Tag: Le Domaine

Little Little Grebes

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A Report by Paul Bartho

Over the past month a pair of Little Grebes have been nesting at Le Domaine, Hillcrest. After numerous attempts in trying to establish a nest they eventually found their perfect spot – a floating nest loosely attached to an overhanging reed.

Patiently nesting
Patiently nesting

They sat on this floating nest for about 3 weeks and we tried hard to see if they were on eggs.

Our first sighting of an egg.
Our first sighting of an egg.

Then viola, three tiny Little Grebes emerged.

The first three emerge
The first three emerge

At this point the nest broke loose and floated away. A fourth egg was seen in it and thought abandoned

Abandoned Nest and Egg - we thought
Abandoned Nest and Egg – we thought

but surprisingly after a full day unattended it too hatched.

At first it was hard to see the young as they hid under one parent or the other’s wings. Now they are no longer little Little Grebes as they get bigger and more visible every day.

We had a surprise in one of the photos that Frank Kihn took. He took a shot of one of the Little Little Grebes taking its first swim. When he got home he was hugely surprised with what he saw – see for yourself.

Surprise. And surprisingly only came to welcome the new arrival.
Surprise. And surprisingly only came to welcome the new arrival.

That was several days ago and still all four are seen regularly attempting to stay under cover of the wings!.

Photos courtesy of Frank Kihn and Paul Bartho.

Sunbirds for ID

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Please help with ID of these two sets of Sunbirds. Both sent to me by a resident of Le Domaine here in Hillcrest, Durban.

Click on the picture and add your comments below the enlarged Photo.

The First set:

The Second set:

The first 2 pictures in this sequence were taken on 4th April and the last one on the 19th April. Looking up at what? Scouring above could yield no clues – maybe you have an idea?

Wood Duck – female

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One of the residents at le Domaine – Di Wayne, took the following photo of a mystery duck seen on the property. The photo was taken 7 years ago and I thought it might still be of interest to our followers.

Sally and I have puzzled over its ID and believe it to be a female Wood Duck – native to North America.

What do you think?

North American female Wood Duck we suspect.
North American female Wood Duck we suspect.

Birds and beasts of Le Domaine – Hillcrest

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The following picture gallery is of wildlife found in the Le Domaine estate, Hillcrest, Durban. The photographs are mainly of birds we have been lucky enough to capture.

There are also a few of wildlife seen on the estate.

I have shown who has taken the photo in each caption unless it was taken by myself.

I hope you enjoy this record.

Paul Bartho

PB