Thick with Thick-Knees

Hermanus Bird Club

A vacant plot in Eastcliff must have something going for it, at least as far as the world of Spotted Thick-Knees is concerned.  This morning, whilst out walking, I spotted no less than 12 of these birds sunning themselves in an area no bigger than 40m x 40m.  There may have been more – I only saw the ones that were standing and I did not get too close for fear of disturbing them.  I read that out of breeding season they form roosts of up to 70 birds, but this my first experience of this habit.               R Hazell.

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A Walk in Fernkloof

This morning was very cold but beautifully clear.  We walked in Fernkloof ahead of our bi-annual planning meeting which was held on the lawns near the hall.  It was invigorating especially when a cold breeze came up as we climbed Lemoenkop.

Prior to that we had had a wonderful sighting of Victorin’s Warbler.  Being able to find this bird and show it to Ed and Sally, for whom it was a lifer, gave me as much pleasure as seeing it for the first time myself would have done!  It really made the day for some of us.

Protea longifolia

Tritoniopsis lata

Harveya capensis

FynArts in Hermanus

The fifth Annual FynArts Festival draws to a close in Hermanus and it has, as in previous years, been a huge success, thanks in no small part to the unstinting work of its organiser, Mary Faure.  Unless one attends, it is hard to imagine the sheer volume of art available in this small coastal town.  Already endowed with a considerable artistic talent of its own, the festival brings so much more at every level, especially musically.

There are concerts and recitals every day, workshops on every aspect of sketching, painting, sculpture, photography, birding, quilting, cooking, writing, wine, decorating, and many other topics.  The list and the opportunities are endless.  It is without a doubt the best place to be for the ten days of its duration.

 

Rieldans

Ceramics

At Windsor Hotel

Baroqueswing trio

Part of Sew Many Days in the Year

Art in the Synagogue

Wine tasting

Opening concert with Richard Cock conducting

Storms in Cape Town

We decided to spend a few days in Sea Point, never realising that we had picked the most violent period in terms of the weather.  When we arrived it was perfect and we enjoyed two long walks along the promenade on Monday and Tuesday. Then all hell broke loose on Wednesday with the biggest storm in living memory.  The sea was a magnificent, albeit dangerous, sight, with massive waves wrecking havoc along the previously placid coastline.  It was too wet to take proper pictures and one had to be there to get the full impact.  The newspapers and digital media have some wonderful images, but I will, nevertheless, add my few.

Monday evening along the promenade

Tuesday morning

Wednesday morning

Huge waves at Sea Point

Huge waves at Sea Point

Huge waves at Sea Point

Camps Bay beach

Off Camps Bay

Camps Bay

Strandfontein revisited

On Monday morning on our way to Cape Town we popped into the Strandfontein Sewage works to get a quick update on the local birds.  We saw nothing new, but nevertheless enjoyed the outing to one of my favourite birding spots.  The pictures below show a few birds that I managed to capture, the highlight being the Rufous-Chested Sparrowhawk, which we managed to get really close to.

 

Cape Shoveller

Cape Teal

Blacksmith Lapwing

Purple Heron

Rufous chested Sparrowhawk

Black winged Stilts

Glossy Ibis

Black winged Kite

2 Hours in Fernkloof

A quick 2 hour hike up Adder’s Ladder and down the front of Kanonkop gave 7 keen walkers a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy the never diminishing beauty of our natural surroundings.  Winter approaches, but one is left wondering if it will ever rain again, and the mountain is very dry.

There was little sign of any birdlife with only Cape Robin, Cape White Eye, Cape Sugarbird, Neddicky, African Olive Pigeon and a distant Victorin’s Warbler noted.

A Mountain near McGregor

Today Renee and I went to the little Karoo near McGregor in search of a Protea Canary. We did not find one, but in our efforts we found a wonderful road up to the communications tower on Galgberg.  The road climbs from McGregor at an altitude of 240 mamsl through farmland and eventually onto a tarred service road to the tower.  It is a narrow and steep road that winds up to a final height of 1400 mamsl! The views are spectacular and the vegetation is beautiful fynbos.  We saw a couple of klipspringers and very few birds, but it was well worth the drive.  Luckily we did not meet any other traffic on the road.

We had lunch, an excellent meal, at the lovely Cafe Temenos, complete with peacocks and a small art gallery, on the main road in McGregor.

A Karoo Long-billed Lark

View from the top

An Erica near the top of the road

Looking north-west

Spectacular!