Tag: gauteng

Pearl-spotted owlet

Yesterday we found not one but two of these lovely little owls in Dinokeng Game Reserve near Pretoria, South Africa. They hunt during the day from a perch, like this dead tree. A very special thing is that they have eyes in the back of their head, or at least spots that look like eyes as well!

Black rhino

This picture shows very clearly why the black rhino is also called hook-lipped. The triangular shape of the upper lip can almost be used like a finger to carefully pick branches from the ground or leaves from scrubs.
Happy World Rhino Day 2019!

Ostrich in a field with purple flowers

A male ostrich is foraging between the purple flowers of the pompom weed. Pompom weed has been called an ‘evil beauty’. It makes the fields look beautiful, but in fact it is an invasive plant that threatens indigenous grasslands. It makes me wonder how we define beauty… Now that I now that this plant is a threat, I look at it in a different way. Somehow, beauty seems to be informed by knowledge as well as aesthetical value!
Photo taken in Rietvlei Nature Reserve
Nikon d750, 420mm, f4, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Young zebra

Rietvlei at the moment is so amazingly beautiful! The fields are green and purple and yellow… all the colours of an enchanting summer. This young zebra obliged for a portrait in front of a field of purple flowers. The animals don’t really seem to like the flowers, though, they prefer their grass to be green!