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Home arrow The Sociable Nest arrow Searching for the Fairy: Take 3
Searching for the Fairy: Take 3 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Candice Swarts   
Wednesday, 09 June 2010

For some reason, I thought this would be the trip that I would finally see the Fairy Flycatcher… Perhaps it had something to do with the old proverb: “third time lucky”. Nonetheless, the spur of the moment visit to Rietvlei didn’t produce a sighting of the Fairy. Unfortunately, this would be my last attempt at finding the Fairy for at least a month, unless they mysteriously find their way to Mozambique in the next two weeks…

Great Crested GrebeMy mom and I arrived at Rietvlei Nature Reserve at 13:15 on Sunday. The weather was decent once again and we both had high hopes for the afternoon’s outing. For the first time in ages, we stopped at Coot’s Corner (the first hide). The water was bustling with activity. Much to our delight, two pairs of Great Crested Grebe were drifting about near the hide. This was the closest we had ever been to them and what a show they put on for us! One of the pairs was nesting in the reeds to the right of us. The one Grebe sat on the nest while the other drifted back and forth within a few meters from the hide! The other pair, to the left of us, started doing courtship dances. During their dance, the two were making grunting sounds and the Grebe on the nest showed her(?) displeasure by snapping close her bill, creating quite a loud sound! The Red-knobbed Coots added to the drama by doing what they do best: chasing away rival males and flirting with the females!
 
Red-knobbed Coots  Common Moorhen
 

Other enjoyable sightings included a Southern Boubou chasing the Crimson-breasted Shrike (personally I thought it would be the other way around), an African Grey Hornbill eating a leaf/locust and a Cape Grassbird whom was so preoccupied with foraging in the rank grass that he only popped up his head once to see what we were up to.

 

 White-breasted Cormorant  African Darter

Pied Kingfisher

Thick-billed Weavers

 

Pearl-breasted  SwallowDuring the last few trips, I’ve had a glimpse of a swallow that I was fairly certain was a Pearl-breasted. Unfortunately, they disappeared as soon as I grabbed a pair of binoculars and I never confirmed the sighting. This time around, the pair was flying around an open veld, making them easier to track. This time around, I got a confirmation photo! A lifer Wink




» 3 Comments
1Comment
at Thursday, 10 June 2010 10:19by MarcellC
Great photos Candy! A lifer and lots of breeding behaviour to watch - not much more one could ask for an enjoyable birding outing.
2Comment
at Thursday, 10 June 2010 15:19by Jay
wonderful in-flight captures, Candy, you really are getting very good at them :-D 
Must have been wonderful watching the grebe mating ritual and congrats on the lifer AND getting a photo, no easy task!
3"somethings missing."
at Wednesday, 01 December 2010 01:22by Dangubic
OK candy one thing is missing in your photos. yes they are beautiful but there is no photos of you and you more beautiful then any bird :P. I am just joking hope this is embarrassing for you. get ready for my awesome comments on every single blog of yours :P
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