Sunday, March 22, 2009

African Grass-Owl in dairy farm pasture!!!

This morning when Rob (my son) was driving around his pastures, on Springbrook farm, he nearly drove onto a African Grass-Owl nest.

Because of all the rain that we have had this season, some of the pastures have become overgrown. This pasture is a very rank mixture of mainly clover and different grasses. The nest is at the base of a very small "goat apple" bush.

We have cordoned off this section of the paddock, so that when the cows go into graze tomorrow they do not disturb this special nest.

When I was walking home through the pasture I did flush one of the adult birds, wow, this is a productive patch, 3010_3005.

I hope that you have atlased a pentad today? There is just no knowing what will turn up next.

Friday, March 20, 2009

African Crake at Springbrook Farm


Wow, what an amazing species visits our patch.


Springbrook Farm has produced another lifer for me, an African Crake, and only about 400m from my back door!!!


Doug, my hubby kept telling me about this crake that he saw on our drive way, I just presumed that it was a Corn Crake, but when he mentioned how dark the bird was, my antennae suddenly went up and I asked for more information. After scanning all my field guides he said that it was an African Crake.


After lunch I took my camera, and other paraphernalia that I needed, stopped between bump one and two up the drive, called the African Crake a few times................................. this little thing came hot footing it up the road towards me. Just before the road became very busy with bakkies and tractors I managed to get some great photos.


A great LIFER and on my own patch........3010_3005 does it again



Oh yes, and have you atlased a pentad today? I'm doing a five day card, so this African Crake will join the other species on our list that is moving towards to 200 species list.







There are some other great "birds" that live here on our patch......



Four generations of Strachan ladies,



Left to right, Barbara (my mother in law, a beautiful great gran, who went to be with Jesus on 22nd March) Carike (my daughter in law)holding Ashley, Emma (who has a twin brother) and me.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

The calls of 3010_3005


Yesterday I listened and wondered..............

What is the call of Africa?
Some say the Lion - others say the Fish Eagle.
Well, for me on a beautiful Autumn morning at Springbrook Farm
The call of Africa went something like this...................

Hadeda Ibis and lots of them, all very alert at 4.30am, make a mad dash
Up our drive way where they find lots of earthworms wriggling about on the road.

Brubru, Grey Crowned Crane, Wahlberg's Eagle, Red Eyed Dove. Brown Hooded Kingfisher,
During the day the Cape Turtle Dove starts telling the lady who works in my garden to "work harder"
Crested Barbet, African Rail, African Darter, Egyptian Goose, Speckled Mousebird, Yellow Fronted Canary, Cape Grassbird, Little Grebe, African Jacana, Black Crake,

I could go on and on but hey..........................you all know that I have atlased this patch 40 times and have 184 species on my list. Remember this patch is RED - RED

In the evening Barnie (our special Barn owl) comes shrieking into check my duck pen, he has this passion for duckling for dinner!!

I am so blessed that I live in a special part of South Africa, and blessed that I can hear these calls.
Remember to listen to the call of your patch, it may be the Lion's roar, but for me its the call of
3010_3005


Very Busy Bronze Mannikins

During the past week, I visited my parents in Scottburgh, they live in Summerhill Lodge, well I always check out what the birds in Scottburgh are up to!!!!

This is what I observed these little Mannikins doing - according to my parents a fairly large group spend each night in an old Village Weaver's nest. Well the nest must have become a little chilly, there was a mega amount of house repairing going on!!!

One Mannikin was inside the nest whilst a few others were bringing in very long bits of palm 'bark' this piece of palm was quickly taken into the nest and after much shuffling around the long thread of palm bark would disappear into the nest and then the collector of building material would dash out rush across the garden to collect another piece of palm, and DASH back to the nest.

This behaviour continued until I got tired of watching the little chaps, I wonder if anyone else has seen Bronze Mannikin's repairing their shelter? :-)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Trip to Aliwal North

Trip report to Aliwal North 29th January – 3rd February 2009

The 29th January dawned cold, wet and misty, Gail and I started our trip to Aliwal North at 5am. After some advice we decided not to take the Naudesnek route, we could not go via Qacha’s Nek, through Lesotho, (Gail’s passport expired the day before we left). The route we travelled was via Kokstad, Matatiele, Mount Fletcher, Maclear, Elliot, Barkly East, and Lady Grey, eventually after ten happy hours we reached our very comfortable B&B near Aliwal North (Toll Inn Guest Farm).

You may ask why 10 hours to do 550km, well; we were birding along the way!!
We spent two hours atlasing the Maclear town pentad. This was very interesting; we got 55 species during the two hours, lots of White stork and Amur Falcon were the most interesting species for me. We also did adhoc and incidental observations along the way.

The scenery along the R58 from Elliot to Barkly East was breath taking, one travels through the Barkly Pass, then the Kraai River pass. I’m not sure what the soil types are, but it looked like sand stone formations, almost like the Golden Gate scenery. (I think that Barkly East will be my next birding destination.)

Gail and I started listing birds from the pentad that we atlased in Maclear, reaching a total of 155 bird species during our six day trip. Some special sightings were a pair of Blue Korhaan with two chicks, a pair of Double Banded Courser with chicks, we also saw a Tawny Eagle during the Saturday CAR count and a Verreauxs’ Eagle whilst up Kramberg Mountain.

I saw 11 ‘lifers’ and Gail saw 17!! Some of the most exciting were; Ludwig’s Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan, Pale Winged Starling, Orange River White-eye, Namaqua Warbler, Lark-like Bunting, Chat Flycatcher, Rock Pipit and Karoo Thrush. Spike heeled Lark and Eastern Clapper Lark run around like chickens in the veld.

Sadly I dipped on the Rufous-eared Warbler, Karoo Korhaan and Black-Headed Canary, well that’s the reason I’m going back to Aliwal North very soon

Aliwal North is a fantastic birding destination, such beautiful habitats
and majestic mountains, (Kramberg Mountain is 2018m ASL).
Rock formations on top of Kramberg Mountain were very interesting, as seen in this pic.
Arnold van der Westhuizen, a very passionate birder spent three days driving us around his patch, atlasing and doing his two CAR routes, he received his ringing licence whist we were there, we even watched him ringing.

I was delighted to find Arnold a lifer in his patch………… We were driving past some reed beds near town, I said wow “this is African Rail territory” Arnold said “no way I have never seen one here” within a few meters there they were calling loudly to each other!!!!! We even managed to coax them out of the thick reed beds so that Arnold could get a good look. He has lived in Aliwal North for 17 years and never seen an African Rail. Well, now he has, and about 500m from his house.

We had two wonderful sighting of Booted Eagle during our travels; one sighting was early morning on Friday 30th, as we watched these magnificent eagles soaring over the Oorlogsfontein Mountain I received a sms to say that Carol, my dear friend, birding buddie and spiritual sister had passed away.

To be watching Booted Eagle when I received this sms was extremely heart wrenching, Carol had spent a long time watching Booted Eagle in the Aliwal North area during her recent trip with Colin, she was so excited to have seen them and told me to expect to see them during our trip. She explained in minute detail, how she had seen the pale and dark form and how she had been able to see the diagnostic feature ‘landing lights’ (white patches on the base of leading edge of wing near body).

Booted Eagle will always remind me of Carol’s love and passion for birds, her amazing ability to identify bird calls, reproduce the calls of many larks and pipits with perfect tune and pitch. They will remind me of our last trip to Ntsikeni Vlei, they will remind me of Carol….................who is now with Jesus.

Birding with a purpose has brought a new meaning to my life, new birds to atlas, new places to see and new people to meet. Let us remember that life is short, life is fragile and it is important to live life to the full. Trish Strachan

Trip to Aliwal North

Trip to Aliwal North
Stunning sandstone formations between Elliot and Barkley East

Kramberg Mountain Aliwal North

Kramberg Mountain Aliwal North
Wow the rock formations on Kramberg are amazing