Warnham LNR

The woodland hide at Warnham local nature reserve is always interesting in the winter, where the well stocked feeders are visited by a continuous stream of birds.

 Siskin

 Blue Tit

 Blackbird

 Pheasant

 Robin

 Another Blue Tit

 Great Tit. I have never seen a Great Tit's tongue before.

The Mill Pond attracts large numbers of gulls.

 Black-headed Gull

Coot

Later I visited Buchan Country Park, near Crawley.

 Moorhen

 Black-headed Gull

 Birch woodland

Snowdrops growing in an old orchard.

Sunrise

The dawn sky over Eastbourne from a morning last week.

 The same sky about 30 minutes later as the sun was about to rise above the horizon

Gulls over West Rise Marsh

 A large group of gulls that where wheeling around high above West Rise Marsh.

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We visited Robben Island, which was a sombre and chastening experience.

African Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus moquini. 

 White-throated Swallow, Hirundo albigularis.

The Cormorant colony in the harbour at Robben Island. Most of these are Cape Cormorant, but the ones on the far right with white patches are the endangered Bank Cormorant, Phalacrocorax neglectus. 

Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, a familiar species found in Britain with a juvenile Cormorant.

Crowned Cormorant, Phalacrocorax coronatus. 

After returning from Robben Island we drove back into the hills around Table Mountain.

 Noordhoek Beach.

This distant flock of Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, were just visible on the beach.

Cape Spurfowl, Pternistis capensis. 

 Chapman's Peak Drive.

Hout Bay from the south.

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Boulders Beach. Oh my goodness! African Penguins, Spheniscus demersus.

The beach with views across False Bay.

Characteristic 'braying' call.

Moulting juveniles with an adult bird.

The colony was huge, with hundreds of birds. One of the most fantastic experiences I have ever had.

Cape Wagtail, Motacilla capensis.

Blacksmith Lapwing, Vanellus armatus.

Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus.

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Drove down to the Cape of Good Hope through the national park.

Cape White-eye, Zosterops virens.

Olive Thrush, Turdus olivaceus.

White-necked Raven, Corvus albicollis.

The view south along the west coast towards the Cape of Good Hope.

Chacma Baboons; my first ever wild monkey. These individuals were from one of three different troops that live in the national park.

The coast at Cape Point

Cape Bunting, Emberiza capensis.

Cape Point.

Hadeda ibis, Bostrychia hagedash.

False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape peninsular