Critters, nature and welcome rains

Last weekend we'd had a brief shower of rain. It's always rewarding to go out birding and "bushing" at this time and Saturday was no exception.

These critters (banded mongoose) ran ahead so fast, my photos are a blur. However, Grant and I had never seen so many together at once. At a quick head count, I arrived at 30

Pond Lilies

Cycling trio

While I was recovering from malaria this week, Grant and I had to leave off our evening exercise. So instead, we went birding every evening! Last week I was so envious when Eileen (who hosts this meme) showed photos of woodpeckers. (and I told her so, LOL!) On Thursday evening we'd just past a typical woodpecker tree, when I called for Grant to stop. I zoomed in and focused. Unfortunately I had my camera set on AV  instead of Manual and I kept trying to darken the photo. When I did adjust the setting, I looked up again and the woodpecker had disappeared around the other side of the tree! 

When I downloaded the photos, Grant id'd this as a Grey Woodpecker - a lifer for us! 

Yesterday afternoon we had another short shower of rain. Last night we went out again.

Freshly washed earth with promising stormy skies overhead

As we left the mine road and entered the bush proper, I spotted a dik-dik in the scrub nearby. 

Although we saw several birds and a couple of raptors, I will post about them during the week. Driving along the slimes dam wall, Grant stopped for me to photograph four Ibis silhouetted against the night sky. While we watched, we saw one bird bend to feed another. When I downloaded the photos, I saw this clearly.

Ibis against the night sky. If you look closely the bird second from the left is bending towards the third bird

Here, that third bird is eating off the tree. (juvenile or mate?) 

A little further along, Grant spotted a coucal in a thorn bush just below the bank. 

White-browed Coucal

Another glorious East African sunset

I'm linking this post to Saturday Critters Party with Eileen which you can visit here

I'll do a post on the pups later today, who were one month yesterday.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend.