14th November 2007

There was an amazing bug in my office this morning – very striking in its yellow and black jacket…

The river level subsided today, but is still fairly high…at least the weaver nest on the reed island is safe for the time being. At one stage yesterday, it was precariously close to being swept away. The water is still red and silt-laden.

The juvenile Marshall Eagle made an appearance today – it’s really starting to show some brown in its feathers now. No matter how many times you see this eagle, you are blow away by its size…just massive. A smaller bird of prey turned up for the first time today – another migrant seeking warmer climes: a juvenile Eurasian Harrier.

There were three Pied Kingfishers all together again today on the rocks and reeds at the river’s edge below the house (we saw the three of them altogether for the first time yesterday). On closer inspection, it looked like one was a chick, as its beak was much finer than the adults’ and also its behaviour and calling were very chick-like. At one stage the adult brought it a fish which it had some trouble swallowing – for a while it waddled up and down the rock island, fish in mouth, uttering pitiful little squeaks, until it finally accepted no-one was going to help it, and it managed to swallow the fish.

A new plant with rich waxy green leaves has appeared by the driveway – right near a couple of the new Baobab and Terminalia trees we transplanted. I took a photo as we have no idea what this plant will turn out to be, but it looks substantial and interesting. Also interesting is how the Baobab trees regenerate. Look how this young one is sending out a new shoot from the place an old limb had been severed.

We took a walk down to the end of our property this evening, just to stretch our legs after a day in the office. We spotted this bird, which we did not know: an LBJ (Little Brown Job) with a longish tail and a red rump – it was very shy and kept flitting away from us. We tried to follow it into the thicker bush, and ended up following a couple of other birds – also skittish – which we had not seen before either (very Clouseau-esque, we were, tiptoeing our way through the undergrowth, losing the bird we were following and ending up with another). They were feeding on the ground, and flitting around in low bushes. When we returned to the house and found our bird book, we discovered they were Somali Yellow Breasted Buntings – a new species for the Kulafumbi Bird List.

There were Banded Mongooses foraging under the trees in ‘The Peaceful Place’ – sometimes we also see them in the commiphora thicket behind our house – I think they come for the insects which are attracted when we water the trees…

It’s 10.05pm, and it’s attempting to rain, but only managing a sporadic drizzle…

[PHOTOS FOR THIS ENTRY WILL BE POSTED SOON...IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE PHOTO STORIES WHICH I'VE ALREADY CREATED.]

Update on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 09:43PM by Tanya

I discovered the bug in my office was an Acid Beetle, its striking yellow and black colouring a warning to all passers-by: don't touch me, or I'll burn you...