THE EARLY BIRDS CATCH THE RAPTOR COURSE!

Ronelle and Des attended a Raptor Identification Course run by Tammy Caine, Bird of Prey Specialist, at the beautiful Fountainhill Estates, just outside of Wartburg.

Eager beavers, we arrived at 7.45am for the 8am start … except it actually starts at 9.30! Oh well, more time to walk around and take pics of little brown things and little black things, and, in the case above, a glossy starling proudly showing off it’s early morning worm.

The course was great – Tammy  is passionate about her subject, and explains the family of raptors from vultures to owls to true eagles and hawk eagles, fish and snake eagles, buzzards, kites, harriers, hawks, and falcons and kestrels very well. Of course, it all seems easy in the classroom, until you get a juvenile!

Just before lunch, we were taken for a game drive to the top of the property, and visited the beautiful barn owl in the old silos… part of the course was of course, looking at droppings and other things… this owl had many (and big) rodent skulls in his regurgitated pellets…

After a hearty lunch, we braved the heat once more, and explored more of the Estate. Giraffe, zebra, ostrich, nyala, blesbok, kudu… and even wildebeest with their young…

So what about the raptors, I hear you say… loads of YBK (yellow billed kites, shew learning the lingo!), at one point we saw about 20 sitting in a tree together – wonderful to see. A fish eagle (including the nest), buzzards, and many more YBK, with their nests too.

Can you identify this raptor above, bird lovers???

Well worth the R800 for the day (including lunch, coffees…). 9.30am to 3.30pm.

Contact Tammy and ask her to add you to the mailing list for the next course – tammycaine@gmail.com.