SANParks Blog

I am awoken by the sound of the Silver Falcons flying low over the house. And although these pilot training planes are as agile as their name sakes, flipping and twisting through the air at immensly high speeds, that is where the resemblance ends. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and wish I was still [...]

Where to start…..at the beginning I suppose lol! We found our Pel’s Fishing-owl, not one, but a breeding pair! After a lovely walk along the river with two awsome guides (that would be Julius and Frank) who were both avid twitchers andhighly  entertaining, we found the beautiful, elusive birds. The sighting was all too brief, [...]

The time has finally arrived….for those of you who haven’t a clue what I am on about: It’s the Pel’s Expedition;Wanda, Admin, Diannet, Sandra, Rene, Gwen, DinkyBird and myself are heading off to the kruger National Park in search of the elusive Pel’s Fishing-owl. Gwen has already departed from The Netherlands, I will be heading [...]

Each morning I stand at the kitchen sink doing dishes while looking out the window over my garden. It has three bird baths and two feeders and is quite the favourite haunt for many birds. They keep me entertained while I go about the menial task. Of course dishes do take that bit longer when [...]

I didn’t really know what to expect when we set off on Sunday morning for a trip into the Nyathi section of the park.  Nyathi is on the northern side of the tar road to Paterson and runs into the Zuurberg Mountains.  I’d assumed at first that there would be more thicket and it would [...]

At 16h00 Jed (whose surname is Bird in a fine example of nominative determinism) fetched me from my chalet.  Most of the other partipants were attending a bird photography course in the camp boardroom and those who weren’t were still too flogged after the long morning. Jed, apart from being an Honorary Ranger is also [...]

Some of you may know that there were problems with the SANPArks server over the weekend and I could get no 3G connection from Addo on Saturday or Sunday.  Hopefully this posting of my notes belatedly will still be of interest – just pretend its real time! An early rise this morning (not as early [...]

Mountain Zebra had no 3G connectivity folks so sorry for no postings from there – some posthumous notes…  First bird I saw as I drove into the park was a Secretarybird – always one of my favourites as it strode purposefully through the veld.  The early morning action this morning had a different set of [...]

So it was off to the West Coast National Park again this weekend, not for birding but to eat a slice of Geelbek restaurant’s divine, and famous, cake. The justification: a shared birthday which my best friend and I were celebrating. We get to the park entrance and there is only one car at the [...]

I woke up this morning to a chorus of birds.  The turning-wheel pulse of neddickys; the strident call of bar-throated apalises and bokmakieries; the chatter of cape bulbuls; the deeper baritone of doves all blend marvellously.  On the balcony outside my cottage spectacled weavers and fiscal flycatchers jostle each other, the former’s call a descending [...]