Last Mwadui Critters

While out birding during our last week in Mwadui, of course, the critters appeared to say goodbye as well.  

Agama Lizard (Male) 

Agama Lizard (Female)

Close-up

I'm linking to Eileen's Saturday Critters which you can visit by clicking here

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! 

Last Saturday Critters in Mwadui

I was standing in my Mwadui garden when I saw the Nando  jump up against the reed fence, yapping excitedly. I walked towards to him and saw a chameleon making its way hastily up the fence. I had my camera around my neck and snapped away as the pretty critter moved up and out of harm's way. 

It climbed up onto the reeds and moved along stealthily

With pups milling around far below the chameleon quickly clambered up and away from danger.  By now I was in the street outside the property taking these photos 

Michael had arrived with a thick stick and we coaxed the chameleon off the fence and onto this

Finally we eased the chameleon onto a shrub across the road from our front gate

I'm linking to Eileen's Saturday Critters which you can visit 

here

Although I'm back in South Africa, I still have several bird and critter posts from Mwadui and will continue to post about them for a while. You can imagine how I'm also missing this part of our life in Tanzania! 

Grant Googled this chameleon and told me what he'd discovered but I was busy with travel arrangements at the time and can't remember! 

The Swahili name for a chameleon is kinyonga and if you click on the Google link above you'll see the scientific name for several species is very similar. 

Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes here and on Facebook. My party here at home yesterday was very special - I'll post about this shortly.

Happy Saturday to you all!

Good fences, good critters

Namaqua Dove (Male) on fence at explosives magazine

A bashful Agama Lizard on a pillar supporting the fence around the explosives magazine

I'm linking my post to Good Fences Thursday.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week. 

Saturday Critters Party with Eileen

Last weekend as we drove out onto the mine, Grant stopped so that I could photograph some donkeys at the boom gate. 

Four pretty ladies socialize in shade of a tree

Nearby a small flock of Little Egret hang around some cattle

Driving through the bush, we spotted a dik-dik in the bush next to the road

Further up the road, a very small dik-dik stands still watching our vehicle. I manage to get a photo before it bounded into the bush.

A small dik-dik stands motionless in the road

After viewing and photographing several birds (to be posted on Wednesday next week) we returned along the slimes dam wall. We spotted a pair of helmeted guineafowl having a sand bath. 

Both the guineafowl enjoy their sand bath 

Returning through the boom gate, the herd of donkeys had moved towards the askari's hut

The herd of cattle was also closer to the askari hut with the Little Egret in tow

Before stopping at home, we popped into Amanda and Andre's home to say hello.

The tree-lined road leading to the client camp

For more critters, please join Eileen here

Here's wishing you all a happy weekend. 

Saturday Critters Party with Eileen

I have an eclectic mix of creatures for today's post. During the week I watched as one of the pups sniffed something on the ground, and then jumped back. I thought it was  a frog; I grabbed my camera and went outdoors. 

The pup was trying to sniff a large bug which I'm not able to identify! 

A bug that one of the pups found fascinating 

The pup's leg is visible on the right of the photo

I walked away, leaving the bug in peace; the pup followed me.

Michael pets the other four pups!

In the street, near the Guest House fence, I spotted several mongoose. I managed to capture this ne before it dived into the holes next to the tree roots

Driving along the bush road always yields birds and other interesting sights...

...like this d'Arnaud's Barbet with fruit in its mouth 

I'm linking my post to Saturday Critters with Eileen here.here

First Critter Party for 2015

Happy New Year to all my blogger friends who join in Eileen's Critter Party here 

Before I continue with today's post, I'd like to reply to several comments about not having a video of Solomon's rendition of the A&M Hymns on New Years Eve. As I started to focus on  Solomon and to record his songs, Mani came to me holding out his Ipad; his wife wanted to greet me personally. When I was finished speaking to her, I lifted my camera. By now, Solomon was halfway through the hymns; Carolyn, Grant and Steve were singing along near me and I joined as well. So no video! 

On Tuesday morning when I went out to greet Michael and help him feed the pups, he pointed to the fence around the pups' enclosure. The preying mantis which I'd seen and photographed out in the street last month, was visiting us! 

I tried to surreptitiously snap this fascinating insect in order not to frighten it 

On New Years Day Grant came home and told me about a huge flock of birds in field near the houses. He'd come to collect me so that we could go and wish the Client people Happy New Year.  I grabbed my camera and we drove up the street. 

The Egrets and Abdim's Storks gorged themselves on the flying ants in the grass

After spending time chatting to Louise and then later Andre and Amanda, we drove slowly through the camp back to the gate. Of course, we were looking for birds or animals! And we weren't disappointed.

A small colony of dwarf mongoose were scrimmaging for food in between the tree trunks...

...providing me with plenty of opportunity to photograph them! 

Approaching the gate, we saw an African Grey Hornbill swoop down onto the ground. It began to feast on the hundreds of wingless flying ants on the ground. I had inadvertently selected a function called "creative shots". One depression of the shutter and you have multiple images with effects. The camera then automatically selects from all effects. 

One such effect was grey-scale and then Grant pointed out the the hornbill looked as if it had a plaster cast on its right leg 

The next image was in sepia and the right leg certainly looked as if it was encased in plaster of Paris! 

The next shot showed the poor hapless flying ant in the hornbill's bill!

And down the hatch you go! 

Grant dropped me off at our gate and returned to the office. At the same time, Michael Makongoro came out of the Guest House gate; he approached Michael, my askari, who was sitting on the side of the road. I saw Michael M hand something to Michael "A" who then dropped it like a hot cake. The two men guffawed. Michael called me and showed me a "tortoise". It was, in fact, the tiniest terrapin I'd ever seen. Michael (askari) was nervous of this creature and jumped back when I picked it up off the gravel. 

A terrapin which measured just on 2cm in circumference!

I put the terrapin in my vegetable garden in the corner of the yard. When I checked on it a few minutes later, it had disappeared! 

And now, as this is possibly the last weekend that the remaining five pups will be together in my garden, here are some photos.

Princess and Bibi relax on the lawn

Yaaaawn, I look just like my mama

All five of the pups together

Today, after a bird outing into the bush, Michael and I will take Bibi and Mvulana over the the Guest House. We'll let them sniff around and get to know the place where they will be living in the future: near or in Edward Askari's hut! We'll return them to our garden until their final meal at 4pm which we'll feed to them at the Guest House again - sort of applying Pavlov's theory here!  Once they've eaten we'll bring them back here to play for the rest of the afternoon and as usual, to sleep with the others in the enclosure tonight. Tomorrow we'll repeat the process, lengthening their stay at the Guest House until finally we feel we can safely leave them with Edward. Originally I'd planned on Bibi joining Nando at the Guest House. But Nando lives at our house now and has stated emphatically that he will NOT be returning to the Guest House!

Nordeen told me yesterday that Sekamenya, our company carpenter will start building a hut on Monday. Nordeen has agreed to take both the remaining "fluffy" females: Mischana Neusi and Mischana Mbili. Grant told him that it would be cruel to separate these two sisters; now both will live at Nordeen's house. Nordeen stressed that the hut would only be used a shelter when it rains and not to lock the dogs up in.  At all the other times he wants the dogs to run around the yard, play with his children and protect them and his property.  He's a man after my own heart! 

The only other male, Colonel, gets to stay here in our garden with his mama Princess and Unca Nando! 

Happy Saturday to you all! 

Pre-Christmas Critters

I just don't seem to get time to post all the birds Grant and I have seen since we returned to site four weeks ago. So today I'm sharing some of them with you on Eileen's  Saturday Critter's Party post.

Black-winged Stilt (female or juvenile) 

Little Egret and African Jacana

Long-tailed (Reed) Cormorant preening and fluttering its wings in a most peculiar manner

And looking towards an antique lady with a camera as if to say: whaddayawantwoman? 

Green Sandpiper

Yellow-collared Lovebirds - I don't know how Grant spotted them; they were literally hundreds of meters away in the open veld. This was one of my first attempts at using the custom setting on my new camera (It shows, doesn't it?)

A pair of Dik-dik; well-camouflaged in the high undergrowth 

Black-shouldered Kite 

My first attempt at using the macro button on the camera

I liked this image

Princess and her pups with a roll of discarded electrical cord that Michael had removed from our roof 

Princess and mini-me: Bibi

And the final image is especially for my precious friend, Rina who lives in our home in Marquard, South Africa. Chef Paul made donuts for dessert in the dining room last night and brought a treat for Babu Grant. When I told Rina on Skype about it, she said she'd love to have one of Paul's donuts. 

So here, Rina, especially for you! 

Happy Saturday everyone and enjoy the Critter Party with Eileen.