h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today I accompanied my parents and some elderly people from their church to the Schuinsdraai Game Farm, owned by Francois Lessing who's also in the church. This game farm is a few dozen kms outside town.

Well, even on the way there, we saw something amazing! Crossing a river, I saw a large, dark silhouette in a marshy area ... it was a Saddlebilled Stork! I asked my dad to stop and turn around, which he did. My parents and I all got a good look at it! Here's a picture of it (the species, I mean, not the exact individual we saw!):

http://www.birdquest.net/afbid/birdspecies.php?func=view&slideno=19&af_bs_id=147

This huge stork actually doesn't 'officially' occur in our area ... I've only ever before seen it in the Kruger National Park. But it is absolutely unmistakeable. It was too far away for a photo.

We reached the reserve a bit later. It is typical Bushveld savannah ... short grass, small trees, and currently (late Winter) quite dry. There are interesting plants such as large Aloes and Tree Euphorbias.

I went for a bit of a walk, and later with my parents and some other people, for a Game-viewing Drive. The place is quite rich in bird life! The following are some of the species we saw:

- Crimsonbreasted Shrike
- Kalahari Scrub-Robin
- Melba Finch
- Blue Waxbill
- Blackcheeked Waxbill
- Whitebrowed Sparrowweaver
- Chinspot Batis
- Sabota Lark
- Speckled Mousebird
- Red-faced Mousebird
- Greater Honeyguide
- Chanting Goshawk (one of the 2 species)
- Grey Lourie
- Some kind of Korhaan (small bustard)
- Crested Francolin (a small partridge-like bird).

I was especially happy about seeing the honeyguide! It's the first time I see one in the wild ... I previously saw them in our yard (when we had a nest of bees there) and once one even flew in the window of my bedroom! But it was nice to see and hear this one out there in the 'bush.

And we also saw the following mammals:

1. Scrub Hare (probably, or else a Cape Hare). I almost stepped on it, and it tore off at huge speed!

2. Impala - the ubiquitous antelope around here.
3. Blesbok - I took photos! Will link later.
4. Waterbuck - a few young ones and also some adults.
5. Blue Wildebeest
6. Red Hartebeest
7. Eland
8. Nyala
9. Gemsbok
10. Burchells' Zebra
11. Giraffe!

Well it was just a short excursion, but great fun. I took a few photos and will link to it later.

Very dear Willem,

Thank you for the marvellous account of your day out and that estraordinary photo of a red-billed and red-kneed Stork. I can hardly believe it.

You saw a lot of game on your drive. I am pleased that there is still so much game. I cannot remember what a nyala is. I hope that you will remnd me.
With much affection,

Christiane.

Willem, that is a most glorious bird, and as you say unmistakable. Tell me please, do you write down the species as you see them? If not, how on earth do you remember them all? Perhaps you have a photographic memory, or I am just getting old

I shall look forward to the photos when you have time.

Take care,

Websailor

Hello again Christiane, and Websailor! Thanks for you comments.

A nyala is a beautiful kind of antelope. Here's a nice photo of a big bull:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptera/3318397901/

The nyala cow is almost half the size of the bull and looks very different, as do the fawns - here's a picture of a fawn:

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo42289.htm

Websailor, no I don't write the species down as I see them, I have a good memory, and things I see really make an impression on me. Those are not *all* the birds we saw that I can remember; along the road we also for instance saw guineafowl, crowned plovers, blacksmith plovers, blackshouldered kites, and one bird I was very happy about, a stonechat! You get them (or at least a very closely related kind) over there as well I believe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Stonechat

And I also *heard* a number of birds I didn't see, of which I was very happy about a Scimitarbill (a relative of the Hoopoe), and also heard tits, a titbabbler (interestingly, this is actually neither a tit nor a babbler but a kind of warbler), and a few longbilled crombecs (another small and very cute warbler species).

You might find African tits interesting, Websailor. Our ones are not as colourful as for instance the great tit and blue tit you have over there. We have two kinds around here: the Black Tit, all black except for white in its wings, and the Ashy Tit, which is grey with white and black markings on its face and breast, *almost* in the same sort of pattern as that of the face and breast of the Great Tit. Neither species is particularly common here, but they are widespread. The ashy tit favours dry thorny savannah, while the black tit frequents dry woodland with somewhat larger trees.

I get the impression, tits are quite intelligent and versatile little birds.

Anyways I've uploaded my photos to Webshots ... not much, I hope to return to the game farm again sometime in the future and get some more:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/574137049FstEam

Thanks for that Willem.

<<>> Oh, most definitely, and very family orientated too. They nearly always come in groups. The one thing that I have noticed with our Great tits and Blue tits, is that the Great tits always seem to have a blue tit in tow. The blue tit seems to seek protection from its bigger cousin. Anyone not familiar with the two species could easily think they were pairs

Off to check out your photos, then get lunch.

Websailor

Thanks for the photos. I get a real feel of what it is like there. I also checked out the Black tit and the Ashy tit for good measure. They are a bit fiercer looking than hours

Websailor