Hotazel, 11 Jul 2006

Seven weeks on from my first visit I made the trip from Hotazel to Augrabies again. Two days in the Augrabies Falls National Park is not enough to do it justice so this time I made sure that I explored those parts of the Park that I missed first time around.

With the exception of Cape Spurfowl I saw all the birds that I had seen on my first visit, this time managing to get good photos of Dusky Sunbird, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Lark-like Bunting, Orange River White-eye and Malachite Kingfisher. Additions to my photographed list were Cape Sparrow, White-throated Canary, Bokmakierie, Large Rock Martin, African Red-eyed Bulbul, Karoo Scrub Robin, Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark, Pygmy Falcon and Verreaux’s Eagle.

The Rock Hyrax (Dassie) were out in force again posing so nicely that you just had to take their photo. Other small mammals seen were Cape Ground Squirrel and Cape Grey Mongoose. Klipspringer seemed to be around every bend.  

Less easy to spot unless I got out of my vehicle at the viewpoints were the scurrying lizards, Southern Rock Agama and Augrabies Flat Lizard.

An added bonus on the way back to Hotazel was an immature Martial Eagle sitting on a roadside telephone pole alongside the main N14 road near Upington. It flew up at my approach and moved one pole along, which it repeated as I neared it again. So I speeded up, drove past, did a U-turn and approached from the other direction as close as I dared and stopped. I revved the engine a few times, which had the desired effect and I got a great flight shot as it took off again.