Bonamanzi bonus

 

Drove down the Hluhluwe River one morning and disturbed a roost of at least 20 black-crowned night herons one of whom perched nearby and proceeded to do it's morning exercises.........

.....which very soon proved too much for him!

These birds are nocturnal and this youngster appeared to be quite miffed about the rude awakening.

A family of wattled lapwings were also rather agitated with the intrusion and let me know all about their concerns with loud calls.

Another evening drive ended at Dinizulu Dam where one of the ubiquitous nyala bulls slaked his thirst......

.......and a juvenile squacco heron peered anxiously at something airbourne, though I certainly couldn't see anything.

On one of my daily walks through the forest I came across this pretty fungus which I presumed was bi-coloured until a closer inspection revealed a fallen leaf in the centre.  

Overhead a small party of yellow white-eyes were busy gleaning insects.................

.......................while an emerald spotted wood-dove told the world his problems.  According to the Zulus these little chaps say; "My father is dead, my mother is dead, all my children are dead, oh,oh,oh,oh."  Truly a mournful ditty.

Since I arrived, have been trying to get a decent picture of the crested guineafowls as their plumage is quite superb - in the sunlight.  You'd think they'd oblige just once!

Went out for an afternoon drive with a friend Agatha and not 200 m from the camp saw fresh prints left by a large pachyderm, so stopped and got out to see which way he was headed.  Next thing Agatha is saying there he is and I looked up to see an enormous bottom disappearing along a path that lead to the pool.  Leaping back into the bakkie we nipped around to the parking area where we could see him through the slats of a boma.  Agatha crept forward and managed to get a couple of pics and a short video of Baba in all his glory.

That's not his only source of refreshment though as he regularly pulls out taps and with a quick tug, separates the stand pipe from the plastic feed and voila instant spring!

This one is on site 6 about 30 m from my caravan and has been temporarily repaired , but not much can be done about the tree on the same stand.

Out on a drive with friends we came across a family of these captivating white helmet-shrikes who look permanently startled.  They are always in groups of up to 20 individuals and maintain contact with their fascinating whirring calls.

At a small pan on the way to the river a female (with the double breast band) pied kingfisher was intent on getting dinner......

.................and opposite her on a close cropped grass area a pair of Senegal lapwings foraged on straw-like legs......

........a little further on was a small herd of buffalo with red-billed oxpeckers in attendance.

The banks of the Hluhluwe River contain some really large sycamores Ficus sycamorus and their light bark makes them stand out in the late afternoon.

The obligatory sundowner stop provided a spectacular African scene........

...........while overhead a group of stately yellow-billed storks made their way to a roost.

There is a quarry near the river and Agatha, who is a fossil addict, nearly blew a gasket when she found out that they were digging up ammonites and using them to fill potholes.  These nautilus-type creatures were around 250 million odd years ago and the reception area is home to some striking examples.

A couple of nights later at a lookout with views of False Bay, what was apparently a super moon was unfortunately only visible after it had cleared a cloud bank.

There are a couple of large spotted genets that visit regularly hoping for handouts but try as I might my camera just wont co-operate when in flash mode, so here's a rather poor shot using a phone and available light.  Will keep trying!

Often end up in a favourite spot on the banks of Dinizulu Dam and on a day without a breath of wind.....

In the other direction yellow-fronted canaries were feasting on grass seeds.

One morning on an early perambulation, I heard the very distinctive tink, tink, tink start up call of a green malkoa and was delighted to get some good shots of this otherwise extremely reticent species.

The same walk provided the opportunity for a perfect portrait of a tiny purple-banded sunbird........

.........and about 100 m from the camp really fresh leopard tracks in the slightly moist sand.

A trip into St Lucia to get laundry done provided the opportunity to visit the extensive forest on the banks of the lagoon and an indignant chittering sound allowed me to locate the beautiful and rather rare red squirrel.

Very shortly thereafter an insistent, single note ponk brought me within range of a pair of Woodward's batis, first the male........

....................and the the female.  Absolutely amazing as I've only ever seen them on three previous occasions.