Saw something fly into the tree outside the lounge window and managed to get a few pics of a red-chested cuckoo. Have heard them around but this is the first time I've had the honour of a visit.
A host of the small pink lilies popped up just before a torrential downpour which Pete informs me are, you guessed it, rain lilies!
Doubt that he remembered me from previous visits, but this friendly fellow soon made himself at home.
With a tad over 1300 km to go, I decided to take it easy and only cover between 400 and 500 a day. Turns out it was not so easy and became more of a schlep that a pleasant drive. The route passed Sterkfontein Dam which always has the bluest of blue water.
Next stop was a farm near Trompsburg (I'd never heard of it either) with a very comfortable cottage in a garden dominated by a massive plane tree. Situated about 80 km south of Bloemfontein, it's right on the edge of the Karoo and hence hosted a different suite of birds, of which the Karoo korhaan (which I heard and recorded for the Atlas) was a first for the area.
Thought the light fitting was a bit OTT though!
Next up, the Karoo National Park just outside Beaufort West with beautiful cottages that set me back about as much as a return flight to Cape Town. Ah well it's only money!
Not a particular noteworthy sunset but still appreciated.......
.......as was the view early in the morning.
Only had time for a drive up the magnificent Klipspringer Pass and at the top..........
..........found a small patch of what I'm sure were labelled Cape violets but can't find anything on the internet (help Richard).
This is chat country but whereas there were always a lot to be found along the road from the gate, this time I only found a single Karoo chat.
Pressing on towards Riebeek, I stopped at a roadside picnic site where this very inquisitive familiar chat simply insisted on having his portrait done.
Riebeek now seems like a second home and the "cottage" that the Kings have squeezed into has magnificent views both ways. There have been some very hot days however which resulted in some pretty devastating wildfires, this one in the Elandsberg that looked for all the world like a volcano erupting.
The view from the top of Bothmaskloof Pass shows the extent of the smoke, completely obliterating the mountain range beyond.
200 k's to Lamberts Bay to look for a brown booby and not only was it absent but both batteries for my camera were flat so just as well. It is famous for its Cape gannet colony and there were many thousands of them nesting. There appears to be a well-defined flight path with a runway as the younger birds require a good long trot and several bounces before take-off.
Near Piketberg came across this "projection" of solid rock, wonder what the locals call it?
Always moaning about the lack of raptors but they are still quite common down here. This is a jackal buzzard but there are common buzzards, black-winged and yellow-bill kites aplenty.
Went into the Tigerberg recently and on the way was a dam overflowing with waterbirds, mainly coots and Egyptian geese but unfortunately on private land and a little too far to see any others.
Went birding on the other side of the mountain and on Oom Gerrie's farm came across these odd-shaped flowers which again I'm unable to identify because my book is in the van!
Among the birds present was this Karoo robin......minus a body part and I'll bet thereby hangs a tail!
Specially for the ladies an "Ag shame", dinner anyone?
Searched for another lifer, on Platboom Beach near Cape Point but again left empty handed but the scenery is amazing. Will try again for the American golden plover as it was blown a very long way off course whilst migrating between North and South America, and it's highly unlikely that it will ever make it back.
Took the bike up Bainskloof Pass as the road has more wiggles than the creature in the next shot and the view from the top is spectacular.
There was much consternation when the gardener found this on the veranda as he assumed it was a snake and of course every snake is deadly. It is in fact Percival's legless skink and a very pretty little fellow too with a bright yellow belly, which was visible when I picked it up to take it to a quieter part of the garden.
