200 different Animals for a Non-birder on a Winter Trip?

[Toko]

Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris


Swaziland, Hlane, 31 August 2014

Identification: Size medium to large (slightly smaller than sparrow); build slender; tail longish, rounded, black, tipped and edged white (conspicuous in flight); head black; stripe on crown, eyebrow and stripe below eye white; back rufous, streaked black; rump plain grey; below bright yellow, washed deep orange on breast (diagnostic); 2 conspicuous white wingbars. Female: Head stripes more buff than white. Immature: Duller and paler than ♀; breast streaked brown.

Distribution: Africa S of Sahara, except much of W Africa; widespread in South Africa except most of dry W.

Habitats: Woodland, savanna, exotic plantations, riverine bush, farmyards, gardens.

Habits: Usually solitary or in pairs; sometimes gregarious in flocks of up to 20 birds when not breeding; forms mixed bird parties with other buntings and canaries. Forages mainly on ground, walking with small steps; sometimes hops. Sings from perch in tree, but not usually in open. Flight deeply undulating; flicks tail up on alighting.

Food: Insects (beetles, termites, ants), seeds, buds.

Breeding: Season: September to March (mainly November-December) in E Cape, October to February (mainly October-December) in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Nest: Shallow, loosely-built cup of grass stems and roots, lined with fine rootlets and sometimes hair; cup diameter 5 cm, in horizontal fork of small tree or low bush, seldom concealed. Clutch: 2-4 eggs (usually 2-3). Incubation: 12,5-13 days by ♀ only. Nestling: 16-17 days; fed by both parents.

[nan]

300 for a non-birder... remarkable

[Lisbeth]

You have seen an enormous amount of lovely birds

[Toko]

I think it's enough now with birds, but I'll do five more non-birds because I loved the sightings.


Meanwhile here another natural wonder

[Lisbeth]

BEAUTIFUL

[Toko]

A short sighting only before the cat disappeared



Serval Leptailurus serval


Kruger National Park, 29 August 2014

The serval’s big ears and long legs make it extremely adaptable to hunting rats, mice and other rodents and birds that live in tall grass. They have an acute sense of hearing. The closely set ears contain 22 muscles each, allowing them to rotate up to 180 degrees independently of each other, and allows them to pick up and pinpoint noises made by prey, even underground. When hunting, the long legs of the serval assist it to see over and into the grass and to make a high leap as it pounces. It can leap up to 2-3 m into the air to catch birds.

Servals are primarily nocturnal hunters, though more diurnal than most cats. They are very active in the early morning hours, up to about 10:00 or 11:00, and again in the late afternoon, after 16:00 to 17:00 into the evening. They are specialists in catching rodents and birds in tall grass. They not only can jump high and far, but they also have a wonderful ability to swerve and change direction at full speed.

Servals have a broad diet, ranging from birds to fish, however they primarily feed on small mammals, especially rodents. Their diet consists of 93.5% small mammals (rats, mice, and shrews) and 5% birds with the occasional insects, frogs, lizards, and very rarely carrion making up the remainder of their diet. They are very efficient hunters and their hunting success rate of 48% is higher than any other member of the family Felidae.

Little has been recorded on the sexual behaviour of this cat. Servals are considered polygynous and the territories of males overlap with those of several females. Breeding can occur throughout the year, but there seem to be a peak during spring. An oestrus female will hunt with and court a male over several days. After a gestation period of approximately 65–75 days, the female gives birth to a litter of two to four kittens. The kittens are hidden in dense vegetation and often moved by the female. They are weaned in five months and can stay with their mother for up to year. Young males are driven away as soon as they are able to hunt successfully, whereas daughters are tolerated for much longer. The kittens reach sexual maturity between 18 and 24 months, round about the time they become independent. Servals are estimated to live up to 10 years in the wild, however in captivity they have been recorded to live much longer.

Like most cats, the serval is a solitary, mostly nocturnal animal, though more diurnal than most cats. Females have home ranges of 9.5–19.8 km2, while males have larger territories of 11.6–31.5 km2. In 2014, the average home range of collared servals ranged from 5 to 60 km2 in the farmland of KwaZulu-Natal. The home ranges of the same, as well as the opposite sex overlap, but individuals tend to avoid encountering one another. Both sexes mark their territories by spraying (males) or squirting (females) urine on the grass and sometimes against prominent objects such as bushes or reeds.

[Lisbeth]

Serval!!

[nan]

what a chance

[Pumbaa]

Still an animal I have to photograph - Great that you already captured one, Toko

[Flutterby]

Awesome serval sighting!