September can be quiet, often windy, as it was this weekend, and still a bit early for most tropical migrants. Of the swallows only the resident Sawwing was to be found. But lots of other action nevertheless… Hadedas don’t normally attract much attention. We see them every day, usually patrolling lawns and other short grass […]
Three days of cold, two of them windy, did not bode well. One day was the coldest for many years, really crackly frost and icicles. But the Cape White-eyes did what is typical for the time of year. The young of summer are now fully independent, so join their parents, and lots of other families
The weather was unusually hot, not ideal for birding. But why do birds respond so quickly to a very early hot morning, and more or less slacken off even after a couple of hours? Temperature is indeed the main factor. All small birds wake up hungry, but insect food isn’t always obvious first thing. Being
We were again lucky with big game. There must have been a dozen Eland sightings, mostly singles, with plenty of other evidence including broken Buddleja salviifolia bushes – their favourite winter food. A group of six Mountain Reedbuck was the largest we have ever seen. A bushbuck near the hotel garden appeared to have no
We’ve all heard of the African Big Five (fierce and hairies), and Cavernites know of the Cavern Big Five (high peaks to be walked consecutively in a single day). Now it’s time to introduce the Cavern Feathered Five. These are the birds which most epitomise The Cavern birding experience. How to choose them? Endemism is
The weather was not kind. A howling gale dominated the Saturday. Most birds don’t like wind. Heads down in the bushes. But luckily swifts and swallows have the opposite view. There’s probably more aerial plankton in windy conditions. Anything small and light gets swept up, and this is the best time for spiderlings to disperse
The weather was not kind, but the audience braved heavy drizzle, and so do most birds. Remember that most wild creatures, most of the time, are hungry; they must get on with life. Only heavy rain really shuts the shop. Once the rain cleared there was a good display of Alpine and Black Swifts. Overcast
The weather was kind, and this was the best birding weekend for several years. Nearly all the rarities put in an appearance, but on top of that there was lots of action. The Familiar Chat is normally an inoffensive little character that always identifies itself with a wing-flick. It eats tiny insects. But today it
Scolopia mundii is fruiting prolifically, and is a scene of conflict. The yellow fruits are too big for small frugivores, but the Glossy and Red-winged Starlings are arguing the toss. In fact most forest trees in colder areas produce “soft” fruit in winter. This is because omnivores would ignore them in summer when insect life
Winter has definitely arrived. The best possible proof is the appearance of the Fairy Flycatcher, our famous altitudinal migrant from the top of the Berg. Two were dashing about in newly regenerating forest just below the swimming pool. Although always called a flycatcher this is a bit misleading because its behaviour always suggests a warbler,
