clutches consist of 3 eggs, incubated by the female alone for 3 weeks though both parents feed the chicks once hatched. The chicks start flying when they’re a month old but will return to the safety of the nest for a few days afterwards still. Adults measure about 18cm long and weigh around 25g.
Greater Striped Swallows are to be seen seasonally in most of Africa south of the equator, “wintering” in the DRC, Angola and Tanzania and moving southwards to breed in southern Africa from August to March – during summer they occur in virtually every corner of South Africa. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern.
DeWetsWild 