In winter, Cape Cormorants like to ride the tumultuous push-and-pull of high tide at the river mouth as they hunt shoals of mullet fry caught up in the chaos. Getting focused and composed shots of a successful bird as it surfaces is a challenge, especially while lying in the shallows and trying to avoid being engulfed by the rushing salt water.
Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 300 f/2.8 Mark II with 1.4x extender III; 1/4000 sec; f/4; ISO 160
Over the past three years, I’ve spent many hours photographing birds at this magical spot. Operating mostly at ground level, my process has involved quiet observation, tapping into the birds’ daily and seasonal routines, and easing myself into their lives by creeping closer to gradually habituated individuals and flocks. It’s a patience game and not without tedium and physical discomfort. But I hope the results at least hint at something a little different – candid, eye-level views of beautiful animals, calmly living in a beautiful place.
Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2021 de African Birdlife.
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Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2021 de African Birdlife.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
