Yesterday, looking for new birds, found cheetah!

Yesterday, we went out to see if we can find some new birds. We did, I snapped a few...light was bad, but as we went along we came across a cheetah feeding...the day was magnificent!

#1 Southern Ant-eating chat

#2 Crowned lapwing

#3 White-fronted bea-eater...sorry...bad pic, we will do better, just so glad to see they are back.

Great pictures -- I love seeing birds from around the world on these forums.

#4 black-chested prinia

#5 Rufous vented warbler...

#6 Bokmakierie bushshrike

#7 White-browed sparrow-weaver nests

# 8 Southern masked weaver

# 9 Possibly a female southern red bishop...lots of nests around (possibly from last year)

# 10 Scaly-feathered Finch - great find!

# 11 the lark...maybe a melodious lark....

#12 THE CHEETAH....all birding stopped...

you can see more (8 cheetah) pics with this link to the wildlife forum

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/906709/

It was and excellent experience....only my second!

thanks mrw...hopefully you saw the rest...and I enjoy all the other pics, so I do my best to show some of ours and contribute...

Wow that was a great day! Love the Cheetah of course but also the Lark, Finch, Weaver and Bushshrike!

Beautiful bird pics and beautiful Cheetah pics! My dh's uncle got a pic of one back in march on his third trip to Africa. He always goes to a different part, rents a car and just drives. No plans just finding what he can find!

This message was edited Sep 25, 2008 9:26 AM

Super for you taking the time to share the birding and cat pictures. Love seeing birds and bugs from all over the world.

D

Thanks iris, pelle.

Nanny...that's it...the way to do it...I do the same, if you expect to find a lion, bug, bird or whatever, your mind is not open to what the day can offer....e.g. about an hour by the river, I turned to my wife and said I am hearing and distinguishing more and more, then suddenly, even the dry old fields came alive with lots of interesting stuff....we just had to shake the city out of our "heads and ears" and find the sounds and smells of the country...then you relax. In the city and so you always (or we do) listen to radio, music in the car, I've noticed many times that when we come back, the radio/music never plays...actually we hardly talk....that, I think, is OUR addiction, that feeling...something happens from inside. Thats why I think "nature lovers" can talk, and bond with each other...we all have levels of the same addiction!

This message was edited Sep 25, 2008 4:54 PM

I loved all your bird pictures. It's really interesting to see birds from other countries. That Cheetah is breathtaking. I'm so happy to hear you can get out and appreciate all the wonders of nature.

Thanks ducbuc...I plan to repeat the trip a few times this year..for the birds...It has all the ingredients, river, dam open fields, and bushveld...once the rains come the birds will also be more plentyfull, if that's the right word...it's only 15km from me..getting out and walking around, afforded me the chance to see a Natal Francolin, nearly had a heart attack, it came out of some thickets...too fast for a pic, and, well I was shaking a bit...but right on the edge of natural distribution, so another special find. Oh...it was a good trip! Fish Eagles, Bea-eaters (2 species), swallows (at least 3 sp), Falcons, Korhaan, and many more...we were up to 45 species when we found the cheetah...

This message was edited Sep 25, 2008 8:16 PM

Resin, any comments on #9 and #11(especially)...

As for the "getting out" part, you are right I am not that brave...the area along the river is protected (picnic) to the dam, where I took the pics 2 weeks ago...

I always knew that it is possible to find cheetah there, but never believed it, mainly because we have never seen them there or evidence, now I guess I believe! LOL Still the pics was taken about 15min in from the river in the wider park area....where I do not get out..not for the cheetah, but lions, which I have seen, heard and taken pics of.

love that yellow weaver. and the cheetah!

Resin...a fence!

Hi,
Hard to identify from a picture.

#9: I didn't think the Red Bishop has such a pink beak, could it be be a female Steelblue Widowfinch?
You probably know a lot more about birds than I do!
#11 is in the category LBJ for me!! :-)

Where exactly did you go?

Maddy

Maddy, the Steelblue has is smaller and female has much more striped head. Also, the non-breeding and female red bishop does have a pinkish beak. As for LBJ...you could not be more correct...frustrating!

This was taken by the "modder river", part of the greater Soetdoring & Kruger's drift dam region and conservancy. I posted other pics of the dam region earlier...its so dry there now...hope we get rain soon.

Sorry the pics not that great...took with video camera! This Steelblue male.

Ah, I knew there would be a catch to it! :-)
Ok, I'll go with Red Bishop too. (the very first time ever I saw these birds years ago I thought: 'what are these Bishops doing with all those sparrows!!?'
I don't get birding too often lately, I am very much out of practice....

Yes, I know how dry it is up north, we were up in Limpopo two weeks ago.
Here it is pouring with rain at the moment - but I am not complaining. We need it!
Maddy

Maddy, yes and WC...lots and lots of rain...I see all dams over 100% there. I just hope we get some good Thunderstorms...without hail...being picky....(for the plants). Last year was a dry year....glad I was not to be a farmer last year. As for the birds, I am also just trying...we have a system..I spot, and give quick indication, DW, go to books, I give as much info as I can, try and get pic...then we discuss...I am just lucky to have a DW that loves succulents, birds and nature as much as I do....teamwork!

This message was edited Sep 27, 2008 12:53 PM

Very interesting thread and great pics. Must have been a wonderful day!