25/07/2015

Weather incredibly nasty today,After driving Eendracht and Blesboklaagte Roads I popped in for a visit. A very quick visit given the conditions. Not much to talk about a few Flamingos, a single little Grebe,Coots and a few White Breasted Cormorants.Water levels are perfect for waders right now which we can expect to start arriving in 6 weeks. How ever on the Wider Gauteng Challenge page on facebook i see reports of waders already starting to arrive at Mkombo Dam.The sanctuary is really ugly this time of the year and a lot of litter is lying around.

The picnic area is undergoing a major face lift. The grass which battles to grow under the White Stinkwoods and the grazing by the animals in winter is been replaced by slate paving with large flower beds. I notice Clivia and Iris are been planted so it should be awesome in a couple of years.

Hide number two has a broken door,a lot of burning has taken place which is a reason for such a low bird count yesterday besides the weather being ugly.As you come in the entrance on the left hand side a eco gym has been erected similar to the one at Walter Sisulu Botantical Gardens in Roodepoort.

18/04/2015

A disturbing mail from Brian Colahan an Ornithologist from the Free State about Mallards had me rushing off there this morning.A very grey and overcast day indeed. No Mallards to be seen thankfully but a Hybrid Egyptian Goose/Mallard was. Have seen one before ,but a Yellow Billed duck/Mallard Hybrid which is the more common hybrid.

The really good news is that the old security company has been replaced and my nemesis security lady is there no more. What a pleasure. A huge thatched lapa has been erected ? Not sure why. A fitness class of some sort was been done in the picnic area,at least 50 folk doing calisthenics to some loud high powered 180 beats to the minute music blaring from a golf with it's boot open.Water levels are good right now and the water is also clean.

Black Crowned Night Heron,lots of Thick Billed Weaver,Hottentot Teal, Red Billed Teal,Greater Flamingo,Yellow billed Duck , a huge flock of Egyptian Geese,Little Grebe,where among the sightings.

April 2015

Have not been to the reserve since December 2014.I suppose that the state of the sanctuary has put me off a little. I also have a problem with the lady security guard who always tries to hit me up for money or food or whatever. I also do not like her attitude and to be quite blunt i do not trust her at all.
I will make an attempt to get there in the next couple of weeks and post a more substantial post.I have also found that it is mainly photographers who are visiting now .I have over the last 5 years seen a huge increase in birders which is awesome and I as well as many well known birders have felt this is due to the relatively cheap level entry digital cameras available now.

I have no problem with photographers as i am one myself, however when one chap has two cameras setup simultaneously and hogs the hide i do get a little upset.

Anyway happy birding and if any of you want to add to the blog please do so so we can keep this updated and running for all those folk who want to visit. I have had over 5400 visits to something i started mainly as a hobby and because there was no other site dedicated exclusively to Rondebult.