Cape town and back - a pictorial road trip

[Richprins]

I've crossed swords once with Dewi in the past...he is always right! He even tried to steal my girlfriend...welcome to AW!

[Peter Connan]

In case it helps, here is the accompanying male:

[Mel]

Marvellous bird photography again!

[Lisbeth]

The sky covered by swifts and swift terns look like a scene from "The Birds" by Hitchcock

I love the gull trying to have breakfast

[Flutterby]

That's a lot of swifts!

I really thought this was an immature Chinspot due to the slight separation between the brown spots and the shape of the male's neck-band (not shown here)?

You'll have to ask Flutterby about that!

I'm no expert, it just looked like a Pririt to me and the male Pririt and Batis look almost identical so no help there.

[Pumbaa]

Magnificent bird shots, Peter

[Peter Connan]

Thanks Lisbeth and Pumbaa.

On a photography forum, I asked where to go in Cape town to take photos of birds. Two of the commonest answers were intaka Island and Strandfontein sewerage works.

Then somebody said that Strandfontein is not safe. So early one morning I drove to Intaka Island I arrived at around 05h30 only to find a sign saying that it only opens at 07h00. So I got back in my car and drove to Strandfontein. And how glad I was, because what I found was a wonderland!

Black-winged Stilts:

[Peter Connan]

Flamingos:





Shovellers:



Cattle Egrets:

[Peter Connan]

Ibisis (both Sacred and Glossy):







Gulls:

[Peter Connan]

And a whole lot more.

But what I had most fun with was the pelicans.









I had so much fun that I went back a few days later with an exceptional Cape Town photographer Elsa Hoffmann.