Chameleon

This is a beaut from my garden. I just missed a photograph of him drinking water from the bird-bath.

Recreation on the water

Helmeted Guinaefowl

Guinaefowl caught in fishing line

Two Helmeted Guineafowl was found on one day with their feet entangled in fishing line

Mongoose released at Rietvlei, Cape

One female Water Mongoose, caught at Intaka Island , was released in the bird-hide block on 31-7-2009

A male Water Mongoose was trapped and released to join the female on 5 August 2009

Bird Activity Rietvlei, Cape -- bird-hide block

Tue 28 Jul 2009

35 Glossy Ibis
1 African Fish-Eagle
2 Black-shouldered Kites
4 Great Crested Grebes
10 Mousebirds

African Pygmy Mouse

Found on the Island

Otters at Rietvlei

I noticed some movement on the waters edge near the new hide - South lake.
It turned out to be a family of otters

Rietvlei reserve 7-7-2009

Rietvlei 7-7-2009 - Mole

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We spotted this mole sunbathing -- just his head sticking out.

Rietvlei 7-7-2009

25-Jun-2009 Rietvlei, Cape - Bird Activity

25 Jun 2009

• The pan is full of water

Bird Activity:

• About 60 Egyptian geese in the area halfway to the bird-hide.

• Two Cape Longclaws (Orange-throated Longclaws)

• One juvenile Black Sparrowhawk

• A pair of Black-shouldered Kites

• One Rock Kestrel

• And pair of Great Crested Grebe in the mating dance. Necks twisting and head-crests fanning.

See photos

Juvenile Swift Tern

Rietvlei Walk 11-Jun-07

11-Jun-009

Rietvlei Walk

Birds spotted:

• * 8 Black-headed Herons - one has just caught a frog. There seems to be a great number of frogs in the area (photograph below)

• * A pair of Black-shouldered Kites in the area between North and South-vlei

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Birds breeding in mid winter

Horse Trails 17-June-2009

Rietvlei 10 June 2009

10 Jun 2009
A super day.
I planned a long walk to the hides but had to cut my walk short because spider webs were covering the whole area.
Going to the hides would have meant that I would have been covered with spiders.
The birds seem to congregate south of the new bird hide

• 10 Red-billed Teal
• 8 Yellow-billed Ducks
• African Darters
• 5 Red-knobbed Coots
• Egyptian geese
• Cormorants
• Cape Shoveler

Rietvlei 9 Jun 2009

9 Jun 2009

Birds spotted

• Pelican 80-100
• Shoveler 250
• Pied Avocets 20
• African Spoonbill 8
• Flamingo 50

9 June 2009

A pair of Southern Pochards was spotted flying over the South-lake.

Rietvlei 1-6-2009

01-06-2009
We watched how a Black Sparrowhawk was trying to get to a dove he dropped on the other side of a fence while the Hartlaub’s Gulls were dive-bombing him.
He gave up and flew away.
Later we saw him return to when the coast was clear to collect his prey.

Pied Kingfisher -- Rietvlei

26-May-2009 14:07
Three Pied Kingfishers
Young birds.
Two of them look as if they are mating.

Owl Moth

Atlantis 2009-05-26




Photograph Leonard Wolhuter

The best website on this topic: http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_noctuidae/index.html

See more photographs: Http://images.google.co.za/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=moth+owl&btnG=Search+Images&aq=f&oq=

Pelican ring no. H1257

26 May 2009

Pelican found -- died about four days ago.
Ring number H1257. Ringed on Dassen Island in 2005. (4 Years ago)
It has been seen on a pig farm near Tygeberg about ten times.

Bush for ID

Night life at Rietvlei 26-05-2009

Read more: http://wally.iblog.co.za/2009/06/03/along-the-night-path/

Rietvlei 23 May 2009 White-breasted Cormorant

Photograph by Wally Wolhuter

Male and juvenile Pelicans -- Darters

23 May 2009

Morning walk:
I spotted 50 Flamingos at the South vlei
I managed to photograph a male and juvenile Pelican together with a group of Darters.

18 May 2009 Rietvlei

18 May 2009

• The pan is full of Cape Shoveler about +/- 200

• 50 Lesser Flamingos

• 100 Pied Avocets

• 20 African Spoonbill

• 10 Little Stints

(photograph by Wally: Flamingos)

Otter, Mongoose activity at Rietvlei 18-05-2009

18-May-2009 Rietvlei

We saw footprints and inlays of Otters and Water Mongoose near the South-lake hide.
This poor fellow (Otter photograph below) was killed on the freeway. This happens from time to time.

Oystercatchers at Rietvlei, Cape

18 May 2009
50-60 Black African Oystercatchers were seen on the North Shore of the North Lake.

We have never had this many Oystercatchers and Shoveler ducks in the vlei before

Horse Trails (Plover beach) 8 April 2009

Rietvlei, 8-April-2009 - photograph

Rietvlei, 30-04-2009 - photograph

21 April 2009 - Rietvlei

21 April 2009
Birds spotted:

37 Spur-winged Geese
Flying from the North-vlei to the South-vlei

Intaka Island 10 April 2009

10 April 2009
Visited Intaka Island around 11:30 am. Among birds spotted:

• Malachite Kingfisher

We had a very pleasant stroll through their nature area.

Rietvlei, 08 April 2009

Fish-Eagle





Photograph by Wally Wolhuter