The Story: I saw this Grey-Headed Bushshrike one day through my kitchen window;it is the one and only time I have seen this bird in my area. It is a striking bird, with beautiful, bold colours. It has a grey head and yellow eyes. It is olive green along its back. It is also known as the…Read More
Tag: South Africa
Breeding Cape Vultures
If you are a fan of Raptors, then you will enjoy seeing a Cape Vulture breeding colony up close. The Mbashe River Gorge at Collywobbles in South Africa’s Eastern Cape currently has approximately 200 pairs of breeding Cape Vultures. At one stage, during the 1980’s, the figure rose to over 300 pairs making it one…Read More
Fork-Tailed Drongo Video
The Story: The Fork-Tailed Drongos are quite common throughout Africa, and I see them often. They also go by the name of African Drongo, Common Drongo or Savanna Drongo. The birds are completely black with the male being a bit more glossy/shiny. It has red eyes and a big head, as indicated in the video…Read More
African Hoopoe Birding Video (Hoopoe eating Worms)
The Story: This is another bird I filmed while visiting some family on their farm near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. The Hoopoe is an easily recognizable bird with is long tapering, black bill and its distinctive ‘crown’ or ‘crest‘ of feathers. It is chestnut coloured and has black and white stripes on the wings and tail. The crest on…Read More
Blue Cranes Mating Dance Video (HD)
The Story: I filmed these Blue Cranes (the national Bird of South Africa) while visiting some family on their farm near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. We were quite fortunate to witness the courtship/mating dance beginning to be performed. The male usually starts the dance by jumping up and down flapping his wings, then the…Read More
Trumpeter Hornbill Photo
I took this photograph of a Trumpeter Hornbill in my back yard. I had noticed quite a few of them in the area, but this was by far the biggest one I had ever seen. They generally grow to 58cm – 65cm in length and this guy was definitely pushing the size barrier.
Interesting Bird Fact – The Official Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is used in a few official circumstances: The University of Johannesburg uses the bird as their logo. The Hoopoe is also their sports mascot. And in Germany; the Armstedt municipality uses the Hoopoe in its coat of arms.
Pied Kingfisher Video (HD)
The Story: I filmed this Pied Kingfisher while on holiday at Kei Mouth. I have filmed quite a few Kingfishers before including one dive-bombing and catching a fish which is always a spectacular sight to watch. The Pied Kingfisher has a black mask over the eyes, a white supercilium (or eyebrows) and black bands across the chest. It…Read More