Wakkerstroom and other wanderings

Wanted to try and get pictures of an very elusive lark that's found in the Wakkerstroom area so spent a couple of nights at the very comfortable and reasonable Birdlife facility on the vlei just out of town.  The surrounding area is a rather spectacular combination of mountains and grasslands.

One of the multitude of species had seed-heads that were glinting like icicles in the sunlight.

Later in the afternoon billowing storm clouds were lit up in golden glory by the setting sun.....

...........and a stop on the road over the vlei heading towards Amersfoort early the next day provided a peaceful pre-sunrise scene.

Near the spot where I was hoping to locate Botha's lark, which I've only every seen once before, I happened upon a small group of spike-heeled larks, one of whom struck up this picture perfect pose which displays all the characteristics of the species to a tee - even down to the spike on the heel.

Having no luck in the valley, I climbed a small hill and was delighted to become reacquainted with a mini-euphorbia Euphorbia clavicaroides species that grows in these highveld regions forming a densely packed mass of cactus-like tufts that would look more at home in the sea. (Car keys by way of size comparison.)

Late afternoon on the causeway, looking back across the massive vlei to the Birdlife facility hidden in the trees on the left with the sun's reflections causing shimmering ripples was a delight to the eye...........

...........and a pair of shelduck completed the picture - he sporting the grey head and her the white.

While looking for another local special the following morning, I was left puzzling over this chap which try as I may refused to become a yellow-breasted pipit in winter plumage and remained resolutely an African - though I'm hoping some boffin will let me know the error of my ways!

Some minor compensation was provided by this wonderful little Amur falcon female intent on breakfast.....

........and one of many red-capped larks that were foraging in the road for goodness knows what.

Time came for the Dundee departure and I headed for Nelspruit once more to take up residence at the Lakeside Resort some way out of town on the Kaapsehoek road.  There are a number of majestic kapok trees in bloom all around town and their pink splendour goes some way to ameliorating the fact that they are aliens.

On a quick jaunt to Boksburg to sort a few niggles, I was once again assailed by the beauty of another alien species in the form of cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus, though they are a rather more insidious invader.

On a day visit to Kruger, I was particularly chuffed to find one of the smaller raptors of which there appear to be fewer and fewer even in the large reserves and this dark chanting goshawk certainly qualifies as one of the rarer species.  Although very similar to their pale chanting cousins, their range and overall darker grey plumage differentiates them though there are a number of other species that could cause confusion.

It has been a long held contention of mine that grey plumage just makes for a spectacularly smart appearance, take this lesser grey shrike as a stunning example.

Just down the road in Whiteriver, Maralyn introduced me to Dr Jeremy Anderson, a noted local naturalist who had a secret to divulge - a nesting pair of what is probably the most elusive raptor in SA, the secretive and odd looking bat hawk.  As a mostly crepuscular hunter with a taste for bats it is rarely seen unless you happen to know where a nest is located and as Jeremy has been keeping track of this particular pair for many years - bingo.  The female was sitting tight on a nest and not visible but the male was - most unusually - roosting in a dead eucalypt close by.

Note this brilliant piece of deception, the eyelid is white so even when sleeping he appears to be on guard.

And I finally managed to catch one of the white-browed robin-chats that frequent Maralyn's garden with it's guard sufficiently down to allow a reasonable photograph - will keep trying though.

After driving the R40 between Nelspruit and Whiteriver more times than I can count I suddenly noticed this magical piece of artwork near Bundu Lodge - look out for it if you're ever on that stretch.

An invite from Maralyn's friends Sally and Graham Kay saw us heading for Timbavati Private Reserve for Easter where the two of us were accommodated in this magnificent old farm house, rather unkindly referred to as "The Barn".

Once famous for it's white lions, the removal of the fences between it and neighbouring Kruger Park have resulted in the sad disappearance of the white race in their natural environs, but the recessive gene may well reappear in some future progeny. The garden around the camp buzzed with birds which included four species of woodpecker though I only managed to get a picture of a female cardinal.

Graham was our extremely capable and knowledgeable guide and chauffeured us to all corners of this incredible reserve with most of the birds and animals very relaxed and happy after good rains.  Some of the 106 birds recorded included Natal spurfowl....................

............a jewel in the form of little bee-eater and a night sighting of a white-backed night heron which may not be as rare as it appears but is infrequently seen because of it's totally nocturnal habits.

As Easter coincides with full moon, a sundowner spot provided a perfect picture.............

....... and was followed very shortly thereafter by a full moon rising - sometimes it really is tough in South Africa.

A done deed in Dundee (and some others)

A rarity in the shape of a golden pipit was located near Mopani camp in Kruger, so I hit the road arriving almost unannounced in Whiteriver, which caused a certain amount of of angst  in chez Maralyn, and as she wasn't available to accompany me immediately, I went in search of another bird that was apparently lurking at Mazithi Dam.  It wasn't, so Janet (a good friend of Maralyn's who had accompanied me on the venture) and I retired to Tshokwane for a consolation buffalo pie and chips.  The normal hangers-on were in attendance including this very tame greater blue-eared starling who was having a quiet preen in a nearby tree.  So why is it not a Cape glossy, the dark patch behind the eye and a blue belly are the visual cues and the call is totally different.

At the low-level bridge near Skukuza a little egret was fishing and showing off the aigrette (or neck plumes) which were so popular with continental ladies for their hats, that the birds were driven to extinction there many years ago.  Not sure if the population has ever recovered.

Nearby, on top of a tree a juvenile martial eagle was sitting and surveying it's realm imperiously.

A couple of days later we arrived at Mopane and though we searched diligently in the area where the pipit was last reported, there was no sign of the creature.  Some lovely bristle grasses glowing in the morning sun were a minor compensation............

................but a visit to a nearby pan turned up gold in the form of a lesser moorhen.  Had only ever seen this species once before and that was back in 2004 when Umhlanga Ponds were in their prime. The differences?  Most obvious would be size if a common moorhen was around for comparative purposes, but the plumage is much paler and the beak is mostly yellow as opposed to red with a yellow tip.

The specials kept coming, with next up being a group of Temminck's coursers with their reddish caps and bold black eye-stripe.....

....and in the background a huge waterbuck bull with a wonky horn............

......plus this old daggaboy whose absence of tail would suggest a close encounter with lions.

But the birds kept stealing the show, a magnificent paradise whydah complete with bustle....

..........the increasingly rare black stork at a weir where we also observed a superb peregrine falcon on a low level sortie............

............and flocks of chestnut-backed sparrow-larks that included a male who remained still for long enough to get a reasonable photograph.

It may be that I've never noticed them before, as they are neither particularly inspiring or obvious, but it certainly was the first time I'd ever snapped the flowers of the ubiquitous mopane (Colophospermum mopane).

Lurking in the shade of one of them something I'd only seen on a couple of previous occasions a dusky lark, who unfortunately proved extremely camera shy, but you get the drift.

To cap what had been a stupendous couple of days, we once again visited Mazithi Dam and this time were met by not one...............

...............not two................

.............but three dwarf bitterns - a bird that has eluded me for over 30 years. A real bogey now laid to rest in spectacular style.

Getting back to Dundee was rather an anti-climax so a bit of history was necessary as an antidote.  In 1838, as a response to the massacre of Piet Retief and his men at Dingane's kraal a small force of 470 boers sallied forth into Zululand bent on revenge.  The accounts I've read infer that the position that they chose to engage with the 10 000 plus Zulu army was purely fortuitous but I prefer to think that their wily leader, Andries Pretorius, knew exactly what he was doing when he formed the 64 ox-wagons into a D-shaped laager on the banks of the Ncome River. When it was all over about 3000 warriors lost their lives and the tainted river was renamed after their spilled blood, while the boers suffered three minor casualties. The monument to this battle features 64 full scale cast-iron replicas of the ox-wagons, drawn up around the spot.

Not really a fair fight with spears against guns and pitifully few of their spears even reached the laager let alone did any damage and, when a single lucky cannon shot took out 16 of the 19 Zulu commanders, most of their troops lost heart and fled.  Nevertheless the astonishing courage shown by the men armed only with leather shields and spears is celebrated in a massive museum on the opposite bank of the river.

I then took part in the annual "Old farts movie club" which happened at various venues along the KZN coast.  Originally consisting of four couples whose menfolk shared a great love of vintage race cars, they had been getting together regularly over many years so that the men could talk cars and their womenfolk could try and instil some culture into proceedings by (forcing) them to watch some favourite movies.  I was most honoured to take the place of a deceased member, Maralyn's husband Howard. What followed were six memorable nights of magnificent food, wine, laughter and movies starting in Salt Rock where a couple of dolphins were spotted on an early foray.........

.............followed by two in Umhlanga..........

...........and finally Leisure Bay near Port Edward, where blues of every conceivable hue formed an idyllic backdrop.  While some of the films were riveting............... 

.....................others couldn't compare to a spectacular sunset.

Two of the couples entered into the spirit of things by bringing their magnificent steeds along in the form of a 50's era Morgan +4..............

.............and an XK150 Jaguar - both of whose lines competed with the gorgeous ladies present.

To round of a lovely trip we were invited to the Smart's for lunch and treated to a close up of these weird plants, Ceropegia meyerii or Meyer's ceropegia.  The flower is about 60 mm long with the petals fused to form a cage at the top and recent work suggests that they may be insectivorous.

Our final night was at the Turner's now completed cottage in Kloof, which is available as a self-catering establishment with amazing views and a massive indigenous garden.  This magical mural was done by a graffiti artist who only used aerosol spray cans. Anyone interested, give me a shout.

Returning to Dundee, it was very noticeable how much rain had fallen by the now waist high grass and a storm that swept in the afternoon of my arrival brought hail but mercifully light, unlike parts of Newcastle which were shattered by stones the size of golf balls.