Kyalami Estates - October Round-up

31 October 2023 - Kyalami Estates

Spring has arrived along with the welcome warmer weather and for the next few months, the birding can only get better.

My Weeping Boer-bean is in full flower and many species of birds are loving it. I managed to photograph these few species, but there were others that I missed; Black-collared Barbet

Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus)

Cape Glossy Starling

Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens)

Southern Masked Weaver

Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus)

Cape White-eye

Cape White-eye (Zosterops virens)

and an unexpected Streaky-headed Seedeater

Streaky-headed Seedeater (Crithagra gularis)

Of course, the Bee's also love it

Bee

Walking my dog near the main park, I noticed a Spotted Thick-knee standing vigilantly on the side of the road and if anyone came close it became quite aggressive - this can only mean it's mate is on eggs. I returned a few days later and was able to get a few images of the males display and the female returning to its exposed eggs in the open garden

Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)

Down at St Ledger dam there is much activity - the male Red Bishops are in full regalia and displaying for any female that might or might not show interest

Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)

The Cape Weaver's are building more new nests

Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis) shaking that worm

and this Thick-billed Weaver was doing some work on his intricate nest

Thick-billed Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)

I spent some time in my garden with my macro lens; Bees working their way through the Bottlebrush

Bees at work

An unknown invertebrate

Well camouflaged

As is this one

Invertebrate sp.

One of the green Bottle Flies

Fly

Looking closely at the Strelitzia's was like looking into a miniature world as the Ants worked their way around the flower collecting I'm not sure what

Ant highway

There are a few of these Blue's around - I suspect this is a Clover Blue

Clover Blue (Zizina o. antanossa)

A few floral images

Tillandsia

Overall, October was not a bad month with 58 species recorded with some good species like; Black-backed Puffback, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Greater Honeyguide, Gabar Goshawk, Golden-tailed Woodpecker and Green Pigeon..