The Pekin or White Pekin is an American breed of domestic duck, raised primarily for meat. It is a mallard derived from birds brought to the United States from China in the nineteenth century and is now bred in many parts of the world. .
The White Pekin is large and solidly built. The body is rectangular as seen from the side and is held at about 40º to the horizontal; the tail projects above the line of the back. The breast is smooth and broad and does not show a pronounced keel. The head is large and rounded, and the neck is thick. The plumage is creamy white, and the legs and feet are a yellowish orange. The beak is yellow, fairly short, and almost straight
Mature Pekin duck hens (females) weigh around 4.1 kg. Mature drakes (males) weigh approximately 4.5kg. The average lifespan of a Pekin duck is roughly eight to 12 years.
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
White Pekin Ducks, Vygeboom dam, Durbanville
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
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Annual or perennial herbs or shrublet. Thinly hairy, soft shrublet to 1 m, with elliptical to oval leaves, often flexed downward, and radiate flower heads, 20 mm in diameter, with blue rays and a yellow disc; involucral bracts in 2 series, with 3 veins each. Rocky flats and slopes in southern South Africa.
The Cape Spurfowl is 40–42 cm in length. The male is larger than the female. This large spurfowl appears all dark from a distance apart from the red legs plumage is finely vermiculated in grey and white, with a plainer crown and nape.
The sexes are similar in plumage, but the male has two leg spurs, whereas the female has one short spur. The juvenile is similar to the adults but has duller legs and clearer vermiculations. The large, dark francolin is unlikely to be confused with any other species in its range.
The Cape Spurfowl is a common resident of the Western Cape’s Strandveld, Renosterveld and fynbos regions, especially at lower altitudes. It forages in altered habitats like parks, croplands, orchards, vineyards, and Racosperma plantations.
The Cape Spurfowl is a bird of scrubby open areas, preferably close to running water. It breeds in spring and early summer when it is also most vocal. Its nest is a grass-lined scrape under a bush, and six to eight eggs are laid (but sometimes two females will lay in one nest). This species can become very tame if disturbance is limited. It will run rather than fly if disturbed, but even while quite small, just a few weeks old, it flies readily and strongly when startled or pressed.
Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin , Pternistis capensis , Postberg, West Coast National Park
Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin , Pternistis capensis , Postberg, West Coast National Park
Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin , Pternistis capensis , Postberg, West Coast National Park
Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin , Pternistis capensis , Postberg, West Coast National Park
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
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It is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae composed of about 80 recognized species. The majority of these species are endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, especially Namaqualand, as well Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Cormous perennials, often with hairy stems. Leaves sword- or wedge-shaped, pleated, and usually hairy. Flowers in a 2- ranked or spiral spike, subtended by green, usually hairy bracts with dry tips (rarely dry and papery), often blue, less commonly white, yellow, pink, or red, bowl-shaped or 2-lipped, the tepals united into a short or long tube; the stamens either arched together or symmetrically arranged, the style dividing into three short branches. Southern Africa, mainly winter-rainfall parts. The corms are favored by baboons and porcupines, hence the allusion in the vernacular name bobbejaantjie.
Babiana nana, Bobbejaantjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park
Babiana nana, Bobbejaantjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park
Babiana nana, Bobbejaantjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park
Babiana nana, Bobbejaantjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
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The Egyptian goose – also known as the Nil goose – is named after its origin, The Nile Valley in Africa. It is a large, very distinctive waterbird with conspicuous eye patches of dark chocolate-brown. The female resembles the male, though smaller, often with darker markings on her beak. The genders can also be told apart by their calls, as the male makes a hoarse hissing noise, while the female produces a harsh, trumpeting quack. Young Egyptian geese have a duller color and have a gray tinge on their forewings, and their crown and neck are darker, with yellowish legs and beak. They are approximately 63-73 cm, and their wings 34-41 cm.
Egyptian geese are widespread throughout Africa except in deserts and dense forests. Egyptian geese remain together in small flocks during the year, primarily for protection. During the breeding season, they pair up and stay with the group. They are mostly non-migratory and will generally move about only if the water in their area is in short supply. They are good swimmers but spent most of their time on land. They may wander away from the water searching for food, but at night always return. Both genders are aggressively territorial with their species during breeding and often pursue intruders in flight, attacking them in “dogfights” in the air.
Egyptian Goose, Kolgans, Alopachen aegyptiaca
Egyptian Goose, Kolgans, Alopachen aegyptiaca
Egyptian Goose, Kolgans, Alopachen aegyptiaca
Egyptian Goose, Kolgans, Alopachen aegyptiaca
They are primarily herbivores, feeding on grass, seeds, stems, leaves from various plants, grains, potatoes, and other types of vegetables. They are monogamous, and a pair stays together for their whole life. Males are quite aggressive during mating. Each male performs an elaborate and noisy courtship display, producing loud honking noises to attract a female. These geese breed in spring or when the dry season ends. They nest on their own on the ground, sheltered by vegetation. Females lay 5 to 11 creamy-white eggs. Incubation is by the female only and lasts for around 28 to 30 days. Births are synchronized. The male and the female take care and feed the chicks. The chicks reach maturity when they are two years old.
It is a trailing or spreading perennial reaching 10 cm in height. It may spread from underground stems.
The leaves are digitately trifoliolate, the leaflets obovate with entire margins. The blades are hairless or sparsely hairy, folded slightly along their midribs, sometimes with a tiny mucro at the tip.
The orange, copper, rose or purple flowers grow in racemes on fleshy stalks. Flowering happens between June and October.
It can be found in the Western Cape long the West Coast and inland to Clanwilliam and Worcester. It is a coastal fynbos and low-lying Renosterveld.
I took these photos in August 2015 and August 2020 in Postberg Private Nature Reserve in the West Coast National Park.
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2015)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2015)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2015)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2015)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2020)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2020)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2020)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2020)
Indigofera procumbens, Indigo, Lewertjie, Postberg, West Coast National Park (2020)
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
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Have a fabulous day. Till next time, please stay safe and healthy.
The red-knobbed coot has all black plumage with a white bill and frontal shield. 2 Red knobs are found on the head, at the top. It has grey legs and red eyes. These red knobs are more conspicuous during the breeding season. As a swimming bird, its toes are partially webbed.
Red-Knobbed Coot, Sonstraaldam
Red-Knobbed Coot, Sonstraaldam
Red-Knobbed Coot, Sonstraaldam
Red-Knobbed Coot, Sonstraaldam
The female is around the size of a small chicken, 39 cm long. The male is larger. They feed mainly on plant matter but will occasionally eat insects.
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
The coot is a highly territorial species and will try and bully any intruders, even geese up to twice their size. Sometimes it seems they are running across the water without flying.
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
Monogamous, the red-knobbed coot builds a floating nest on a mound of vegetation and lay up to 8 eggs at a time.
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
Red-Knobbed Coot, Abrahamskraal, West Coast National Park
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
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The common greenshank can appear very like a marsh sandpiper when wading, but the bill on the greenshank has an upturned appearance and the body is heavier and less slender in appearance. Greenshanks have long green legs and a long bill with a grey base.
When not breeding, the plumage is grey to brown above and a pale white below. During breeding season, the upper body becomes heavily streaked and marked, a bold black chevron type marking becomes visible on the chest.
The common greenshank feeds on insects, crustaceans and small fish. They are surface feeders and feed along the shoreline. They will feed both nocturnally and diurnally.
The common greenshank is found in fresh and saltwater areas, in marshes, mudflats, lakeshores and lagoons. The common greenshank is found throughout South Africa, except in the very arid areas. They are a summer visitor to South Africa.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~Frank Lloyd Write
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post. I hope you also learned something new today.
Have a fabulous day. Till next time, please stay safe and healthy.
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