Tag Archives: wildlife

Bokmakierie

Telophorus zeylonus

The beautiful Bokmakierie is a well known South African bird, easily seen thanks to their conspicuous colours and the vibrant call from which they get their name. They inhabit fynbos, dry scrublands, grassland and to a lesser extent open savannas, often near rocky outcrops, and is commonly found in suburban parks and gardens across their range. They feed mainly on insects and spiders but will also prey on small vertebrates, like lizards and baby birds, and also include eggs and a variety of fruit in their diet.

Bokmakieries nest mostly during spring and summer though attempts have been recorded throughout the year, raising clutches of 2-6 chicks that hatch after being incubated by both parents for a little over 2 weeks. Their nests are cups built of plant material in thick vegetation. The hatchlings leave the nest when they’re about 3 weeks old. Pairs are territorial. Adults measure about 23cm in length and weigh up to 66g.

The IUCN considers the Bokmakierie to be of least concern. They are common in South Africa (except most of Limpopo Province), Namibia and Lesotho, with their distribution extending marginally into Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Bokmakierie

Bokmakierie with a fat caterpillar

Bokmakierie

Bokmakierie (photo by Joubert)

Bokmakierie

Common Fiscal

24 Replies

Lanius collaris

The Common Fiscal, or Southern Fiscal or Fiscal Shrike, is a familiar garden bird in South Africa, usually seen singly or in territorial pairs. Adults weigh about 40g and measure around 22cm in length. They prefer open habitats but are extremely adaptable to both natural and man-made environments. Fiscals feed on a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate prey ranging in size from flies, caterpillars and moths to frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and mice (occasionally fruit) and hunt from open perches, usually catching their prey on the ground. Their habit of impaling large prey items on thorns or barbed wire to consume later has earned them the alternative name of “butcher bird”.

Fiscal Shrikes breed throughout the year, with a peak during spring and summer, and pairs may raise as many as three broods in a year. The male defends the pair’s territory while the female does most of the nest-building, using vegetation and other soft materials to fashion a thick-walled cup in a thorny bush or tree. It is also the female that does most of the brooding, with clutches of 1-5 eggs hatching around two weeks after incubation started. The male then helps to feed the hatchlings, which leave the nest when they’re about 3 weeks old but stay in their parents’ territory for about another 3 months more.

The Common Fiscal is considered of least concern by the IUCN and distributed widely over sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa they are found in virtually every corner of the country.

Common Fiscal

Mature Fiscal Shrike pecking up baboon leftovers

Immature Fiscal Shrike

Common Fiscal

Fiscal Shrike

Common Fiscal

Fiscal Shrike pantry

Fiscal Shrike

Common Fiscal

Fiscal Shrike

Common Fiscal

Southern Fiscal

Common Fiscal

Immature Southern Fiscal

Common Fiscal

Common Fiscal (photo by Joubert)

Common Fiscal

Fiscal Shrike

Celebrating our natural heritage

35 Replies

It is the Heritage Day long weekend in South Africa, and yesterday we packed the Duster with picnic baskets and grandparents and set out for a most enjoyable morning at our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve. Large sections of the reserve have recently received management burns to clear moribund grass cover (fire being an essential component of Africa’s grassland and savanna landscapes), and the first spring rains have spurred the growth of new grass, attracting a wide range of birds and animals to these areas.

Reed Cormorant

Cattle Egret

Reed Cormorant

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Mongoose being chased by a Capped Wheatear

Black-backed Jackal

Crowned Lapwing

Yellow-billed Ducks

Red Hartebeest

Long-tailed Widowbird (female)

Spotted Thick-knee

Buffy Pipit

Spur-winged Geese

Ostrich

Hadeda

Capped Wheatear

Blesbok

Lesser Swamp Warbler

Eland

White Rhinoceros

Black Wildebeest

Plains Zebra

Red Hartebeest

Blesbok lying on their path

World Rhino Day 2018

29 Replies

The rhino poaching scourge continues to make headlines in South Africa, and the happiness at hearing about the ranger’s regular successes in the fight is often tempered by horrible news of another mass-killing incident, insider involvement or botched prosecution. With a 26% reduction in the number of rhinos killed in the first 8 months of 2018 compared to the previous year there’s reason to be optimistic that this year, like 2015, 2016 & 2017, will see a reduction in the number of animals lost and an increase in the number of perpetrators that were apprehended.

This year, on World Rhino Day, let us appreciate and celebrate these prehistoric-looking behemoths, with thanks to the army of dedicated rangers, soldiers and volunteers fighting the war to keep them safe.

Black Rhino profile

White Rhino discussion

Angry white rhino cow defending her calf

White rhino cow with almost fully grown calf

Black Rhinoceros

White rhino bull (dehorned to protect against poaching)

White rhinos

White Rhino calf

Black rhinos

White Rhino Cow and Calf

White Rhinoceros

White Rhinos – Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park

The embodiment of magnificence

White Rhino

White Rhino drinking

White Rhinoceros

Black rhino sunset

White rhinoceros

White Rhino Territorial Demarcation

White rhinos

Black Rhino

White rhinos

The tiniest baby rhino we’ve ever seen

You’ll never catch me!

Don’t mess with a black rhino

White Rhinos

White rhinoceros cow and rather large calf

Black rhinos in an aggressive mood

White rhinoceros

Black Rhino

White rhinoceros

African Snipe

28 Replies

Gallinago nigripennis

The African Snipe is a wading bird closely associated with wetland habitats (seasonal or permanent) with a muddy substrate and flooded vegetation, where they feed on aquatic invertebrates ranging from worms to crabs. Adults grow to about 28cm in length and average 113g in weight.

African Snipes build their grass-platform nests in dense vegetation surrounded by water or wet ground. Pairs are monogamous and build their nests well away from others of their kind, and at any time of year though there appears to be a breeding peak in winter. Clutches of 1-3 eggs are incubated solely by the female but both parents take care of the chicks, which leave the nest when they’re about 3 weeks old. When not breeding they may occur in flocks of around 20 or so.

The African Snipe occurs widely over eastern, central and southern Africa, and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN, despite their preferred habitats being threatened by exploitation. In South Africa they have a wide if patchy distribution in all provinces except the Northern Cape.

African Snipe

African Snipe (photo by Joubert)

African Snipe

Epauletted Fruit Bats

24 Replies

Epomophorus crypturus,

Epomophorus wahlbergi

In South Africa we have two species of Epauletted Fruit Bat, often occurring together in mixed colonies and indistinguishable from each other in the field. These are Peters’s (E. crypturus) and Wahlberg’s (E. wahlbergi) Epauletted Fruit Bats. They’re distributed in the moist eastern parts of our country, with Wahlberg’s occurring from the Garden Route through to the Lowveld while Peters’s occurs as far south as the Eastern Cape coast. Both species are also found further north into central and east Africa and are considered to be of least concern by the IUCN.

Epauletted Fruit Bats are large bats, weighing around 100g with wingspans of about 50cm. They inhabit forests, riverine woodland and dense savannas in which there’s a preponderance of fruiting trees. Unfortunately their fondness for soft fruit make them a nuisance in orchards.

Epauletted Fruit Bats are mainly nocturnal though they may be seen about on heavily overcast days. They utter a frog-like pinging call, a familiar night sound in many of the wild places we visit and a personal favourite. By day they hang in deep shade in trees or under thatched roofs, often in noisy colonies numbering from a few individuals into the hundreds. They normally search for food singly, although large groups may congregate at fruiting trees. Most babies are born in early summer, with the single baby clinging to its mother’s nipples as she flies around in search of food.

Epauletted Fruit Bat at Skukuza Airport

Fruit bats under the thatch of Skukuza's shop

Epauletted Fruit Bat under the thatch of Skukuza’s shop

Epauletted Fruit Bats roosting in a palm near our accommodation at Shingwedzi

Epauletted Fruit Bats

Epauletted Fruit Bats in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Epauletted Fruit Bat

Epauletted Fruit Bat (photo by Joubert)

Epauletted Fruit Bat

Tree full of Epauletted Fruit Bats

Tawny-flanked Prinia

16 Replies

Prinia subflava

Tawny-flanked Prinias are small birds, weighing less than 10g but (thanks to their long tails) attaining a length of around 13cm. They are usually seen in pairs or small family groups, and inhabit dense grass and shrubbery, often along water courses and in gardens. They feed almost entirely on insects and other invertebrates.

Excluding the harshest parts of winter, Tawny-flanked Prinias breed almost throughout the year. Pairs are monogamous and weave a pear-shaped nest low in a shrub, often over water. The clutch of 2-5 eggs are incubated over a period of 2 weeks by both parents, and the hatchlings leave the nest by the time they’re 2 to 3 weeks old.

With a very wide distribution across most of sub-Saharan Africa, the IUCN considers the Tawny-flanked Prinia to be of least concern. In South Africa this species can be found in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and parts of the Free State and North West.

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Tawny-flanked Prinia (photo by Joubert)

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Tawny-flanked Prinia (photo by Joubert)

Tawny-flanked Prinia

African Pied Wagtail

35 Replies

Motacilla aguimp

African Pied Wagtails are always found near bodies of water, both natural and man-made and both flowing and stagnant, but with a particular fondness for wide rivers with sandy banks and boulders in and around the water. Here they feed mainly on invertebrates ranging from worms to crabs, but will also consume tadpoles, small fish and seeds. Adults weigh around 27g and grow to about 20cm in length.

Pied Wagtails are usually seen in monogamous pairs, or small family groups during the breeding season. Both parents work to build the cup-shape nest, often over or otherwise near water, using grass, leaves, hair and feathers. Their breeding season stretches from late winter to early autumn. The clutch of 2-5 eggs are incubated by both parents for around 2 weeks, with the chicks becoming independent at around 6 weeks of age.

The African Pied Wagtail has a very wide distribution over sub-saharan Africa and along the Nile River, and is classified as being of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa they are mainly found from the Eastern Cape through Kwazulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng, extending into the North West, Free State and Northern Cape along the Orange-Vaal Riversystem.

African Pied wagtail

African Pied Wagtail

African Pied wagtail

African Pied wagtails

African Pied wagtail

African Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail (photo by Joubert)

African Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail in flight

Pied Wagtail

African Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

African Dusky Flycatcher

10 Replies

Muscicapa adusta

The African Dusky Flycatcher inhabits forests (mainly edges and clearings), riverine woodland and densely planted parks and gardens, and is easily overlooked. They feed mainly on flying insects but do include a little fruit in their diet on occasion. They are small birds, weighing about 11g as adults and measuring around 13cm in length.

Pairs of the African Dusky Flycatcher are monogamous and build their cup-shaped nests in holes in trees or crevices in rocks using fine plant material, feathers and spider webs. Their breeding season spans spring and summer, and only the female incubates the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs over a 2-week period while the male brings food to her at the nest. The chicks become independent within 3 weeks of hatching, often allowing the parents to raise another brood in the same season.

While noting that their populations are probably declining due to habitat destruction, the IUCN lists the African Dusky Flycatcher as being of least concern. The species is distributed patchily from east and central Africa south to South Africa, where they occur throughout our wetter eastern and southern provinces.

African Dusky Flycatcher

Immature African Dusky Flycatcher

African Dusky Flycatcher (photo by Joubert)

African Dusky Flycatcher

Immature African Dusky Flycatcher (photo by Joubert)

African Dusky Flycatcher

Cape Rock-Thrush

17 Replies

Monticola rupestris

As their name suggests, the Cape Rock-Thrush occurs only in rocky habitats, especially steep hills and mountain sides and deep valleys in grasslands and heathland with a sparse covering of trees, and it sometimes ventures into villages and reserve rest camps in such areas. They follow a diverse, omnivorous diet including insects and other invertebrates, small vertebrates like lizards and geckos, fruits, seeds and aloe-nectar. At a weight of around 60g and a length of about 21cm, the Cape Rock-Thrush is the biggest member of the family occuring in South Africa.

Cape Rock Thrushes are usually encountered singly or in pairs. Their breeding season spans spring and summer and their nests are untidy, shallow platforms built in crevices or on ledges which may be used for several consecutive breeding seasons. The male is very protective of the pair’s territory, while the female takes most of the responsibility for incubating the clutch of 2-4 eggs over a 2-week period. Both parents take care of the chicks, which become independent before they’re a month old.

The Cape Rock Thrush occurs only in parts of Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern.