green…and purple
The grocery cupboard is empty this morning and I decide to go shopping, but at a store over the Berg River, then I can squeeze some birding in too! I also pop in at my parents and casually mention that someone on the SANParks forums had seen an Allen’s Gallinule at Lake Panic (Kruger National Park).
“What does it look like?” asks my dad. I search for a quick explanation…
” It’s like an African Jacana but purple with a red bill.”
” I saw it,” he says. I eye him silently… he is a novice birder after all and…well…he runs off and comes back with his PDA and pushes it under my nose. True as bob, there it is in technicolour! Nice pic too.
” Your mom took it with her new camera,” he says truimphantly, “but you know what else we saw…” he runs off again and comes back with his new video camera (yeah it was just xmas wasn’t it?). He show me footage of a Piet-my-vrou singing it’s heart out…aso taken at Lake panic…on the same day….and it was just him and my mom there that day. They had Lake Panic to themselves, added two birds to their lists which I don’t have, and I was back home while they had remained in Kruger…talk about adding insult to injury!
Well anyone heading to Lake Panic, the bird is nesting there so you are sure to see it. But for heaven’s sake don’t tell me!!! okay I am (half) joking… 
Jay 
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