"LOOK!!!! It's an EAGLE!!!" Cried my delighted BuckarooBaby. Sure enough lazily floating on the air currents above our heads was the majestic Eagle! We don't spot them often but there are a couple that live in our valley. Sighting them is rare and therefor always brings great celebration. Of course with my arms full of toddler I didn't get my camera ready in time for the shot. But ..... minutes later; there was anther enthralled exclamation "LOOK!!!! A HAWK!!!"
Sure enough, gazing down on the world from his lofty perch was this magnificent raptor. Strictly speaking he is a Goshawk - a Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. I, equally astounded by the beauty and variety of the birds of prey, as I was astounded by the knowledge of my little BuckarooBaby! I had to rush the photos through to a retired wild life specialist friend to confirm what each of raptor was.
Summer has been very long in coming this year. Usually by now we are in the scorching heat of way over 40 C temperatures. Today was pleasant enough to leave home without a jacket. We decided to take a walk up our farming valley.
Our first - rather unpleasant - sighting was an entire troop of baboons. If you are not a South African farmer you will probably think that baboons are wonderful. We however know that they are far from wonderful. We spotted them trashing our neighbours fruit trees. They left in a hurry barking baboon swearwords in our direction. We weren't unhappy for long because after that we started seeing all the raptors.
The Goshawk is very common in our area. Of all the raptors we saw I could only get photos of two (the first photos and the next beauties). It took some effort trying to identify the second. We also have a Dark Chanting Goshawk but - after dragging in another friend who used to work in the wild life field - the combined efforts seem to agree that the next raptor is simply a juvenile Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. Isn't he magnificent?!!
Eagle. Hawk. Falcon. Kite. The wind was not conducive to good photos. The raptors on the whole were also not accommodating towards paparazzi. Nevertheless I am happy with the couple photos I could sneak in. And that my enthusiastic little farm kiddos could watch the magnificent birds of prey.
The mountains are a riot of colour. The succulents at this time of year are spectacular. Whenever we ride or walk through the valley and hike over the mountains I am blown away by the reality of this magnificent world that we call HOME!
The fauna and flora are spectacular. Even the rock formations are something to behold. Bugs. Birds. Beasts. Today we also spotted some little duiker. The return of this little buck to our area reminds us of the return of the rains. Pheasant and guinea fowl fill the fields once again. Egyptian Geese arrive when we flood irrigate. Succulents and trees apparently long dead have started to bloom again. It is a sight to behold.
The original Dr Doolittle is non other than my Dad. Growing up @craigcryptoking and I have multitudes of fur and feathered memories of animals. In. The. House. And, better yet. In. Our. Beds. And. Plates. Of. Food. Based on my childhood, you would think I would have a better knowledge of wild life. But they were all rather wild to me. Although now I can tell the difference between adult and young Pale Chanting Goshawk. I had a good chuckle sending this last photo to my brother bragging that I had taken a photo of the Lesser Spotted Vulture......
