Burkea Park: Pretoria

We finally landed back in South Africa on 11th November: exactly eight months & one day after we left! It had been one hell of a journey! Sometimes frustrating, but certainly interesting & very, very different. We quickly drove to Burkea Park where Delana's house is & heaved a big sigh of relief! We had made it! I was very pleased, because immigration had given me ninety days upon entry whereas normally coming from a country which is not my home country I would get only thirty days. 

Diderik Cuckoo

Very common on the estate at this time of year.

Paratizes Southern Masked Weaver.

Male Southern Masked Weaver

Female

The next day was all about unpacking & settling in but I did manage to do some birding around Burkea Park Estate on 13th November.  And very good it was too, recording eighty five species including five species of Cuckoo! Best birds were Great Spotted Cuckoo & Brown-backed Honeybird, but I didn't manage to get a photo of either of them.

Lesser Striped Swallow

White-throated Robin-Chat

A common species here.

Cape White-eye

Cut-throat Finch

Bronze Manakin

Blue Waxbill

The next day we stayed at home doing chores but a Levaillant Cuckoo in the garden livened things up. In the evening we recorded Eurasian Nightjar, Fiery-necked Nightjar; barn & African Scop's Owls. We also had a small gathering to celebrate us being back in South Africa.

Egyptian Goose with goslings.

White-faced Whistling Duck

Yellow billed Duck

Young Blacksmith Plover

This is a Cabbage Tree

& it is moving!

Delana noticed hundreds of caterpillars

 feeding on the tree.

They are edible!

On 17th November I was up early & out & about. It was another excellent mornings birding with 82 species recorded. There are a series of small ponds in a less developed area of the estate which proved good for water birds.

Nyala in the driveway.

Four females & a young one spent most of the

 morning in the garden.

Slender Mongoose

Lesser Striped Swallow

Lesser Striped & Barn Swallows,

with two Plain Martins.

Plain Martins & Barn Swallow

White throated Swallow

Fiscal Flycatcher

Yellow fronted Tinker Barbet

A common species here, but difficult to see.

Marico Sunbird

African Firefinch

A pair are regular visitors to the garden.

On 21st November we again birded the estate. We had a late start due to heavy rain, but it proved a be a good outing recording over 75 species. Also saw Slender Mongoose & five Nyala were in the garden.

On 22nd November we visited Analise & Leon's house for lunch & a good time was had by all.

Young Nyala, breeding well on the estate.

Familiar Chat, on the only bit of

 suitable habitat for it! 

A half built house!

Fiscal Flycatcher

Piping Cisticola (Neddicky)

Quite common at this location.

Marico Sunbird

Black throated Canary

On 28th November did a big day around the estate, recording 109 species, which was quite good.  Nothing unusual but it was a very good days birding. 

Then it was all about packing up the house & our move down to Pearly Beach.