Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Molten gold.

Sunset Sunday.

Click to enlarge.


Domestic duck on a pool of gold.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

Another sign of spring.

Butterflies are a sure sign that spring is sprung. This one came this morning to sip nectar from tiny flowers growing in a container on my veranda.

Click to enlarge.



Proboscis dipped deep into the heart of the flower.



I was so hoping it would open it's wings so I could get a shot of it's beautifully pattern'd wings.

Saturday, 6 September 2014

Forked-tailed drongo.

I have been trying for years to get a decent photo of a Forked-tailed drongo, (fly-catcher). These little birds hardly ever sit still, flitting backwards and forwards snatching insects on the wing. 

Click to enlarge.


This bird posed for quite a while, till he was certain I'd got his best profile. 

A week previously this oak tree looked dead, and now new leaves are sprouting.  

Spring.

September 1st was officially the first day of spring in the southern hemisphere, but today 5 days later really feels like the first day of spring. It's warm, the birds and insects are out in force, and even though we have had no rain for 5 months there are flowers popping up all over.

Click to enlarge.


These delicate little purple flowers are all over, what they're called I don't know. Behind is a fallow field waiting for the first rain.


Only millimeters across.


This one is so small you could put two or three on you're thumb nail and still have space to spare.


The same flowers as above from a different angle. Only nature can get away with mixing purple, yellow and blue.


Tiny flowers with tinier insect guest.

All these photos were taken with my camera lens as close as possible to the flowers.

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Bird life.

Apart from the flowers and insects there are also the birds.


Sabota lark. (Calendulouda sabota)


Same bird as above but looking away.


Cape longclaw. ( Macronyx capensis). Alternative name Orange throated longclaw.


Here he seems a bit puzzeld as to what I was doing.

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Flowers of the veld.

When you get right down to ground level one is amazed at the biodiversity of the African veld. Hundreds of flowers, some only a few millimeters in size other quite large. Almost every flower hosts insects of some kind even the tiniest.

Click to enlarge.



White cosmos, not an indigenous flower but brought here during the Anglo-Boer war, 1899 - 1903, with feed for the British horses.



From the end of February to the beginning of May these flowers bloom in their thousands and in all the colours of the rainbow.


This little flower is about as big as my thumb nail, if not smaller.


This yellow flower is a bit bigger than the one above. If you enlarge the picture you will see a tiny wasp and a shadow of a small beetle on the petal right on top.


I photographed this flower late yesterday afternoon, the flower seems to glow with an inner light.

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Views of Africa.

All these photos were taken within an hour of each other.

Click to enlarge.


Invasive plant, but an African Jewel!


Wide open spaces !.


View 2.


In this expanse you find these jewels!


Wide African skies.


Almost a Japanese water color


Last of the day.