randombirder

A ridiculous few days and a very strange time at the moment being limited by the amount of time I can spend in one place. This needed time and a bit of luck. There was no form to its appearance, but it now seems that afternoons present the best opportunities for more sustained views. After Christmas Day and Boxing Day visits, a more prolonged stay was required to ensure that I didn't miss it this time round. A mass of eager twitchers biding their time in the cold, gloomy weather were rewarded when at around 12:30, the American yellow warbler appeared, flitting around in the alders at its favoured spot, affording brief but good views of this gaudy yellow mega. A great bird and quite the relief to see it. The site also held at least three firecrest , five chiffchaff and two green sandpiper that had alighted from the nearby sewage works. A return visit on the 2nd January 2025 afforded much better views in favourable light high up in an alder.

2nd December It was a real wrench leaving Kruger, definitely wanted more time there and our stay at the Kruger Eden Lodge captured the essence of the park. A great base for access through the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the reserve. Cape Town is a fabulous city, in a country rife with profound social issues but with plenty of places to enjoy the best of South African hospitality. After the two hour-twenty minute flight from Hoedspruit to Cape Town, a quick check in at the Rouge en Rose hotel in Bo-Kaap, it was a short ride over to the Gold Restaurant. This pan-African restaurant showcases the best of the continent's culture from the food to music, from culture to language. It's an absolute must visit and was one of the highlights of the trip. The hotel was located in Bo Kaap, a colourful district of Cape Town that was historically home to slaves during the colonial period. The slaves were essentially incarcerated within these building and were forbidden to paint the exterior wal...