18 April 2024 - Northern Farm
The sun was just rising as I made my way through the Farm gates, I stopped for a family of Greater-striped Swallows in sweet golden light on the way to the quarry. The male was calling from a fence pole - I just love their call
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| Greater-striped Swallow (Cecropis cucullata) |
I always end up spending more time at the quarry than planned as it is a pretty productive location at the farm. I had a pair of Black Duck fly over
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| African Black Duck (Anas sparsa) |
A couple of Glossy Ibis came in to land at the small dam
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| Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) |
Amethyst Sunbirds were enjoying the flowering Wild Dagga bushes
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| Male Amethyst Sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina) |
Levaillant's Cisticola's were pretty active
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| Levaillant's Cisticola (Cisticola tinniens) |
I was lucky again to spend at least 10-minutes with this obliging Little Rush Warbler
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| Little Rush Warbler (Bradypterus baboecala) |
I heard a Grassbird calling and managed to locate it in the open, for a change
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| Cape Grassbird (Sphenoeacus afer) |
Some Yellow-billed Ducks flew by with a couple of Whistling Ducks amongst the flock
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| White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) |
I checked another dam that was slowly drying up and found a flock of around 10 Little Stint's that were put up by an Accipiter that flew by at speed
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| Little Stint (Calidris minuta) |
A Wood Sandpiper was standing quietly on the banks of one of the canals that are flowing
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| Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) |
Whilst a White-bellied Sunbird was gleening in an Acacia like a Warbler
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| Male White-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris talatala) |
Time had passed by quickly, so I had to pick up my pace. I made my way to the big Fish Eagle dam where a Black-winged Kite was perched where the Fish Eagle should be
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| Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) |
I inadvertently flushed a Dwarf Bittern from the reeds near the lower causeway. I tried to relocate it and in doing so found a Shelduck perched on the rocks near the hide. I drove to the hide and managed a few images of the male before it flew off - a great record for the Farm
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| Male South African Shelduck (Tadorna cana) |
On the way back to the gate, I passed on of the other dams where a Goliath Heron was perched motionless in the reeds
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| Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) |
Back at the car park, the Sparrow Weavers were still active
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| White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali) |
Whilst a Cape Starling watched from above
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| Cape Starling (Lamprotornis nitens) |
Another good few hours at the farm which always delivers great birds and often an unexpected species to keep one alert.
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