memorablemeanders.blogspot.com

Showing posts with label Birds of South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birds of South Africa. Show all posts

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Fan-tailed Widowbird and dog[ged] exhuberance

 Good afternoon dearest fellow Bloggers. These past weeks Skabby and I have only been able to go for a walk very infrequently. It has rained incessantly in the Central Drakensberg, not allowing the farm roads to become walkable after the muddy conditions. However, one hot sunny day  last week (the heat has also been fierce this summer),  Skabby and I got out into the veld. 

As always, while said dog hurtles along the farm road, I often stop and take photos.

Fan-tailed Widowbird male (breeding) 

The regular stop for Skabby to have a swim 

Many exciting muddy puddles to splash through! 
A view of the mountains on a glorious summer day 
Cooling his heels in the plodging bowl back home 

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen here

HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU ALL! 




Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Wild bird Wednesday

 It's been many years - too many - since I linked to Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday post. There's no time like the present, so here goes...

Sacred ibis and a pair of yellow-billed duck on the dam this week
Swainson's spurfowl 

Reed Cormorant 
White-faced Duck with a dirty face - according to my SIL Shelley, who is my birding mentor 
White-faced Duck 
African Spoonbill


I'm linking to Wild Bird Wednesday, here


Saturday, August 15, 2020

Eclectic mix of Saturday critters

 Good afternoon, dear Blogger friends. Life is normal again, thank goodness and one routine that has been re-established is that Skabby and I get out there for a walk. 

Last week as I approached the dam, I once again, noticed the perfect reflection of an electrical pole above the bank.



I called my photographic assistant to jump in for a swim. He did...

... and I was ready with my camera! 



Lovely zig-zag images made for great photo ops! 
After having acquitted himself of a task well done, the canine photographic assistant, treated himself to a fresh patty

On the way back, I stopped to take photos of the hay bales and the cows grazing against a backdrop, in the far distance, of the majestic mountain peaks. 

This bucolic scene is part of my daily existence 
This young calf was alone, and seemed to be waiting. His mum has obviously gone to the day paddock for the day

While I was thinking about this little guy, a cow came up the road bellowing, she was mooing so loudly. All the calves in the nursery came towards the fence but not one reacted to her mooing. This lone calf also paid no attention to the lady's call. She was clearly missing her calf. Then she turned around and galloped (strange sight to see a cow galloping) back to the paddock where she'd spent the night. The older heifers in the paddock adjacent to the nursery, ran along the fence with her. 

I'd leashed Skabby  up again and stopped at the farmyard gate to watch the cow. She raced into the paddock where she located a young calf and called him to come with her. 

Circled is a very happy mama having found her baby! 

She came running up the road with her calf in tow!


She found, to her surprise, that her calf had remained in the paddock (see open gate top left of photo

Here she is with her calf, on their way to the cows grazing the lush grass along the river 

I'm listening to the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the nation on easing restrictions during Covd-19. The number of daily infections have decreased from 12,000 to 5,000. The recovery rate since 13th July, CR's last address, has increased from 48% to 80%. 

Cigarettes may be sold for the first time in four months. Doesn't affect me in any way but I felt for the smokers. Black market sales rocketed during this period. The alcohol ban has been lifted for the second time; I'm also not a drinker but I'm pleased for the wine industry in our country. 

I am linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen, here 

Have a safe a wonderful Saturday! 




Saturday, August 8, 2020

Freedom !

 Good morning dear Blogger friends. As the title suggests, I am finally relieved of the vacuum pump which had been attached to my leg for four weeks. Monday, August 3rd, 2020.

After the sister had applied a conventional dressing and left, I went to the farm office for the first time since 22nd June. 

At midday, I came home, leashed up Skabby and we set out on  our first walk in six weeks. My, was that pooch excited! He ate many, many cow pats on the way up the road. At the dam, I had to call him several times to have a swim; he was munching away at his already-digested vegetarian patties. 

Happiness is...
At least Skabby washes his teeth and mouth with copious gulps of muddy dam water! 
Bounding happily along the farm road after his swim
Back home, I snapped a Cape Sparrow male, enjoying some remaining greens on the dried out winter lawn
Cape White-eye pecking at lemon skins in my compost heap

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen here

A happy, safe and healthy Saturday to you all!