Knocking about KZN

For those who have yet to meet her, this is Maralyn Robinson, a very special lady who has miraculously come into my life and who will hopefully stay here for a long time to come.

Shortly before returning to Bonamanzi to use the credit they had very kindly granted, I took a walk from the Turner's through Krantzkllof to number 28B Margaret Crescent and was pleased to see that the house and garden were unchanged.  For anyone who never visited us there this is the view that Jo and I enjoyed for around 12 years.

Early walks were the order of the day in Bonamanzi, and on one to the dam near Dinizulu Camp, I heard a familiar call and soon located old banana beak - a green malkoa. It is a difficult enough bird to see, let alone photograph as they usually lurk in the thickest parts of the canopy.

Wild jasmine Jasminum spp were in prolific flower and filled the air with their heady scent.

Dinizulu dam is full but a hunt along the shores did not turn up the hoped for Pel's fishing owl...........

.........however I guess this was a good enough second prize the near mythical Narina trogon, which is surprisingly easy to locate at this time of year as the males are overflowing with hormones and hoot constantly.

On the fringes black-winged stilt foraged for breakfast on legs that are at least as long as their body....

...........and on the shore, southern banded groundlings (dragonflies) hover just in front of you as your walk in order to snaffle any insects you may put to flight.

As reception at my campsite was poor I had to get down to Lalapanzi to chat and returning one evening found two newly fledged fiery-necked nightjars in the road.  When mom flew overhead to check on them one took off to join her but the other stayed long enough for a rather poor picture, nevertheless - Ag shaaaame.

On another morning perambulation I flushed a large raptor but as I was not carrying binoculars I could only guess it's identity.  Collecting both bins and camera from the bakkie I headed back to the site just over an hour later and voila, it was still in the same spot and allowed me to get some wonderful shots.  Again, a southern banded snake eagle is not an everyday occurrence and to get photos was sublime.

Having occasion to get down to Lalapanzi to talk to Maralyn, I noticed this odd phenomenon on the way.  Can only assume the power lines had been recently replaced and hence, glowed in the late afternoon sky.

A visit to Cape Vidal provided a photo-op of another fairly unusual resident, a Samango monkey.

Separated from the main St Lucia lake is the smaller Lake Bhangazi which is refuge to a huge number of hippo, I counted 29 individuals in one pod.....

......and in the wetter areas common vlei lilies Crinum macowenii with their large, showy flowers.

I had a brief visit from an African broadbill near the camp who was very vocal and performed his little flying pirouettes perfectly but refused to allow any pictures as he only started well after sundown.  To circumvent the problem I went to a site where we were regularly able to show Natal Bird Experience guests these cute entertainers.  No-one was at home except for a bearded robin taking a late afternoon stroll.

My time at Bonamanzi unfortunately came to an end and I decided to head for the 'Berg, as I was on my way there when I had that senior moment and lost the bakkie to Midmar shitehouse.  A friend, Mark Ward Able (or Wobbly table) had recently been appointed greenkeeper at Gowrie Farm near Nottingham Road and near there, Glenshieling Caravan Park, beckoned.  Had no sooner set up than in dropped this scrounger looking for a hand-out.  Woolly-necked storks have become regulars at many resorts and old age homes as people appear quite happy to feed them.  This has led to a rather unnatural range extension and they are now found hundreds of kilometers from their former haunts.

On the way to Howick I came across this avenue of ornamental fruit trees, possibly Japanese cherries - imports are not a forte - lining the side of the road.  They were interspersed with orange azaleas and created quite a spectacle.............

.............with their densely packed flowers.

I then met up with Maralyn and spent three nights with her  friends in Umhlanga where I was pressed into service as a guide.  First up was Umhlanga Lagoon where we found a Natal Iron Plum Drypetes natalensis with it's unusual flower bedecked branches........

.........and next day at Mtunzini, just up the road, we spent time in the mangroves and dune forest where we came across these brightly coloured plate fungi..............

............and a rather cute armadillo beetle who rolled into a tight ball at our approach.

Finally Maralyn and I visited Inanda Dam as part of a round the gorge experience and located something else I'd never come across in flower, a mistletoe cactus Ripsalis baccifera.  A climber, which has no leaves (those in the background are something else) and our only species of cactus makes this one very special plant.

Then it was on to Jo'burg for a few days and finding myself at a loose end I decided to visit the War Museum that was just around the corner.  It was totally mind-boggling in it's variety and depth, but as aircraft are really my thing, herewith a selection.  An immaculate Hurricane, furtively snapped in a hall where photography is banned for some unknown reason.........

............. and this dirty great Fokker, sorry Junkers 87 or Stuka, an aircraft which was deliberately kitted out with a siren to make it sound fearsome when diving towards their target.........

..............and a Me262, not only the first jet in service but fitted with radar to track enemy aircraft.  With a top speed of around 1000 kph, the Allies were lucky they entered the fray too late to cause serious losses.

All the jacarandas around Jo'burg are in full bloom and this one was offset by a bougainvillea - it's just unfortunate that a picture never quite justifies their remarkable colour.