Slow return to normality

It requires a certain amount of courage to send your new toy (forthwith to be know as Titus Androneicus) off into the void of the Molweni Gorge........

........but the results were worth it and it did come home safely.

I then took it down to the beach and managed to get shots of what in these strange times is a fairly rare occurrence............

.............................and back at the cottage a lofty view over Pinetown, with the sea just visible under the clouds.

Finally something which cannot be seen from the cottage unless you have wings....er rotors, the sunset.

Another stroll in Everton Gorge where the river was still running quite merrily and I happened upon.....

.....what was obviously a fairly recent event, a mighty red beech Protorus longifolia felled by a climbing flat-bean Dalbergia obovata which had reached a critical mass. The trunk of the creeper is visible on the left just below the break.

I took a path which I hadn't been on for many years that climbs up to Longshadows, and here a surprise awaited in the form of this ladder built by the local conservancy which allows access back down into the gorge via a narrow crack.

Bumped into Mrs Black Cuckooshrike, who looks so different from her husband that people often fail to identify her.  I managed to get three pictures but in every one she was looking the other way.  Shy I guess.

A couple of hundred meters later I managed to get a rather iffy shot of Knysna Turaco, but I felt it was reasonable, considering it was probably 25 m up in the canopy.

A couple of nights later the moon was full and painted gold by the smoky atmosphere.

Found a way to access top of the waterfall near Delville Wood Station which has this placid pool right before...........

.........a humongous drop to another pool now spoiled by the main rail line to Gauteng.  Was about to fly Titus out to show the drop when I was evicted by some security guards.  Had no idea it was private property.

Drove down to Inanda Dam where the stunning scarlet of the coast coral tree Erythrina caffra never ceases to amaze, particularly when most other plants are in winter drab.

Here's a fairly unusual bird for the Durban region but this is one place where they can be seen regularly, the very cute blue waxbill.

Something I may have seen before but never really noticed, was the Candelabra trees Euphorbia ingens in fruit. A dark-capped bulbul was swallowing the berries whole even though they were nearly the size of it's head.

Talk about mill ponds......................but a couple of motor boats soon put paid to it.

The dam is becoming heavily infested with water hyacinth in it's upper reaches but was clear near the wall where an impressive crag rises above it's ramparts.

Below the wall an interesting water feature maintains flow downstream.

Took a trundle down the south coast to Vernon Crooks Nature Reserve which had been extensively burnt.  As is often the case, the zebra were feeding on something even though there was not the slightest sign of green.

These strange mud columns, up to 200 mm high are created by giant earthworms that grow up to a metre long but can only survive in areas that are not ploughed.

Another beautiful spot for a walk is along the edge of Giba Gorge which is only slightly marred by........

..........presence of the N3 highway which now bisects it.

Some time ago I introduced Diego, the caracal that Sally and Nick sponsored for a year on my behalf as a birthday gift.  As I was in KZN and provincial travel was allowed, I took a drive up to Zululand to meet him and spent a couple of nights in the very comfortable Emdoneni Lodge, on the same property. 

The fellow was prowling up and down the fence line hissing loudly at everyone in sight until he got his supper which seemed to settle his temper somewhat and after consuming a quarter chicken...........

......he became a rather over-sized pussy cat who is really rather handsome.  The next day while out on a walk however, I ended up behind his compound and saw him crouched ready to pounce and giving me a glare that ought to have laid me out on the spot.  Was very glad to have a fence between us.

The main reason for the sanctuary is an attempt to breed cheetah for release in various parts of the country to provide a boost to the dwindling gene pool. With two eligible females they were in need of some males and bought Juba, with the white tipped tail...........................

...................and Moya (black tip) as cubs. But as is the case with about 70% of the wild population they are both sterile and now live a life of luxury entertaining tourists.........

...................who are allowed close, but only their handler can do this.

They also have a breeding pair serval, an animal I have only ever seen very briefly once before.

Primarily a nocturnal hunter, the marking on the ears are believed to fool bigger predators into believing their eyes are wide open when they sleep during the day.

With Hluhluwe on the doorstep, a pleasant 5 hours was spent animal spotting and among others was this beaut snoozing in the sunshine on a fairly chilly morning.

Though very dry, the white pear trees Dombeya rotundifolia were extremely showy.

On my last morning I came across a highly vocal white-throated scrub robin who was belting out his repertoire in the early sunshine............................

.............................and this striped kingfisher still hunting from a marula tree.