Egret in a thorn tree

A Cattle Egret  (Bubulcus ibis) decked out in its breeding plumage sitting in a sweet thorn tree at the Montagu Leidam in the Western Cape

People watching

Taking a walk along Port Elizabeth beachfront I spotted this kelp gull standing on a light pole along the walkway looking at all the sun worshippers go by.  People watching. That's the life.

Red Knobbed Coot

While out on a paddle boat on the dam during our return visit to the Montagu Caravan Park in December, I heard a couple of birds calling in the reeds.  On closer inspection it turned out to be a mother Red Knobbed Coot and two chicks. 

 

The Red-knobbed Coot or Crested Coot, (Fulica cristata), is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae.  It is a resident breeder across much of Africa and in southernmost Spain and normally found on freshwater lakes and ponds.  They build a nest of dead reeds near the water's edge or more commonly afloat, laying about 8 eggs.  Their behaviour towards their own young is so aggressive that only a few are likely to survive to adulthood.

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

On a game drive at Pumba Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth our ranger pointed out a Brown-hooded Kingfisher sitting in a tree next to the game drive vehicle.  The next thing he said kinda got our attention.  He asked us to look around and see if we could see any body of water.  There was none.  The Brown-hooded Kingfisher doesn't necessarily feed on fish but also on insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten.  This means that it doesn't have to live near water like all his other Kingfisher cousins. 

Black & white sunbird silhouette

I just didn't get the opportunity to go and "hunt" sunbirds feeding on the aloe at Schoenmakerskop this year, but this sunbird was sitting on a branch some distance from me the other day, so it was "aim and fire".  He wasn't close enough to get a nice detailed pic, but he did make a very nice silhouette.