This morning I said to Muis, let's take a quick drive down part of the Hopefield road (I will post up a Google marker a little later) late afternoon...

So just after 4pm we set off, Muis is the driver and I sit in the back so that we can have access to either window...

First off we spot a Secretarybird half way to Velddrif, a very exciting start to the drive as we do spot them here on the West Coast but only on rare occasions!

And then those birds of prey were to be found on virtually every pole! Jackal and Steppe Buzzards, Yellow-billed Kites posed beautifully and took off right into the light, I was quite beside myself with glee LOL!

We spotted yet ANOTHER Secretarybird, which was just amazing and one part of the Berg River was crawling with waders..only problem was it was quite far behind a fence! I do know I have NEVER seen so many Pied Avocet gathered in one spot and their were many different waders, but I could not ID from that distance...I think I will make it my mission to find out whose farm that is and ask my Dad if we can take his Landy to go investigate that piece of water!

Poor Muis did the Sarel van der Merwe style driving so that I could get the shots...even had a woman stop and ask if everything was okay, seeing as we drove so oddly LMAO! But I think Muis was suitably rewarded with a lifer in the form of a Lanner Falcon.

I must add that the birds of prey are becoming far more accustomed to cars on that road where as before the moment you stopped they fled hurriedly! Even the Steppe Buzzars stay for a second where as they moved off before you even came to a halt in the past. The other thing I noticed is the number of birds is increasing every year!

Thank you Muis for being such an excellent and patient bird photo rally driver!

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juvie. Jackal Buzzard

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Steppe Buzzard

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juvie. Black-shouldered kite

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Jackal Buzzard

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Jackal Buzzard

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Secretarybird

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Ant-eating Chat larger pic

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juvie. Jackal Buzzard

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juvie. Jackal Buzzard

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juvie. Yellow-billed Kite

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juvie. Yellow-billed Kite

Google Earth Map of the road traveled.

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