Tag: kirstenbosch gardens

Public Holiday recap

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It’s Freedom Day today, giving a nod to 32 South African years since the first democratic elections back in 1994. There are many, many things that you can argue could have been done differently in the intervening period, but so as to be able to celebrate the good bits therein, we get the day off.

So how did we spend it?

Well, after gym (which wouldn’t have been quite so high on my agenda had I known what was coming), there was a walk on the mountain, enjoying the waterfalls:

…and overlooking the leafy green suburbs of Newlands and Fernwood.

Before dropping down into Kirstenbosch Gardens (mid right of the photo above) where we found a Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa):

And then an afternoon at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, where we saw a Betway sponsored horse win a race underwritten by LuckyFish Betting.

We’re all good. It’s not a problem. (It really is a problem.)

That said, if you have things under control and you set your limits and stick to them, you can still have fun and come out richer than when you went in. Which I did, and which was nice.

A real pot of gold at the end of that rainbow then, mostly likely guarded by a leper or a unicorn*.

Pretty good way to spend a pretty good South African day.

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* you had to be there.

Sugar

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A disappointingly unproductive morning at Kirstenbosch, with many of the local birds rather uninterested in being in front of any lenses. But on the plus side, there are certainly worse places to be while getting frustrated about the lack of feathered photographic subjects.

This Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer) was one of the few residents that was willing to have a quick shot taken today, whilst feeding – as expected – on one of the local Proteacae. But they are omnivorous and will also eat spiders and insects.
And if they get hungry… I’m sorry… they’ll what?!?

Dear God.

Let’s just hope that there is enough food around for the local Sugarbird population this year. Otherwise photography at Kirstenbosch is going to be even more difficult in the future.

More Cape Town “tourism”

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The quotation marks are because Kirstenbosch is somewhere we go fairly often anyway. Not like yesterday’s trip out.

Anyway, I was there this morning with my dad and my camera, and I managed to get a couple of images despite a somewhat quiet morning on the wildlife front.

I don’t profess to be an expert in these sort of things, but I’m fairly confident in saying that what we have here is a bird, and a frog.

I’m aware that it’s possible to be far more specific with classifying birds and frogs, but basically, as I understand it, the further you go down that road, the more likely you are to be incorrect. And so I’m sticking with my original identifications, and leaving things at a much more general – but also accurate – level.

A bird and a frog, then. In that order.

Amietia fuscigula & Cinnyris chalybeus for the curious and the taxonomists out there.

Day 728 – Sunbird on an Erica

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Wondering about that post above? You might want to look here.

Right, back to business. Sunbird on an Erica:

I know, I know, it’s serious.

Many early mornings at the moment seem to be being spent in Kirstenbosch Gardens, which is no bad thing at all. Always good to drag the last moments of summer out as long as possible, and our membership there means that we can sneak in long before the hoi polloi get their grubby feet all over the paths and lawns.

It’s also a lot quieter, meaning that the birds are less skittish and more willing to hang around the heathers and fynbos exhibits. As you can see above.

Day 586 – I know what I said

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I know what I said, but look at this little guy…

JUST LOOK AT HIM!

This was taken at Kirstenbosch this morning. Lovely wander (bit knackering up the hills, but needs must), obliging subject, decent light. Beeg lens: 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary 015

Tomorrow: election post mortem. (See, you’d rather have bird pics, wouldn’t you?)