Karoo Bird Monitoring

I have just returned from our third session of bird monitoring in the Karoo, in an area approximately 60km south of Sutherland.  The Karoo is very dry this year with so little rain having fallen.  Most of the dams are dry and certainly none of the rivers are flowing.

There were significantly less birds around on this occasion and it could be because of the dryness or perhaps because the weather was much improved from our last visit  and the neighbouring Witteberge did not have a constant bank of cloud above it which would allow raptors to feed there more easily than last time when it was covered in cloud most of the time.

We visited the Verreaux's Eagle nest again and found the chick now nicely grown up and almost ready to fledge.  Thanks for the pic Brian.

This was the same eagle chick last time we were here, with mommy in attendance.  Fantastic to see the difference in a few weeks.

Martial Eagles were spotted twice, quite a few Rock Kestrels were seen.  

A few Black Harriers, a Booted Eagle and a Jackal Buzzard were also recorded.  But in the grand scheme of things, there were not many about over the 10 days we did monitoring.

So, due to the lack of birds on the mountain tops, I had a chance to look at the beautiful tiny little Karoo Blooms that had sprung up everywhere.  Here are a few.

Crassula - what I call the nomad plant.  Its root system is very shallow and it is easily knocked out of the ground by passing animals.  The wind blows them around easily where they can again take root for a little while.  Surely they are "wandering plants".

Last time we were here these were just little leaves flat on the ground.  This is the first time I have seen their blooms.

I also spotted the odd mammal and reptile on our drives or walks.

Cape Grysbok

Ground Agama (female)

Karoo Tented Tortoise

And there were a few birds that sat still long enough to have their portraits taken.

Sickle-wing Chat

Rock Martins

The Verreaux's Eagle near the nest with the chick

Three-banded Plover at one of the few dams that had water in it

Ever watchful Brian spotted this Three-banded Plover nest, just a scraping in the ground between the rocks

Lastly, I was having quite a bit of fun with the many insects that buzzed and scattered around me as I sat on my lonely rock.  

This stick covered worm attached to the side of the flower bud was so interesting to me.  The sticks are piled vertically, so the worm moves with the sticks upright.  It looks so strange as they scurry over the rocks with a high-rise of tiny sticks on top of it.

And this was my favourite insect of the trip, a hoverfly with the longest proboscis I have ever seen. He ferociously defended his territory for hours, seeing off every butterfly and fly quick-smart.  When one of his own kind dared to trespass, he went into battle mode and violent skirmishes ensued till he was victorious and back at his hovering post!

 brown / house / geometric button spider (Latrodectus geometricus) - I forgot my arachnaphobia for a bit and took this pic as it was so interesting that this button spider was trying to eat such a large, hard shelled beetle.  It had made this web under the rock I usually sit on so needless to say, I chose a new rock this time.