Neil Gray's birds and other wildlife
Atlasville, 01 Mar 2012 I will not have as much free time on my hands for the next 2 years. On the work front it is very much a case of ‘and now for something completely different’, as I will be spending extended periods in Chile, based in the capital, Santiago. My wife will remain …
Atlasville, 25 Jan 2012 The Baillon’s Crake is still present at Marievale. It is still defeating the attempts of many to try and get even a glimpse of it. I have been one of the lucky ones, but I am determined to get a photo of it out in the open. Well, a clear view …
Atlasville, 20 Jan 2012 We arrived at Ngwenya on Friday, 13th January (is this an ill omen?) to take up our annual timeshare week knowing that a tropical cyclone out in the Indian Ocean would have an impact on our weather in the coming days, but there was still uncertainty as to what extent this …
Atlasville, 11 Jan 2012 The Baillon’s Crake is still the subject of ongoing birding chatter on the internet. It was relocated and photographed again yesterday. So, I set off again this morning to try my luck for a second time, taking along a birding friend with me. We arrived at the same spot that I …
Atlasville, 09 Jan 2012 News broke yesterday evening of the appearance of a rare migrant at Marievale, a Baillon’s Crake. There had been some heavy, overnight rain, and conditions were still very overcast. Nevertheless, this morning, armed with the GPS co-ordinates supplied, I headed for Marievale. I knew that it would be like looking for …
Atlasville, 12 Dec 2011 I spent the day yesterday birding in the Wakkerstroom district. A dawn departure saw me drive down to Wakkerstroom, where I completed a circuit around the Wakkerstroom and Dirkiesdorp area on gravel roads of around 110km, then returned home, arriving after dark. The total bird species for the day was 76. …
Atlasville, 07 Dec 2011 I paid another visit to Marievale today, arriving at 07:00. I headed for the north end of the reserve and spent just over 4 hours working my way back to the southern end of the reserve, finishing with a species count of 70 – probably about right for the time of …
Atlasville, 05 Nov 2011 Yesterday my wife and I made a day trip to the Pilanesberg National Park, a drive of just over 200 km and about 2½ hours. We entered the park at the KwaMaritane Gate on the south-eastern edge of the park and completed an anti-clockwise circuit of the park of some …
Atlasville, 19 Oct 2011 The Zambian project has come to an end and with only a few very short jobs in the coming months (or so I thought) I have a lot of time on my hands before the next long-term project starts, hopefully in March, so I decided to get in as much birding …
Atlasville, 04 Oct 2011 I know I have been very busy with various work projects yet still can’t believe that it has been over 2 years since my last visit to Marievale, which I regard as my ‘home patch’ when it comes to birding. I left home at sunrise today, arriving at Marievale at 06:30. …
