Strange bird meals
Seeds, fruits, insects and meats are the first things that generally jump into people’s minds when they think of what birds eat. This is generally the preferred diet and case with most birds, whether it be an eagle feeding on a kill or a waxbill jumping around feeding on grass seeds. Sometimes birds will go […]
Predatory Creepy Crawly’s
When mentioning predators to people on safari, big cats, hyenas, wild dogs, eagles and crocodiles are usually what pop straight into mind. Yes, it is understandable, as they are spectacular and what everyone wants to see. A cheetah sprinting across the open grassland or male lion roaring next to the vehicle is something everyone hopes […]
The Final Plant Consumers
Getting rid of dead or decaying things in the bush is very important to keeping an ecosystem clean and healthy. Usually when people think about this, they think about carcasses lying around, being fed on by hyenas and vultures. These two are very important in breaking down the ‘meats’, but there are also two things […]
The Great Apes and Migration
Last year I got a call from two of my repeat guests, Annette and Patsy, saying that after they had a magic safari here in South Africa with me, they were ready for another trip to the continent. The ladies themselves are very well travelled, and so I knew something adventurous would be on the […]
Eastern Cape Escape
As the endless clouds continued to empty their buckets of rain over the lowveld and our English counterparts had to remain in Johannesburg, an intelligent decision was made to contact Ryan (Wandering Thru), and with the help of Ale, we escaped the deluge via Helicopter.
Kingfishers – A deceiving family name
The name kingfisher often throws people off into believing that all members of this bird family feed on fish. This is most certainly not the case, as yes, some of them do, but a lot of them feed on other foods. They all feed on proteins and will hunt animals smaller than themselves. They are […]
The Lazy King
As soon as you hear someone say, “The King of the Jungle”, everyone immediately thinks of a beautiful male lion, walking through the grassland as his beautiful mane blows in the wind. This is the picture that a lot of people expect to get whilst on a safari. Unfortunately, male lions don’t always play their […]
Arm, nose or lip?
For decades, an elephants trunk puzzled us and was massively misunderstood. With a lot of time and research we have managed to understand this incredible appendage much better, and what an incredible appendage it is. From drinking, to breathing and feeding themselves, elephants are able to do more with their trunks than we are able […]
Bird Besties
When we talk about relationships between mammals and birds, the first one that pops into mind is the oxpecker. These little birds are found on all of our large mammals and help rid them of external parasites. This relationship is known as mutualism, as both the buffalo and red-billed oxpecker gain something. The buffalo gets […]
Re-wilding the Heart
My love affair with the African continent – and especially with South Africa – started more than seven years ago, though I’m now convinced that the connection runs much deeper than that. When I first moved here for work, I had no idea that this place would slowly stitch itself into the fabric of who […]
