Text: Hazel van Rooyen
Species: 35 (see end)
On arrival at the Bushbuck Trail, a cock crowed loudly close by, somehow befitting the wintry morning. Although the sun was just reaching the top-most branches of the forest trees, nobody had, as yet, told the birds. Stepping into the forest the visibility was poor, all was quiet and a bit eerie – a rustle amongst the carpet of leaves on the forest floor, a twig breaking. Just the occasional bird called – Red-eyed Dove, Sombre Greenbul, Red-capped Robin-Chat, White-browed Scrub-Robin but they were still in hiding following their night’s slumber.
However, on emerging into the sunshine, it was as though someone had opened a door and turned on the light. We stood enthralled as first a Purple-crested Turaco flew from the low branches of a tree in an almost slow-mo flash of red wings, then Collared, Amethyst and Olive Sunbirds flitted like jewels in the shrubbery and a Southern Black Flycatcher swooped down in an arc on a tasty morsel barely landing to pick it up. Suddenly a flock of about 20 Trumpeter Hornbill’s flew in, and they entertained us for quite a while flying in and out of the trees, emitting their baby-like calls.
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| Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Doug Butcher) |
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| Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Glossy Starling (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
Strolling along the road, we passed the most wonderful gardens with one in particular like a fairy-glade. Black-backed Puffback, Cardinal Woodpecker, Glossy Starling, Black-collared Barbet and Yellow-fronted Canary and more put in an appearance.
Eventually arriving back at the carpark (we were on a new road) we were enjoying our coffee when Dave noticed some African Green Pigeons high up in a monkey-puzzle tree. They were still fluffed up against the cold.
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| African Green Pigeon (photo: Doug Butcher) |
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| African Green Pigeon (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
At this point some folk left for other engagements while Angie & Doug and others braved the beach. The White-fronted Plover didn’t let us down and scurried around busily but otherwise the beach was lonely and even the dolphins were out too far to photograph.
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| White-fronted Plover (photo: Doug Butcher) |
A quiet morning, but lots of enthusiasm. Thanks everyone.
“Let no-one cage who you were born to be”
(Photos property of photographer)
Species: 35
Apalis Bar-throated Barbet Black-collared Boubou Southern Bulbul Black-capped Bulbul Terrestrial Canary Yelow-fronted Dove Red-eyed Drongo Fork-tailed Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Southern Black Greenbul Sombre Hoopoe African | Hornbill Trumpeter Kingfisher Brown-hooded Mousebird Speckled Pied Wagtail Pigeon African Green Prinia Tawny-flanked Puff-back Black-backed Robin-Chat Red-capped Scrub-Robin White-browed Starling Black-bellied Starling Glossy Starling Red-wing | Stork Woolly-necked Sunbird Amethyst Sunbird Collared Sunbird Grey Sunbird Olive Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped Turaco Knysna Turaco Purple-crested Weaver Southern Masked Weaver Spectacled Woodpecker Cardinal |
