January 26-27 was the wettest Cavern birding weekend ever. A near-whole day of continuous rain was disastrous for swifts. Normally they land only at their nest site, which always has an elevated position. Then to take off is no more than dropping into open space, wings open, third gear engaged. Swifts don’t have first or
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,
Another new bird has turned up at The Cavern – the Dark-crowned Yellow Warbler. It’s probably been here all along because it’s typical of scruffy vegetation in the Mistbelt and berg foothills, but is uncommon and fairly secretive. The predicted heavy rain mercifully fell only at night – no interruptions to our outings. The kingfishers
It’s that time of year when snakes awake with romance in mind. A green “creeper” in a Buddleja salviifolia bush slithered to the ground and set off through short grass in the direction of we birders. It was a Natal Green Snake on a mission. This is not usual behaviour. A few moments later another
The aloes were at their best, and so were the Gurney’s Sugarbirds and Greater Double-collared Sunbirds. Nearly all the latter were males. Where were the girls? Amethyst Sunbirds were notable for their absence, these are certainly altitudinal migrants here.
The big game was good value. Elands in ones and twos were seen often, as were their distinctive droppings and manic damage to Buddleja bushes. Bushbuck were moving into the gardens, and a group of six mountain reedbuck posed near the stables. We also saw a small grey mongoose. The really cold weather – snow
Pre-breakfast walks are never the same. We may walk roughly the same short routes, but birds move around, there’s always the hope of something different. Of course, there are favourite spots never to be missed out. Number one is “Sunshine Corner”. No sign-board tells you where it is, but it’s at the top of the
