Tag Archives: wildlife

We’re at Mountain Zebra National Park now

Evening on the 27th of December 2017 finds us at Mountain Zebra National Park, where the battle to save the Cape Mountain Zebra from the brink of extinction was fought and won.

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Seymore Butts

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How many ellie bums can you fit in one picture? 😀

We had the pleasure of following this wide load on our drive through Addo Elephant National Park this morning.

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Christmas Cuties

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Wishing all of our friends here at de Wets Wild a blessed Christmas from Addo Elephant National Park!

Today’s sequence shows two baby elephants sharing a Christmas morning nap. The smallest of the two really struggled to get back up when it was time to start moving with the herd again. Certainly one of the cutest things we’ve ever seen in South Africa’s wild places!

Baby Elephant Naptime at Addo

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In the land of the giants

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We’ve arrived at the Addo Elephant National Park, where there is space for big and small to live side by side…

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Now this is brave!

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While walking along the edge of the Tsitsikamma forests at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp today, Joubert and I came across a very brave Southern Boubou tangling with a deadly venomous Boomslang. The bird succeeded in driving the snake away, apparently none the worse for the encounter.

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A Warm Welcome at Bontebok

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These three Bontebok were aptly waiting to welcome us to our campsite at the next stop on our summer holidays: The Lang Elsie’s Kraal Rest Camp at the Bontebok National Park.

More on Bontebok – the antelope and the Park -soon!

Dashing in Black-and-White

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This morning we visited the colony of African Penguins breeding at Boulders Beach in Simonstown, the historic naval town located south of Cape Town on the coast of False Bay.

African Penguin at Boulders Beach

Colony of African Penguins at Boulders Beach

Of course we’ll share more about Boulders, and the African Penguin, when we return from our holiday!

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Right where it belongs

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The beautiful Gemsbok is just one of several antelope species that find sanctuary here at the Karoo National Park, and is one of the most frequently observed large mammals out on the reserve’s extensive network of drives.

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Chorister Robin-Chat

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Cossypha dichroa

The Chorister Robin-Chat occurs only in South Africa (marginally into Swaziland), where it inhabits evergreen montane and coastal forests from the Garden Route, through the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal and onto the escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Insects, other invertebrates and a variety of fruits and berries make up the biggest part of their diet. At 20cm long and a weight of up to 56g, the Chorister Robin-Chat is the biggest species of Robin-Chat in our country. They have an amazing repertoire of calls, often imitating other birds and even human whistling, dogs barking or the croaking of frogs!

Chorister Robin-Chats breed from October to December, usually in rotten holes in trees which the female lines with moss, leaves, lichens and soft grass. Clutches of 2 or 3 eggs are incubated by the female for 2-3 weeks, with chicks remaining dependent on their parents for up to 8 weeks after hatching.

The IUCN considers the Chorister Robin-Chat to be of least concern, however it also notes that the population is probably declining due to habitat destruction.

Chorister Robin-Chat

Chorister Robin-chat

Chorister Robin-Chat

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Mocking Cliff Chat

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Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris

Mocking Cliff Chats inhabits well-wooded rocky outcrops, bouldered mountainsides, cliffs, ravines and rocky river valleys. It would appear that they move away from high-lying areas during the harshest part of winter. It feeds mainly on insects, but does include fruit and nectar in its diet. Adults grow to 22cm in length, weighing between 46-53g, and can become quite tame and confiding around humans.

Mocking Cliff Chats often take over the nests of swallows, though they will build their own nests of twigs, other plant material and fur in rocky hollows. They breed during spring and summer. Clutches contain 2-4 eggs and are incubated by the female for about 2 weeks. Both parents care for the chicks, which fledge at 3 weeks of age. They are usually encountered in pairs or small family groups numbering up to 6.

The Mocking Cliff Chat occurs patchily over a large area of Sub-Saharan Africa, wherever suitably rocky habitat is found, with the exception of the dense equatorial forests. in South Africa it can be found from the Eastern Cape northwards, through Kwazulu-Natal and the Free State to Limpopo Province. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern.