Ok, so this isn't a conventional Skywatch photo, but I love the way the sun shines through this spiders web we found on our visit to Addo Elephant Back Safaris. Sun = sky thus Skywatch. Getting a bit closer we found that the web belongs to a Kite Spider (Genus Gasteracantha). So Kite = Sky which means more reason to post this under Skywatch. The Kite Spider has a shiny and hard abdomen which is rather flattened with spiny projections.…
We got to see quite a few smaller things while on the nature walk at Addo Elephant Back Safaris. At one stage we were walking next to the boundary fence and stopped while the ranger was telling us about some plant. I looked around and noticed a pretty big spider sitting on a strand of spiders web literally centimetres from the Damselfly's back. Suddenly every body's attention shifted to the spider and cameras were clicking away. Its real size was…
The little things always catches my eye just as much as the big things do. Actually, sometimes I search so hard for the little things that I miss the big ones. While we were watching the elephants drink, I was crouching down in the vegetation next to the waterhole to get a nice angle for my photo when this litte guy popped into sight.
The Prince Alfred's Guard Memorial stands in St Georges Park and was erected in 1907 in remembrance to men from the guard that died in four different wars. On each of the four corners of the base of the memorial is a tablet bearing the names of officers and men who fell in the Transkei War, 1877 ; Basutoland War, 1880-1881; Bechuanaland War, 1897; and the Anglo Boer War 1899 - 1902. At the foot of each tablet is a…
This past weekend we went on a trip to Addo Elephant Back Safaris in the Zuurberg Mountains. I took some great photos of elephants, spiders, mountains and all kind of things. Today I want to show a bit of what we did there and over the next couple of days I'll show off some of my other photos.On the day of our arrival we took it easy and only went on a guided walk through the reserve. The next morning…
On Saturday morning we went to participate in a fun walk at the Westering Pre-primary school. It was a fund raising event for the school and was very well supported. Young and old, big and small, all had fun tackling the 4km route before heading back to the school for breakfast which was a choice between bacon and eggs or Halaal.
Who living in Port Elizabeth can say that they have never been to Happy Valley? Probably not many. Some people (like myself) went there as kids and now take their kids. I love going to Happy Valley. It is a wonderland of colourful lights and kids story and rhyme characters. Happy Valley is situated on the beachfront just off Humewood Beach. It truly is a Port Elizabeth institution. For more on Happy Valley, go here.
This picture was taken facing away from the Donkin Pyramid and lighthouse towards Donkin Street. The church in the background is The Hill Prespetarian Church with the Donkin Street Houses from the middle to the right of the picture. The tree in the foreground is a Tree Aloe (Aloe barberiae), which is normally found in thickets, kloofs and savanna in the east of South Africa.
Going on a photographic expedition for a project we are doing at work, I got to visit a couple of the museums and attractions around Port Elizabeth last week. I just realised again how many interesting places there are to visit. The problem is that most of these places don't have the funds to be really marketed to the extend that they need to. So I will do my bit and feature them in my blog. The South African Airforce…
On my recent visit to Sun City I got to go on a game drive into the Pilanesberg National Park. Although we didn't see a huge amount of game, we did see this very unusual sight of a giraffe sitting down. What makes this unusual is the fact that giraffes don't usually sit down much in reserves where there are predators like lions as they can't get up that fast being all neck and legs. This makes them more vulnerable…