Tag: Western Cape

Categories
Bird Phptography Uncategorized

Jackal Buzzard at Sunset

Just about sunset we were cruising the dirt roads around Riviersonderend and found this Juvenile Jackal Buzzard

A medium sized raptor perched on a fence pole. It has dark patterned wings and a pale chest. The overall colouring of the bird is a pale orange due to the sunset

He (or she) didn’t like our invasion of his privacy so took off in a flurry.

The raptor is taking off of the fence pole away from the camera. The wings are white underneath. The clawed feet are visible just leaving the pole
Categories
Wild Swimming

Tidal Pool Swim

In Hermanus on Monday to collect our unsold paintings from an art gallery we decided a bit of tidal pool swimming was in order. We discovered Ficks Pool and decided that was the right thing to do.

A small tidal pool surrounded by rocks and a single low wall facing out to sea. Kelp can be seen in the sea beyond the wall.

The water was icy probably 16°C but still we swam and it was fun.

A view of the water and the low wall separating the sea from the tidal pool
A woman swimming along the length of the low wall.

And I got caught by a wave!

A gif of the poo facing away from the wall. A wave breaks over the camera.

We had coffee and a pizza in a restaurant overlooking the pool afterwards.

Categories
Table Mountain

Climbing Table Mountain

Table Mountain has many paths and routes to the top. Most are sensible, easy hiking. The Platteklip Left B is not one of them. The words on the rock should have warned me.

A brown rock with the words R U SURE? IF NOT, U CAN GO BACK NOW

The approach is simple.

Four hikers walk along a path that traverses an almost vertocal; mountain wall.

Then it gets tense and the point of that warning becomes clear once you are committed, The thing is that you cannot easily go back easily once committed. Here is why.

An almost vertical wall of rock with a man climbing up a rock while another waits for him
Categories
Bird Phptography

Pin-tailed Whydah

The handsome bird in the top photograph is the male of the Pin-tailed Whydah species. The Pin-tailed Whydah is a brood parasite – in other words the female lays its eggs in another species of bird’s nest and leaves the host birds to raise the chicks. In this case the host bird species is the Swee Waxbill which is shown in the second photograph.

A black and white bird with a red beak. it has a long tail, approximately twice the length of its body
A small bird with a grey head, green wings and white belly standing on the top of a branch. It has a red under beak and red on the rump.
Categories
meditation

Meditation

Herewith a quiet contemplative video, filmed in a meditation space in Temenos Retreat Centre, McGregor.

Categories
Art

Owl Sculpture

I found this sculpture hanging in the gardens of the Temenos Retreat Centre.
I am not sure if this sculpture is an original created in the Owl House in Nieu Bethesda.

A bass relief sculpture of a very stylised owl. It is made of cement with colourful bits of glass for decoration. The eyes of the owl are round green glass. The owl hangs on a weathered green wall

The owl sculptures were originally created by an artist Helen Elizabeth Martin who did some amazing things with light and cement. She stayed in Nieu Bethesda for the last years of her life.
Ms Martin’s home has been turned into a museum and an art outreach centre.
You can see more detail on the Owl House website and if you are in the area of Nieu Bethesda it is well worth a visit.

Temenos is a multifaith retreat centre situated in McGregor in the Western Cape. Their website is here.

Categories
Astro-photography Eclipse Moon Photography

Full Eclipse

In very bad conditions I photographed the recent full eclipse. There was lots of light pollution and a lot of aerosols so I was actually quite pleased with the results. I was using a high ISO setting so a lot of grain is visible.
Oh, and for those from the northern hemisphere, you will note that the mare appear to you inverted.

A partial eclipse just above the roof of a nearby building.
An almost fully eclipsed moon, a bright patch on top right of the moon
A full blood moon. Lots of grain because of low light conditions.

Categories
Astro-photography Bird Phptography Birding Photography Uncategorized

Photographs marking the day

A silhouette of a leafless tree against a red evening sky with a bird perched on top of the tree also in silhouette.

A Sugarbird in the evening,

a bird perched on top of a tree It has a grey head and belly, green wings, red on the tail and the lower beak.

A waxbill in the morning

white flowers with yellow stamens

Flowers at midday

stars in a dark sky with clouds and light on the far horizon

And the stars at night. Light pollution on the horizon.

Categories
Clouds Photography Sunset

Clouds

I enjoy photographing clouds.

Categories
Birding Photography

Bees like Grapes

Specifically hanepoot or mascadel grapes which if left long enough become incredibly sweet. We have an active bee hive and a hanepoot vine which has produced a nice crop of grapes this season so we ended up sharing our grapes with the birds and the bees.

The bees are cape honey bees indigenous to the Western Cape.

A cape honey bee explores a bunch of grapes.
the bee has found a grape with a hole pecked in it by a bird and is harvesting the sweet juce.

The birds that open the berries are Common or European Starlings

A black bird with white stippling sits on a concrete wall