Messing about in the river

Spent a delightful half an hour in the company of one of the local Otters on my way home from work.  This is one of four cubs born last year and have become something of local celebrities with at two becoming remarkably confiding, even playing around in the river by the mill in the centre of Thetford at lunchtimes.

Blending in...

The female Nightjar seen and photographed at close range on a nest found a few days ago in Thetford Forest, and several other Nightjars showed well around the area at dusk and Stone Curlews calling nearby.

2 Hobbies present around a probable nest site and showed well and a Turtle Dove heard purring here too, the latter being my first of the year showing how scarce they have become.

Farewell Africa

Very little seen during the morning whilst sorting the car out at the Sunbird Mountain Retreat, but 1 African Paradise Flycatcher and an African Dusky Flycatcher seen a couple of times.

A very brief stop at the Zandvei Estuary on the way to the airport showed several Avocet and a few Greater Flamingos of any note.

A walk in the garden

A pleasant stroll around Kirstenbosch Gardens before the rain started produced many Sunbirds with Orange-breasted, Lesser Double-collared and Malachite seen.

Orange-breasted Sunbird

Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Malachite Sunbird

Several Cape Sugarbirds present and also gave superb close views.

Cape Sugarbird

Several Cape Canaries and a few Olive Thrushes also present with Black Sparrowhawk and Black Saw-wing overhead.

Cape Canary

Olive Thrush

1 Spotted Eagle Owl located roosting and watched at close range seemingly unbothered by the many tourists trying to photograph it.

Spotted Eagle Owl

Thank Betty...

Many Jackass Penguins in the colony at Betty's Bay in the afternoon showing at very close range and also several Bank, Cape, White-breasted and Crested Cormorants on the rocks.

Jackass Penguin

Leaving De Hoop

A short wander round the rondevals in De Hoop first thing produced much the same as yesterday with the Spotted Eagle Owl again located roosting on the cliff face and a pair of Water Thick-knees by the boathouse and the comical Rock Dassies on the cliff edges.

Rock Dassie

Many hirundines around the campsite area including African Black, Horus and Little Swift and Pearl-breasted and Greater Striped Swallows showing well.

African Black Swift

Little Swift

Pearl-breasted Swallow

Greater Striped Swallow (photographed out of a toilet window!)

1+ African Pipit and several Red and Yellow Bishops and Blue Crane along the road to Bredasdorp and 3 Jackal Buzzards further on.

De Hoop - Paradise refound

An amazing day spent around De Hoop, with much the same as yesterday around the campsite first thing plus Bar-throated Apalis, Sombre Greenbul, Speckled Mousebird and a pair of Spotted Thick-knees.

Spotted Thick-knee

Bar-throated Apalis

Cape Bulbul

Cape Robin-chat

Cape Wagtail

Many waterfowl present on the Viel during the day including Yellow-billed Duck and Red-billed Teal, Cape Shoveler, Southern Pochard, Moccoa Duck and 3 Hottentot Teal. Also many Black-winged Stilts and Red-knobbed Coots, 5 Whiskered Terns, Night Heron and 3 African Darters here a pair of African Fish Eagles gave superb views low overhead.

African Fish Eagle

Southern Pochard

3 Denham’s Bustards present on the grassy flats with the Bontebok late morning but fairly distant.

Denham's Bustard

1 Knysna Woodpecker showed well in the bushes by the shower block at midday along with 3 Southern Boubous, a Fiscal Flycatcher and a Southern Tchagra.

Southern Boubou

Fiscal Flycatcher

Nearby, a Cardinal Woodpecker present in the restaurant garden along with several confiding Cape Francolins and an Ostrich which was obsessed by the quad bikes. 1 Spotted Eagle Owl present roosting on the cliffs but largely obscured.

Cardinal Woodpecker

Cape Francolin

2 Cape Clapper Larks displaying by the track to the dunes and also 4 Cape Mountain Zebras and many Bontebok and Elands here and later Yellow Canary, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape White-eye, Speckled Mousebird and a Levaillant’s Cisticola by the road.

Yellow Canary

Cape White-eye

Speckled Mousebird

Offshore 10+ Southern Right Whales present fairly close in with one youngster breaching a few times.

Southern Right Whales

Southern Right Whale calf breaching