Get those boots on.

When I take my hiking boots out of the cupboard my dogs know now we're going walking or fishing, and their joy knows no bounds. 


Took my 6 weight rod with a foam popper and tried my luck on some bass. There's something so relaxing about casting a fly line, the rhythm, the timing, the whole process, is a bit like meditating. You loose yourself in the action of casting.


Click on photos to enlarge.

The boots that make my dogs so happy.

Lady can't contain herself,  "come on, come on, get those boots on," if she could she would put them on for me. Sissy gets a bit of grooming in. 

At last, we're on our way.

This White-faced duck seemed to think it was well hidden.

A heron settling down for the night.

While I was photographing the heron above, this small bass took my motionless popper and basically hooked himself. I caught several more bass among the reeds and water grass.

Walking home we were rewarded with this sunset.
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Hamerkop and White-faced ducklings.

While walking along the dam wall of the pond just below the cottage, this Hamerkop, Afrikaans for Hammerhead, flew up from the edge of the water not 50 meters from me. If I had been more alert I might have got a clearer photo. It flew down the valley and perched on the top of a willow tree about 400 meters away.


Click on photos to enlarge.

Hamerkop, (Scopus umbreta). These quite large birds, live near fresh water and wetlands, where they feed on frogs, tadpoles and small fish. On the back of the head is a backward facing crest, which gives the bird it's name. In the "Roberts Bird Guide", they are placed with herons and bitterns.

Two White-faced ducklings with their mother. I suspect that these two could be from the clutch of eggs that I photographed about two weeks ago. This clutch contained 12 eggs, but I think the attrition rate for ducklings is high. There are some very big bass in this dam and a duckling would make a nice snack.

White-faced ducks nest with 12 eggs.

Pied kingfisher

Yesterday afternoon, while walking towards the biggest dam on the farm, I spotted a kingfisher hovering over the water. I tried to photograph it hovering, but all I got are shots of wide expanses of blue skies.

Pied kingfisher, (Ceryle rudus). The bird in the photo is a female, males have a second collar.


These photos of the kingfisher were taken at a very long distance and I had to crop most of the original photo, thus the very grainy appearance when you enlarge them.

Pied kingfishers hunt for fish almost exclusively while hovering, unlike other kingfishers who hunt from a perch next to the water.

The day before yesterday I photographed this Steppe buzzard.

These White-faced ducks just seemed to be posing for me to photograph them. In the foreground are two Black-smith lapwings.

Living & dying

Took the dogs for a long walk around the farm yesterday. Didn't take a fly rod, just the camera. Click on photos to enlarge.

Yellow-billed egret, (Egretta intermedia). I had an idea that there was something wrong with this bird. It was hunched up, and hunkered down and all on it's own. These birds are usually in flocks and fly away at the approach of humans, this one just sat there.

Unfortunately my observation that the egret not being well proved to be true. When I went walking this afternoon I found that the bird had died.

Blacksmith Lapwing, (Vanellus armatus). Gets its name from it's call a klink klink klink. Much like a small hammer being struck against an anvil. Very aggressive during the nesting season. The bird at the back appears to be a juvenile and has what looks like a minnow in it's beak.

A pair of White-faced ducks. What struck me about these two is how unperturbed they were at the approach of me and the ducks. Even when lady entered the water to swim, a few meters from them, they hardly moved. 

Southern Red bishop. (Euplectes afer) This bird had just chased a bird of another species away from the nests, looked like a Red breasted cuckoo. Cuckoo's like to lay their eggs in weaver birds nests.

Tranquil waters.