According the Met office this morning started off at a deliciously crisp 12 degrees and ended this afternoon on 33 degrees. And believe me, when you're in the truck and the sun is baking you like an potato in tin foil then it feels a lot more than 33 degrees!
Today it seems was a no-cats-or-dogs day. Saw plenty of other animals and lots of birds as well. Can you believe I managed to photograph a ground hornbill eating a snake? That a brown headed parrot was conveniently sitting on a branch just waiting for me? Or that I had a session with a pair of African Green Pigeons? I have never had that happen before and yet today I got to see all three!
Have a look as my day unfolded...
This guy had the most amazing sized tusks. I have not seen larger in many years. He was docilely feeding in the early morning.
This is the only shot I have of this species. I would have had more had my camera battery not died. This little guys normally run around singly and while I've seen a couple so far, none would stand still long enough for me to take a pic....
A very thirsty group of elephants is about to join another at the water. This is a huge dam up near Bateleur. I came here to see if I could confirm that sable come here to drink. While I was waiting these guys came down and wasted little time getting something to drink and some mud.
Check the little one stepping it out. When the herd approaches the water the adults are more sedate in their approach but the little ones are always in a hurry and excited. This herd had quite a few youngsters this size.
And yes, I did see sable, but they were very distant.
When I was here two years ago there was an epidemic sweeping the park. If I remember correctly it was anthrax that was killing the buffalo. With the grass so short here in the north you can see bones everywhere. While the one above is most likely a kill, there are a number of buffalo skulls visible on the Red Rocks loop. Also visible are many elephant bones, many of them in the dry river beds.
This was an interesting story that almost did not get told. I was driving past these ground hornbills and was debating whether or not to shoot some pics. I was hoping for leopard in a tree. But I reminded myself of my policy- good light, willing subjects... So I decided to shoot a few pics.
They were fanned out across the bush in a loose skirmish line. They were investigating everything, from elephant dung to what was under the fallen branches and logs.
Talk about the day belonging to the birds. It's been a while since I have had so many opportunities to take pictures of birds, let alone ones I have never managed to get close to! An example is the African Green Pigeon below. I had a pair of them quietly eating seeds/berries allowing me a fantastic opportunity to get some pics of a truly beautiful bird!
This poor impala had a most annoyed look on her face. Not only did she already have 3 oxpeckers on her, one digging in her ear and two riding on her back but another one wanted to join them! The two oxpeckers seem to be wondering about the incomer's landing abilities...
The cory bustard was ideally positioned when I came across it just before sunset. A regal bird, it and it's mate were walking sedately among the mopani and riverine thickets.
All of a sudden I saw and heard a huge commotion going on behind one of those huge trees with the dense green canopies. Initially I thought a male was attacking a female as there was a strident cry, like a bird that is being picked on. There was a flurry of dust and wings that was just visible behind the tree.
Then this guy comes strutting out and I mean showing off in the full sense of the word. It was almost like he was parading his prize- a slender green snake. The other birds just looked on. Well, maybe not all of them...
The adults were content to allow this chap to enjoy his meal but the juvenile below would not leave him alone. He kept trying to snatch it from the male, all the while giving a really strident cry.
He wasn't successful, and while the male ate the snake he stalked off.
I hung around for another ten minutes or so and all the while you could hear this guy complaining as they walked through the bush. Disgusted or disappointed, I don't know which...
I found this hoopoe in a tree.
This cute grysbokkie was grazing under the very tree were I saw the two leopards a few days ago. The female leopard actually spotted him when she climbed down and I thought she was going to go after him. But it looks like she had other plans....
Zebra are not as common up here in the mopani country as further south in the Savannah. Below the Olifants river their numbers increase. Here they seem to be in smaller groups and are typically a little shyer.
Feeling a bit bored I thought I would see what birds I could see. These little guys were so quick to take off that I had to stake out a section of an acacia tree that they seemed to use as a rallying point before taking flight. This was one of the few who was in an ideal position. It really came out very nicely.
I have been trying to snap a bird in flight, so when this guy was sitting on the branch I was hoping he would take off. And he did. While it still isnt the bird or the pose that I'm looking for it is still a nice action shot...
This was a rare treat for me. I have never seen, let alone had two of these brown-headed parrots close enough or still enough for me to take a pic. This chap and his mate(?) allowed me the opportunity to take a number of pics. It is just a pity that the light was just not quite right and that I had to shoot into the sky. But nonetheless I am very pleased with the outcome
Talk about the day belonging to the birds. It's been a while since I have had so many opportunities to take pictures of birds, let alone ones I have never managed to get close to! An example is the African Green Pigeon below. I had a pair of them quietly eating seeds/berries allowing me a fantastic opportunity to get some pics of a truly beautiful bird!
The male. He was in the process of wooing his lady when I shot this image. I loved the background yellow that matches his "stockings". Some of the other shots in this sequence show him all puffed up and cooing...
Can you believe a bird can be so pretty? A red and white bill, a body with all shades of green, gray and almost purple, and then legs covered with yellow feathers and orange feet! A masterpiece!
They are eating the little berries/seeds on the bush. You can see that there a literally thousands of them. This area was most popular with many waxbills, starlings, grey louries, turtle doves, and a host of others. The fruit on some bushes turns a reddish colour.
If the grass is always greener on the other side then the sweetest berry must be the one furtherest away? Here we stretch....
... and hang....
... and twist, all to get the best fruit!
With a classic final pose, it was time to go. I don't know if I will ever have this opportunity again, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This could be called the salad bar, then? Everyone was lining up to snack on some greens on the way up from the riverbed and on their way to their evening browsing area.
There was a bit of a furor once #4 had landed. The bird that had been investigating the impala's ear was fed by the newcomer. the other two seem to be complaining "And mine, where's mine?!"
The cory bustard was ideally positioned when I came across it just before sunset. A regal bird, it and it's mate were walking sedately among the mopani and riverine thickets.
And that was today's pics. Even though I didn't get to see any cats and dogs I'm really pleased with the outcome of today's pics. I can never remind myself enough to focus on the creatures and scenes that I do have, rather than pass them by for the elusive predators. Each animal, bird and insect, no matter their ranking in the circle of life, has a special right to be seen and to be appreciated.
