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Following the introductory post on my trip to Namibia’s Kaokoveld, below is a brief account of some birding at the popular Avis Dam. Avis is a great birding spot very close to the centre of Windhoek. It’s the sort of place you can visit if you’ve just got an hour or two to spare. Try [...]

The Buckham family was again travelling some of the more beautiful parts of the Western Cape over the last extended weekend. We visited a wonderful self catering spot about 20 kilometres east of Swellendam called Frog Mountain. It is set approximately 8kms off the N2 on a dead end gravel road which makes for a [...]

We recently returned from a whirlwind trip of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. This trip report is not going to be a laundry list of the birds we saw and the routes we drove but rather a description of some of the experiences we had (along with the obligatory mention of the good species we [...]

This last weekend was spent relaxing at John and Miranda Moodie’s Honeywood Farm, which is adjacent to Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve. The area has finally had a sprinkling of rain so it was back to its lush, green self. Not too much time was spent behind the camera or bins, but birds are difficult to avoid [...]

It warms the cockles of my heart when my non-birding friends take an interest in birds. A close friend – Craig Banks  – was very excited when he watched a Black-headed Heron catch a Cape Molerat in Hermanus this past weekend. He even had the composure to take some photos and video. He made me [...]

A quick visit to Strandfontein sewage works on Saturday evening resulted in these photos of a Purple Heron trying to swallow a rather large Vlei Rat [I stand corrected here, but this is what I think it is - can anyone confirm?]. Swallowing a rodent this size is clearly not easy so the heron spent [...]

Continuing from previous posts about birding in and around Cape Town, a good birding spot that is very close (walking distance) to the V&A Waterfront and the new 2010 World Cup Football stadium is Mouille Point beach. The site is probably best known amongst local birders for its historical records of Greater Sheathbill, but actually [...]

While birding at Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve on Saturday I was surprised to bump into an albino Speckled Mousebird. The bird was seen close to the reserve office – see map below – and was very obvious amongst its grey team mates. It wasn’t particularly obliging, but you get the idea from the photo below. I [...]

Harold Porter Botanical Gardens is not renowned like it’s big sister, Kirstenbosch, but the birding is arguably much better in terms of available endemics. The gardens and surrounding mountain-side are some of the best areas to find Victorin’s Warbler, while Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Spurfowl, Cape Bulbul, Cape Siskin are also resident; Protea Seed-eater [...]

Not exactly a passerine, but I’m always thrilled when I bump into Cape Clawless Otter. My latest otter experience was in Betty’s Bay at “Big” or “Main” beach, one of the busier beaches in the area. It wasn’t picking it’s way between beach towels, but it was about 500m from the busy swim area. We [...]