The Rain Queen Strikes Again–a wet weekend in the G. Route

[Michele Nel]

Thursday the 12th Feb saw Doug and I heading off to Ebb and Flo, Wilderness in Monty. Seeing that this was a Gelandenwagen get together we would be spending 2 nights at Ebb and Flo and then move on into the Kynsna Mountains to do the Burchell’s 4 x 4 Trail. I, of course, had ulterior motives for inviting myself on this G-Wagon trip ( mostly I don’t do trails….). Firstly I have family in George that I would like to visit and secondly there are very many different feathery creatures in the Garden Route… many of which we do not have down here in Cape Town. And of course Doug had no problem in me tagging along – I do have some benefits…..
We set off as planned and had a pleasant trip but unfortunately I did not spot many feathered creatures on the side of the road that warranted me asking Doug to stop.
Just before Mossel Bay we drove past this veld fire that was burning at a rapid rate …and nobody of importance seemed to be looking after it.





Thankfully though a few km’s down the road we saw some fire fighters and traffic police making their way there. That was also the last bit of blue sky we saw ….as we drove closer to George the skies got more miserable. We arrived at Ebb and Flo at 17h30…such a well run SANParks camp. Friendly and helpful staff with smiling faces…which is what I needed because by now it was raining !!! We had exactly one hour before our family gathering in George. We were not camping so a quick unpack was all that was needed…..and of course a sulking session was in order..here we were in a Birder’s Paradise and it was RAINING !!! About 10 minutes before we were due to leave there was a break in the clouds and this little Fiscal Flycatcher put in an appearance.



And that was my sum total of birding for the day….at least I had added a bird to my Birds Captured Challenge. To those of you that don’t know, the Birds Captured Challenge is to see how many birds one can capture on camera in one year. Each year we start afresh. Last year I finished on 442…this year I am aiming for 500….and the rain was not helping me with my challenge.
It was great seeing the family again. As I lay in bed that night listening to the rain I wondered why I expected it to be any different …it always rains when I visit Ebb and Flo… ALWAYS,regardless of the time of the year. It rained all night long !!!

[GavinW]

Great start Michele, looking forward to seeing more bird pics, and (hopefully) less rain clouds

[Toko]

A Monty and the Rain Queen tale

The first bird is a nice one

[Michele Nel]

Thx GavinW and Toko..more birds yes Gavin..but also rain...:(
and to continue....


So I went to sleep in the rain…and I listened to the rain all night long ..and I woke up to the rain.
Eventually I crawled out of bed…no good sulking. The rest of the folk were only arriving in the late afternoon so Friday morning was my time to bird….well it did clear a little later in the morning so I went for a walk but only got as far as the reception before the heavens opened again. But I was very happy to capture the elusive Knysna Turaco.







And a African Hoopoe



The rain forced me back to the cabin.
We needed to drive into George to do some shopping – not only had I dropped my glasses the previous evening when getting out of the car I stood on them as well. So I was the proud owner of a seriously broken pair of specs. A pair of readers was seriously needed. I also managed to convince Doug that a visit to the Malachite Kingfisher Hide on the way to George was a really good idea and the rain was kind enough to abate for half a hour or so. That was all I needed to capture a Pied Kingfisher...



A Reed Cormorant



And a Great Crested Grebe piggy-backing 3 chicks. Cuteness factor 100%



It soon started drizzling again so we made our way to George..stopping for this Jackal Buzzard along the way.

[Tina]

Hi Michele,

I would not mind some rain for such great sightings/pictures

[nan]

you got it the Knysna Turaco

the rain... we already know that ...

but the fire ... "only" in KTP for me

[harrys]

Wow beautiful Teraco

[Michele Nel]

Thanks Tina, Nan and harrys....:) I must admit Tina I was very happy with the Turaco sighting.... :)

[Lisbeth]

You lucky fish! You got great pics of the Knysna Turaco. How many times have I been catching that stupid bird Rain and birds is not the best combination, but you got some nice shots and even a jackal buzzard

[Michele Nel]

Thx Lisbeth - some times I do get lucky :)