During the night we had a very long and heavy downpour – which did not bode well for the Saturday outing. It was overcast and there was a slight drizzle in the morning – only 7 brave/keen birders joined me at iPhiti. It was very wet underfoot and the mozzies were biting but it wasn’t raining and we had an enjoyable walk. Not as wet underfoot as we expected.
Our bird count was in the region of +43 – the bird of the day had to be the Olive Thrush.
Naturally we had to have a mystery bird – was it a raptor? Some said it was a dove!! It turned out to be a Jackal Buzzard (to be fair it was a long way off and partially hidden in a tall Norfolk pine).
There were a few Golden Weavers nests at the dam but no birds were seen.
The Red-hot pokers are starting to flower in the vlei and should be worth a visit on a sunny day for sunbirds.
The pics are courtesy of Paul Bartho (under some very difficult lighting conditions he says!).
Cheers
Elena Russell
Birds are our Story 