Homeward bound

28 December 2024 - Colesberg to Midrand; Day 16

Last day of this holiday, so I was up before sunrise for a last walk around the farm before breakfast. I started where I ended yesterday, walking the vast plain as the sun was rising

Karoo sunrise

I heard Bokmakierie calling and I had to walk a long way to where they were perched on some short scrub, from which they could perch and call. This pair had a youngster tagging along. I couldn't get too close, so these images turned out to be Karoo birdscapes

Juvenile Bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus)

Bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus) in full song

The Clapper Larks were calling all around me, but getting close to them was also a challenge, as was getting them displaying, but I did come away with a few keepers

Eastern Clapper Lark (Mirafra fasciolata)

I had a Grey Heron flyby

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Followed by an out of range (according to SABAB) Long-tailed Widowbird

Male Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne)

This bird has me scratching my head a little - possibly a Stonechat?

Stonechat?

Walking back to the Stables it was evident that rain had been scarce as the dam that was full 2-years back, was bone dry. 

No water

A Jackal Buzzard flew low over the dry pan, scattering a few birds

Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)

I then heard the unmistakable call of a Sandgrouse and managed to track it down and find a small flock of Namaqua Sandgrouse in the dry dam - they too were skittish and kept their distance before they departed

Namaqua Sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua)

I checked the road on the farm, adding Familiar Chat

Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris)

A Common (Steppe) Buzzard

Common Buzzard (Buteo b. vulpinus)

And then a cool Large-billed Lark, a bird I saw briefly last year and the road already producing a heat haze this early in the morning

Large-billed Lark (Galerida magnirostris)

On the fence pole, a juvenile Capped Wheatear

Capped Wheatear (Oenanthe pileata)

And Spike-heeled Larks in the scrub

Spike-heeled Lark (Chersomanes albofasciata)

A Spotted Thick-knee was unexpected and almost looked out of place in the dry Karoo habitat

Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)

All to soon it was time for a hearty breakfast, but I was well pleased with this morning's haul.

Then it was the not so long 6-hour drive back to Midrand which thankfully, was uneventful given the traffic.