Blue Wildebeest or Blouwildebees as it’s called in Afrikaans..

A larger antelope found in Southern Africa, in fact over most of Africa. a Gnu as known by many, lives in herds that can number in hundreds but normally in groups ranging up to 30. Often found grazing in the company of zebra, complementary grazers the explanation, as well as the Zebras confusing stripes to predators.

They a frolickers and love to just run for the fun of it, with bursts of speed and then slowing down to amusing gaits of stiff legged canters. They are for some a trophy, need to be shot and the head mounted… I hate this and would rather see them alive and playing… much better in the open plains of Africa…

Would you rather see this..? or the photos below the first..?

 

I wonder what happened to her horn..? see her calf in the long grass..?

These guys need shade in the heat of the day.. and was photo’d in the Kalahari..

Plenty of sand but no sea….

Oribi George… South Coast Natal, South Africa…

Oribi Gorge is situated along the spectacular forest-cloaked ravine of the Mzimkulwana river just west of Port Shepstone which itself is 120 km south of Durban. Oribi Gorge is the eastern gorge of two gorges that cuts through the Oribi Flats (flat sugarcane farmlands), southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The western gorge was formed by the Mzimkulu river. At the base of the cliffs of both gorges there are rocks over 1000 million years old while the cliffs themselves are formed from sandstone deposited about 365 million years ago.

The road through Oribi Gorge was built by Italian prisoners of war.

the Oribi Gorge, which is approximately 27 km long, 4 km wide (widest point) and 400 m deep. In 1950 it was proclaimed a protected state forest.

This is from an excerpt from a local business in the gorge…”Lose all senses of self preservation and experience the ultimate rush of the Wild Swing at Oribi Gorge. Launch yourself off Lehr’s Falls, 100m into the abyss of the Oribi Gorge on the world’s highest gorge swing. Leaves you feeling breathless and exhilarated!”   Also shows if you are sane or not….

Instructions are given….

Down they go to the jump off spot…and then “ready steady…jump”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m back now it’s your turn”… other thinks “Why did I agree to this?”

This is what they jump down into… would you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But one thing is for sure.. this gorge is one beautiful area of South Africa… Me at a lookout spot..

Fly for your life little birds…

Who burnt the bloody supper..?????

No words needed…

The Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

I recently posted a blog and called it “Seagulls by the sea, what a strange place to find them” some bloggers enjoyed the humour, and commented as such. Now what a surprise for me.. I went to the Oliver Tambo airport.. to catch a photo or two of incoming aircraft, a passion of mine.

The surprise was to capture photos of seagulls, or more correctly the Grey-headed Gull near the airport. For those of you that have no idea where the O. Tambo airport is in South Africa, its situated on the high veld miles and miles from the sea. So did these guys fly in for a visit or are they lost? Actually they are found throughout the whole country.

The Grey-headed Gull is slightly larger than the Black-headed Gull at 42 cm length. The summer adult has a pale grey head, a grey body, darker in tone than the Black-headed, and red bill and legs. The black tips to the primary wing feathers have conspicuous white "mirrors". The under wing is dark grey with black wingtips. The grey hood is lost in winter, leaving just dark streaks.

Sexes are similar.

This gull takes two years to reach maturity. First year birds have a black terminal tail band, and more dark areas in the wings.

In flight, the wings are broader and held flatter than those of Black-headed Gull.

This is a noisy species, especially at colonies. The call is a raucous crow-like “caw, caw.”

First a few planes… one even grinning… and then the gulls… enjoy…