South Africa, Finishing up Kruger.

Although I'm trying not to be so slanted towards bird photos, I had to include this Black-bellied Bustard.

Tom gets a good look at Nyala at a picnic ground. We had them hanging around our lodging in several other places. They would come within 10 or 15 feet of us.  The males look much different. Photos of the male are coming up in another post.

Another attractive antelope, Bushbuck. This Bushbuck is unconcerned by my presense, but keeps a wary watch for possible predators.

A male Bushbuck.

Vervet Monkeys are delightful, but somewhat mischievious.

This is a cute, little antelope about the size of a Jackrabbit. It's called a Grysbok. I wanted to take this guy home with me. It had other ideas, and soon dashed away.

From the diminutive to the massive. Giraffes are so cool. We saw many of them.

Elephants, way cool too.

Waterbucks are distinguished by their toilet seat markings.

Nile Crocadile, and Snake-necked Turtles. The crocadile was not trying to eat the turtles.

I was fortunate to be on hand to take a photograph when this giant spider from outer space came down to get a drink of water.

Elephants at dawn. There are so many other photos I wanted to include, but I have to wrap this up somewhere. The next South Africa reports will be photos I shot further south.

South Africa, Still in Kruger

In the 8 days that Tom and I spent in Kruger N.P. we saw such a great variety of wildlife that I'm having trouble deciding what to include here, and what to leave out. All of it is interesting to me, so let me apologize for these endless Kruger reports. These photos are some of the many great birds we saw.

Egyptian  Geese

One of Africa's distinctive creatures, Hammerkop.

The biggest kingfisher in Africa, Giant Kingfisher.

Here is a kingfisher that does'nt fish. The Woodland Kingfisher eats insects, and small animals that it can swallow whole.

This is a critically endangered bird. Their population numbers in the hundreds, not the thousands. We were fortunate to see 4 Saddle-billed Storks.

From a very rare bird to a very common bird. This bulbul has several names, Common Bulbul, Black-eyed Bulbul, or Black-headed Bulbul. They are everywhere.

The Jacobin Cuckoo lays it's eggs in the nests of other birds like  Bulbuls. This fledgeling was being raised by a Black-headed Bulbul.

An attractive species, Red-headed Weaver.

This African Scops Owl was roosting directly above a busy parking lot in front of the headquarters of Letaba Rest Camp.

Also next to Letaba Rest Camp, this Yellow-billed Hornbill gobbles down a grasshopper. These guys are very common in Kruger, and unafraid of people.

Another common, and bold hornbill, the small, Red-billed Hornbill.

Although not colorful, the Grey Go-away Bird is very elegant.

South Africa, Deeper into Kruger

The African Open-billed Stork looks so drab it's almost funerial. The Asian Open-billed Stork is cheery by comparision, with it's brighter plummage.

This is one of the oddest raptors, a Secretary Bird pants in the heat. I was very thankful that our rental car had air conditioning.

Easily one of the highlights of the trip was being able to observe a mother Leopard with her cub resting in the grass.

Kruger has a wealth of raptors. This is a Wahlberg's Eagle.

Yellow-billed Kites were the most common raptors everywhere we went. This one perches on the rail of a bridge as it pauses in it's efforts to snatch swallows, and swifts nesting under the bridge.

We only saw one of these raptors, an African Little Sparrowhawk.

 This is a winter visitor to Africa. A European Roller.

A female Cardinal Woodpecker in a fig tree.

Ostriches are always a welcome sight.

Here are Spotted Hyenas that dug their den right under the road. This is a half-grown youngster.

South Africa, northern Kruger N.P.

We decided to drive to the northermost entrance to Kruger National Park, and slowly work our way south. Kruger is a great example of an intact ecosystem. There is a stark difference between the rich diversity of the land inside the park, and everywhere else.

Being in such close proximity to the big African animals is a genuine thrill. Although most of the park is scrubland similar to much of the American west, it harbors vastly more wildlife per acre. Overgrazing is no doubt the major facor that chokes out wildlife diversity in the American west, and many other places..

Almost immediately upon passing the Punda Maria Gate, we were surrounded on all sides by Cape Buffalo.

At a picnic spot, we were approached by a bold Plated Lizard. Tom got nipped on the finger for trying to touch the lizard. I'm usually the one to get bitten by reptiles.

There were many bold creatures in the national parks. This Crested Barbet hoped to share our lunch at Shingdwezi Rest Camp.

Hippos graze beside the river in the early morning. The heat of the day is spent lounging in the river.

An African Fish Eagle bathes in shallow water.

Almost everywhere there was water, there were hippos and Nile Crocadiles. This croc has captured a large fish, but it could'nt hold on to it.

Africa seems to me to have many grotesque creatures, especially birds. Southern Ground Hornbills qualify as being one of the grotesque birds. They have a deep, and resonant call.

South Africa, Marievale, and Suikerbos

Before heading to South Africa I contacted Birdingpal South Africa, and made plans to spend a day birding with a local couple, Malcolm and Sue. They graciously spent a day taking Tom and I to two nearby nature reserves, Marievale, a wetland, and Suikerbos, a grasslands habitat. Both places were loaded with birdlife.

There were many Amur Falcons perched on wires in open areas all over the countryside. This is the female, the male lacks spots.

The Black Heron is known for holding it's wings in a canopy over the water to create shade that enables it to better see fish under water.

Long-tailed Whydah. This is the gaudy male. The plain female looks like a different species altogether.

The Whydah's long tail makes it fly awkwardly but with it's own labored grace.

Swainson's Francolins are common chicken-like birds of the grasslands. We saw many more of them in Kruger Nat. Park.

Suikerbos is the only place I saw Red-eyed Bulbuls.

Mocking Cliff Chat reminds me of the White-rumped Shamas I saw in Thailand.

A strikingly beautiful dove. The male Namaqua Dove. The huge thorns belong to an acacia tree.

Suikerbos is also the first place I saw some of Africas famous large mammals. Baboons, Wildebeests, Zebras, Elands, Blesbok, and Springbok. They were all too far away for decent photos.

South Africa, part one, Johannesburg

The thing that really impressed me about Johannesburg was the diversity of birds sharing space with people. It was a great introduction to the biodiversity of the country. There were two highlights that stand out in my mind. First was a tiny aquatic bird refuge in a nieghborhood near my lodging. It was bursting with birdlife. The second was a termite swarm that we stumbled across. It brought in hundreds of birds intent on feasting as fast as possible on the juicy insects.
My travelling companion for the month long journey was an experienced biologist, and mountain climber named Tom Choate. He is in remarkably good health for a 75 year old. We rented a car and explored the northern, and eastern regions of South Africa.

Hadada. This bird is a good representative of the birdlife throughout the country. It is abundant everywhere we visited, and it's loud call is usually the first birdcall heard at dawn, and dusk.

Another species of ibis. The Sacred Ibis is far less abundant than the Hadada, but it was common in the little refuge near us.

This Speckled Mousebird suns itself on the fence surrounding the bird refuge. Mousebirds never seem to perch upright. They always hang , often with their legs splayed to their sides. They are such delightful birds, with loads of personality.

I painted one of these in anticipation of the trip. This Red Bishop was one of the first birds on the scene as termites emerged from the ground, and took to the wing. This Bishop was soon joined by about 10 more Bishops.

Sharing the same fence rail as the Bishop, was a Cape Glossy Starling with it's prize.

Blacksmith Plovers are another prototypical African species. They relish termites as well as other birds.

There were Gray-headed Gulls at a nearby lake. When they discovered the termite swarm, they arrived en masse. They cleaned up the entire swarm in minutes. Other species that joined the feast before the gulls were, Cape Sparrows, Common Mynas, Fiscal Shrike, African Masked Weavers, and several species of swallow.

Finally, on the way out of town we noticed what looked like a fake owl on the signpost at the corner. When we backed up to take a second look, we could'nt believe it was a Spotted Eagle Owl roosting right out in the open. There were many large trees in the area that would have been more suitable perches. The Spotted Eagle Owl seems to occupy the same niche as North America's Great-horned Owl.