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

Rietvlei, 07 April 2009

7 April 2009
Cape Dwarf Chameleon











12 Oystercatchers on the North Bank









.

Rietvlei, 06 April 2009

Birds spotted:


1 Ringed Plover

• 36 Black Oystercatchers on the North-bank of the vlei.

• 
  

• 4 Three-banded Plovers

• 6 Little Stints in the South-lake near the pond off the path to The Point

Photograph: Ringed Plover

Rietvlei, 31 March 2009

Dikkop (Thick-knee) chicks in the boat-parking area.
70 +- Pelicans on the corner of the South-Vlei. (Old cofferdam)

Rietvlei -- 27-March 2009

Saw a white and black Coot on two separate occasions. Albino???

Rietvlei Nature Reserve -- 25 March 2009

• The Cape Clawless Otter had a feast on a Egyptian Goose.

• I found the remains in the South-vlei near the club.

• Spotted the Water Mongoose tracts.

Rietvlei 24 March 2009

24 March 2009
Found a mature lame Helmeted Guineafowl. It died while we were examining it.

Blouberg Hill 21 March 2009

We went for a hike to the top of Blouberg Hill. The vegetation was very dry.
We enjoyed great panoramic views over Blouberg, the sea and the mountain.
We saw the land where the "Battle of Blouberg" played out.

Birds spotted:

• Yellow-billed Kite

• 2 Rock Kestrels

• Greater Striped Swallows

Intaka Island 20 March 009

Another visit to Intaka Island. We spotted two Black-crowned Night Heron and a Marsh Mongoose (or Water Mongoose) playing in the water nearby.

Visit to Intaka Island - 12 March 2009

Thursday 12 March 2009
A Visit to Intaka Island accompanied by John Linden and Andre Swart.
We had a great walk, and enjoyed our picnic lunch in one of the two bird-hides.
A pair of Malachite Kingfishers gave us a wonderful show, chasing each other and flew right up to the hide. I took some smashing photographs

Birdlife at the Vlei 12 March 2009

12 March 009

• 1 Malachite Kingfisher, sitting on the front landing site, flew towards the reeds on the North-Shore erosion site. This reed area is called the erosion site because the reeds were planted there to stop the erosion.

• 2 Spotted (Dikkop) Thick-knee Chicks were spotted at the parking area opposite the clubhouse.

• 70 Great White Pelicans on the north shore and on the vlei.

• 800 Gulls.

• A Juvenile Sandwich Tern and 50 Swift Terns on the jetty

Also spotted 1 African Purple Swamphen (Purple Gallinule)


Photographs: Malachite Kingfisher, Swift Terns and other birds on jetty.