Birds of Madikwe - by Grant Marcus

Lappet Faced Vulture (Grant Marcus)

This is a guest post by Grant Marcus. You can view the original post as well as photos by Grant Marcus on his website, www.grantmarcus.com 

BIRDS OF MADIKWE

One subject that we need to explore more is bird photography. Not the easiest of subject to photograph. If you have the right equipment it makes the world’s difference.  Till this far all my posts consisted of the mammals in Madikwe, well here we go. With bird photography you need to have patience and luck on your side. The best way to photograph birds is to go and sit in a bird hide at a body of water like a big dam. A very good place to do that is in Pilanesberg game reserve at Mankwe dam. An excellent birding spot!

The opening image is of  the Lappet Faced vulture the biggest of all the vultures and they are normally solitary. They are one of the vultures that nests on top of trees like umbrella thorns rather then on cliffs. The birding in Madikwe is fantastic especially in the summer when all the migrants are back. One of the most beautiful birds in the North west is the Lilac breasted roller also known as the National bird of Botswana.

Lilac-Breasted Roller - (Grant Marcus)

When these birds do their mating display they do a rolling action in mid flight hence the name Roller. His cousin is a bit bigger and have more purple on him and is called the Purple roller. These guys are insect eaters, but I have seen a roller with a mouse for breakfast before. With our birding photography everything is done from the vehicle so it is not always easy to get the right angle for the shot. Normally the birds don’t sit still for too long as we approach them as slow as possible.

Purple Roller - (Grant Marcus)

This Purple roller was busy catching grasshoppers that were busy fleeing from a bushfire. It is amazing to see all the bird activity when there are bush fires.What I am looking for in bird photography is the glint in the eye, it makes your image comes a live. Lighting is also very important to highlight the colors of the bird.

Red Billed Queleas (Grant Marcus)

These little ones are called Red Billed queleas and they flock in their thousands in the late afternoon around water when they come in for a drink. These are seed eaters and they nest in the rainy season in big colonies in certain areas and every year they nest in different spots because they build their nests from grass and after a year all the grass nests are rotten away. Best time to photograph falcons in action is at the waterholes this time of year as they try and hunt  the queleas down.

Yellow-Billed Hornbill - (Grant Marcus)

This is a Yellow Billed Horn bill probably the most seen bird in the park and one of the most interesting birds to sit and watch as they do their daily tasks.

Pearl-Spotted Owlet - (Grant Marcus)

A Pearl spotted owlet , one of the smaller owls around and also very shy. We were quite surprised to see this little guy out in the open on this winter’s afternoon. So next time you are in Madikwe bring your long lens with.

Read more about Madikwe Game Reserve on The Game Lodge Index