Saturday Critter party with Eileen

As the bush and environs becomes drier and drier, it's a challenge to spot birds and animals with ease. To change the pace and situation a little, we started going out after dark this week. Although we didn't see many things, we did see our "night birds" and as always the little dik-dik. 

 Spotted Thick-knee freezes in our night-light while I take photos

Along the haul road, the headlights picked up a movement in front of the vehicle. Grant stopped and I took several photos of this striking little bird (below) which is visible during the day and at night. 

 Three-banded Plover

 

At first glance this Dik-dik looked like a rabbit. It was still so small and is obviously a very young dik-dik out on its own for the first time

Over the weekend we still went out an hour on Saturday and another on Sunday morning. We were thrilled to see the Bateleur pair perched on a tree way above us on top of a mine dump.

Bateleur (Female) stretches her wings

Bateleur (male) and female look as though they're having a serious conversation

I just loved the woolly-headed glare the male Bateleur seemed to aim at me as I focused on him and his mate

A Black-headed Heron in a typical heron stance (one leg tucked up and head hunched into shoulders)

Although this bird is audible in my garden from before dawn until after sunset, it's not often that we see it close to the road in the bush. The Spotted Palm thrush is endemic to North East Africa. Its song is powerful with a varied medley of whistled phrases incorporating mimicry as well as a low PEE-u-piri-peeu which is given throughout the day 

d'Arnaud's Barbet provides the perfect photo op when all other birds are scarce! 

As we approached the boom gate near our home, we spotted a Lilac-breasted Roller dive down onto the ground and return to the wire above. It had an insect in its bill which...

...it fed to a bird sitting on the wire nearby

So winter or no, I still have a selection of critters to bring to Eileen's Saturday Critter party which you can visit by clicking here

Heronry against winter sky

Herons against a winter sunset last week (I used a little computer help with the clouds!)

For more beautiful Skywatch Friday posts, please click here

Here's wishing all my friends in the US a

Happy 4th July 

Good fences and good neighbors

Picket fence around my garden at my home in South Africa (aerial view)

Picket fence, different angle (aerial view)

Picket fence seen at ground level

In 2003 I started to build up an overgrown plot of ground next to our house in South Africa. By 2008 I had the garden of my dreams. It was used for children's parties, ladies' tea parties, garden club meetings and of course, for our own enjoyment. 

Then I found I was away from my home for long periods while I lived at first, in West Africa, then North Africa and eventually East Africa. My garden was still well-cared for by my helpers John and David but late in 2009, we had a severe water shortage in our town. This was partly due to a long winter drought  and also because the municipality had allowed the dam wall to break and lose all the water which had collected during the previous summer.

I approached my neighbor and asked if he'd like to buy that part of my garden. I didn't realize at the time that I was probably the only person in the world who was selling her garden! My neighbor has six large breed rescue dogs and two cats so he jumped at the opportunity to extend his garden. When he walked into my garden to take a look, however, he said, he'd never allow his unruly dogs to romp around and wreck this beautiful garden.

The good neighbor bought the garden and duly erected a picket fence between which was now his garden and ours! 

 Shadow, during his three months between North and East Africa while he lived in South Africa 

Two of our three dogs peering through the fence at me (on neighbor's side!) not too sure why they couldn't get to me! 

I found a small opening in a fence slat and photographed my erstwhile garden through it! 

I'm linking to Good Fences, hosted by TexWisGirl,  which you can access by clicking here