In preparation for my trip to South Africa, I purchased a few bird books of the region and attempted to familiarize myself with families of birds of which I had no previous knowledge. The exception: Red-billed Oxpeckers. I can't recall the first nature documentary that introduced me to one of these birds pecking away on... Continue Reading →
After some final early morning birding in Wakkerstroom, we made our way south to Mkuze, an area in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Mkuze is another birding hotspot, with its variety of savanna, forest, and wetland habitats. The Mkuze Game Reserve is 40,000 ha in extent and forms part of the tremendous iSimangaliso Wetland Park. We left the... Continue Reading →
I have covered quite a bit of ground across eastern South Africa in the past few days. I had the silly notion that I would update this blog every evening as a way to document my South Africa travels. Ha! The combination of spotty reception and lack of sleep (we start our days at 4:30... Continue Reading →
Wakkerstroom is a quaint village surrounded by pristine upland grasslands, wetlands, and forests. For some, its a vacation retreat from Johannesburg but for those in-the-know it is a birding paradise! It's the best place to find certain high altitude grassland biome specialists, such as Rudd's Lark and Botha's Lark, and some beautiful wetlands birds, including... Continue Reading →
I only have a few moments to spare, but I am too excited to share some cat photos. Our Kruger NP guide tempered our expectations of seeing big cats. Of course, they are a big draw to the park for many, but our primary focus is birds and cats are hard to predict. His last... Continue Reading →
The thing about pursuing birds is that it takes you places you would otherwise not go. For example, a green patch in a random city park that I would otherwise never explore or a continent on the other side of the world. I'm not quite sure if I would've ever had the gumption or inspiration... Continue Reading →
I have arrived in South Africa! My first time on the African continent and, I realized while disembarking the plane, my first time traveling internationally solo. The sleepless 15-hour flight (sans WiFi and outlets and with only ebooks) was a tad grueling, so my first day in Joburg was tinged with a bit of delirium.... Continue Reading →
Feathers & Flora 