Zaagkuildrift Road, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Zaag, like jug with a lisp, Zaagkuil meaning "saw pit" from the Dutch translation, the pit that was built to facilitate the cutting of wood, i.e. each edge lying on the edges of the pit wherein the woodcutters stood and sawed away. Well, the wood remains in the form of acacia thorn bushes, but the woodcutters have long gone. The birds, though have remained.

Zaagkuildrift Road in the Limpopo Province, just north of Gauteng Province has to be a prime birding destination and a "must do" site for any and all birders finding themselves in this thicket of the woods. The road is a corrugated/ dirt/ sand/ stone road extending some 25 kilometres from the Rust De Winter turnoff on the N1 and ending at the village Kgomo Kgomo, the latter better known for its wetland bird species. The condition of the road is satisfactory, the birding excellent. Here follows the photos:

 
From the moment the dirt road begins, the birds appear. Crested barbets, go away birds, sparrows, waxbills, hornbills, crimson breasted shrikes and starlings; Burchells and glossys in their hundreds. I drove down the road in June 2011. I suspect that birding is even more rewarding during the spring and summer seasons. I would be wary though of the road conditions and the vehicle that I use in wet weather conditions. This area is known for its summer rainfalls.

Once one reaches the floodplains of the Kgomo Kgomo village, the sacred ibises, herons, egrets, cormorants and plovers make their presence felt.

 Birding the Zaagkuildrift Road is akin to birding the Kruger National Park with the added advantage; bonus and privilege of being able to get out of one's vehicle and get close to the birds. The birds are abundant in number, species and in sheer beauty. This site has to be the best kept secret.

The white shouldered kite is abundant amongst the raptor population species. The purple roller is disciplined enough to allow you to take as many photos of it as your heart desires and your memory card permits. The local farmers and their workers pass you by with warm greetings and speed away in the dust clouds that they create on the dry dirt road.

 
There is absolutely no hesitation to turn the car around and redo the route once one has had one's fill of the birds at Kgomo Kgomo. The most compelling reasons for birding Zaagkuildrift Road has to be the safety and security factors, the peace and tranquility and above all the abundance of birdlife in this area.


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Birds of the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

Roodepoort is a suburban town of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The old Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens was renamed the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. The gardens is one of the national botanical gardens of South Africa.

Emoyeni and Thulani are two other legendary names associated with these gardens. They are the names of the breeding pair of Verreaux Eagles nested on the slopes of the waterfall that forms the backdrop to this garden. The tale of Emoyeni and her three mating partners are legend.

Birding at the gardens is always rewarding as the photos below will show.

The crowned lapwing plovers are present in large numbers foraging amongst the picnic baskets of visitors to the gardens in the amphitheatre section of the gardens. A large flock of pied crows inhabits the hills in the area of the waterfall. It would seem that their sole function is to mob the breeding pair of eagles once the latter take to flight. It would also appear apparent that the eagles do their utmost to ignore the crows. I have also witnessed the crows mob other raptors like the jackal buzzard that flies in the area. The burgeoning crow population in South Africa must raise some concerns in the relevant circles.

  The thrush, weavers, bulbuls made their customary appearance. The thrush darting in and out of the thick vegetation alongside the river flowing through the garden are always challenging to photograph. The sighting of a crested barbet is always a visual delight. The photograph does not do justice to the colourful appearance of this bird.

 The go away bird or lourie when sighted usually means that a rewarding day birding at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens is drawing to a close until the next time that I venture up north.    

The mating ritual (or lack of it) of the Cape Town gull

Here I was at Intaka Island, Cape Town minding my own business whilst photographing the sensitive scene of a mother gull being pestered for food by its juvenile offspring little realising what was shortly in store for my eyes glued to the viewfinder of my camera.

As you can see, Mother Gull duly proceeded to regurgitate her most recent bolus of food and present it to Baby Gull. I was deeply moved by the scene unfolding in front of me overcome by the generosity of mothers towards the needs of their offspring and compiling in my mind of minds an essay on the sacrifices of motherhood. My deep thoughts were suddenly disturbed by Lothario Gull flamboyantly making an entrance on the scene with an acrobatic dive and a screech in the cool waters of the pond with wings fully extended and stripes all ablaze with pomp (but little ceremony).

 
Lothario Gull then proceeded out of the water and then mounted Mother Gull as the pictures below attest to.

Now I do not intend describing in detail what is clearly visible to your naked eye. I will however make the comment that I was convinced that Lothario was quite taken by Mother Gulls posterior musculature given the time he spent patting it with his outstretched toes. The whole ritual took less than a few minutes from start to completion. Talk of quickies indeed. And then to the following happened:

Lothario leans over and whispers some sweet niceties in Mother Gull's ears before making his flamboyant exit, undoubtedly en route to propagating his species. This guy has witnesses too many B rated movies for his own good. What is the world coming to with this public display of intimacy?

For me, I had this collection of photos but with no idea as to what I should do with them. Should I hide them in the deep recesses of my hard drive or should I show them to the world. I am a man of science and I am thus guided by the interests of science. I must therefore declare that the revelation of these pictures which are copyrighted by the way are purely in the interests and advancement of the ornithological sciences. So there you go. Do exercise discretion in permitting younger and sensitive viewers from viewing these photos.