PC's slightly less lazy year.

[Peter Connan]

Thanks @Galanafor clearing up the confusion.

[michael-ibk]

Great photos Peter, really nice to see your shots here again. 🙂

[lmSA84]

9 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Great photos Peter, really nice to see your shots here again. 🙂

 

Michael took the words right out of my mouth! 

[Peter Connan]

Thank you very much @michael-ibk and @lmSA84.

[Kalaharikind]

Jou skelm oefenry werk That opening EBC is a work of art!

 

Lovely pics, and really nice to have my fellow Seffrican back here again! 

[Peter Connan]

Thank you very much @Kalaharikind

[Peter Connan]

Time to pick up the ball again!

 

In the beginning of April we camped at a place called Platbank, just outside Vaalwater. The weekend was primarily a 4x4 event (the farm has a couple of trails, at least two of which are very tough technical routes) but the campsite is in a beautiful location, right on the bend of a little stream with cliffs on two sides.

 

85) Black-collared Barbet

 

 

9 April

[Peter Connan]

86) African Black Duck

 

A couple of these guys came flying past. Just the one sighting.

 

 

9 April

 

But on the 18th September I visited Rietvlei with @Tdgravesand her husband, and saw a couple more.\

 

[Peter Connan]

87) Pied Kingfisher

 

9 April

 

And a less steel-eyed version from later in the year:

 

[Peter Connan]

88) Spotted Flycatcher

 

9 April

[Peter Connan]

89) Speckled Pigeon

 

8 April

 

And a more recent one:

[Peter Connan]

90) Mocking Cliff Chat

 

9 April

[Peter Connan]

91) Cape Sparrow

 

 

9 April

[Peter Connan]

92) Red-winged Starling

 

 

8 April

[Peter Connan]

93) Rock Martin

 

 

 

8 + 9 April

[Peter Connan]

And a new bird for me

94) Striped Pipit

 

 

 

9 April

[Peter Connan]

August is River Trip. One of my favorite events of the year. However, this year we took a detour and spent a few days at a friend who farms Macadamia nuts near Nelspruit. His garden has a great variety of birds, a lot of which I had seen earlier in the year.

 

95) Yellow-fronted Canary

 

 

 

8 August

[Peter Connan]

96) Cape weaver (EBC Cup Entry no. x)

 

8 August

[Peter Connan]

It is an indication of how lazy I am this year that the first time I photographed this bird (which is quite common in my own garden) was in August

 

97) Common fiscal

 

6 August

[Peter Connan]

98) African Green Pigeon

 

 

 

6 August

 

An aside: I have never seen one here where I live but this is in their distributuion range. However, I think there must be some not too far away, because I have recently seen a Myna that mimicks their call to perfection...

[Peter Connan]

99) Greater Double-collared Sunbird

 

 

 

6 August

[Peter Connan]

We were sitting in the lounge after brunch, and I heard something. An unknown call to me. I only figured out it was a bird of prey after the first photo was taken.

 

100) African cuckoo-hawk

 

6 August

 

[Tdgraves]

Congrats on the century, would have been a lifer for me too (and the striped pipit!)

[Galana]

Same here. Well done after a noticeable absence.

[Dave Williams]

I know exactly what you mean about the Cuckoo-hawk. I was surprised to see what I had on camera on closer inspection too. A lifer for me in St Lucia last year.

Your Common Fiscal is no more though, they have been split in to two species Northern and Southern. What the difference is I haven't a clue!!