Golden Orb Spider vs Windbag
At this time of the year our bushveld is full of Golden Orb spiders (Nephila maculata) webs, these magnificent webs glow with their unique golden strands especially in the early morning sunrise. The strands are very strong and particularly sticky and may stretch up to three to four metres between the trees and I often wonder how a buck or an ostrich in particular gets rid of these webs when they...
Read MoreThe Dozy Brown Snake Eagle and the Electric Puffadder
Living in the bush is never boring providing you observe all that is around you and it often gives you the most amazing opportunity to observe different and strange animal behaviour. On a recent game drive I saw a Snake Eagle perched on a tree stump, I approached slowly and started to take photos with my cell phone thinking that the eagle would soon fly away. Much to my surprise I eventually...
Read MoreAlbino Jackals at Tamboti Bush Lodge
Snow white or albino Jackals are prevalent at Tamboti Bush Lodge. There appear to be albino genes in the family of jackals living on Tamboti. In October 2006 Pixie first saw two snow white jackal’s pups whilst walking in the veld. We saw them on the farm for about a month before they disappeared. Albino animals are prone to early predation as they stand out easily in the veld. In early...
Read MoreParadise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis
Inzweece (Zulu). Ujejane. (Xhosa) The African Paradise-Flycatcher is back in the garden at Tamboti Bush Lodge. This pretty little bird and its mate are back in the garden after their trans-African flight. They make beautiful little nests a little bigger than an eggcup on the end of small branches. The nests are made with roots; grass and leaves bound together with spider web and decorated with...
Read MoreThe Gardens at Tamboti Bush Lodge
The gardens at Tamboti are looking very beautiful, we have chased all of the resident impalas, blesbuck, kudus et al. out of the garden and we put a great big lion proof electric fence around the lodge to keep those critters out as well. Pixie has really made the gardens look great, including adding over 200 rose bushes to the area. We have built a little chapel just off the garden where we do...
Read MoreRhino Poaching
It is amazing that when one sees a program on rhino poaching as the one that was recently aired on Carte Blanche and one is horrified by the death of these amazing creatures for the sake of mans sexual lust. Or, as they indicated in the program, that one very senior politician in Vietnam had claimed to be cured of cancer by taking rhino horn and now huge quantities of rhino horn are being...
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