Even though there is still another month to go till the end of winter we've already had the 3rd wettest winter ever in Port Elizabeth. Last week we had two days of rain again and this following the flooding we had three weeks ago means that there is a lots of water around. I drove out to have a look at the Seaview Road just outside the city which is over 1,5 meters under water. Took this picture to the side of the road with the clouds reflecting in the water and then played around with a bit of HDR to give it that extra effect.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 11:42 AM 6 comments:
Labels: HDR, reflections, seasons
My bird knowledge is so-so and I wasn't too sure what it could be so I uploaded a pic to the PE Photography Club Facebook Page and within minutes the guys identified it as a Black Sparrowhawk. The Black Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus), is the largest African member of the genus Accipiter and occurs mainly in forests and non-desert areas south of the Sahara. They nest in large trees and has a particular liking for suburban and human-altered landscapes. It preys primarily on birds of moderate size, which explains why it took down one of the palm tree pigeons. The adults are dark with white while the juveniles are brown which means looking at its feathers it was probably a young adult.
Somebody commented that the fact that there are so many feathers lying around shows that its a Black Sparrowhawk as they, unlike most other birds of prey, don't eat the feathers.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 3:29 PM 6 comments:
Die Kaap Recife vuurtoring is op 1 April 1851 in gebruik geneem en staan net buite Port Elizabeth op die westelike punt van Algoabaai. Kaap Recife is die draaipunt in Algoabaai in en word verskriklik gevaarlikste geag as gevolg van Thunderbolt-rif wat oor die eeue al verskeie bote en skepe geëis het. Die rif self is vernoem na die HMS Thunderbolt wat in 1847 daar op die rotse geloop het. The vuurtoring is 24 meter hoog en die lig is 4 000 000 kerskrag sterk. Hy flits elke 30 sekondes en kan 29 seemyl ver gesien word.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:10 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Cape Recife, coastal, Eastern Cape, lighthouses, PE Beaches, Port Elizabeth, Raakreis
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 12:00 PM 1 comment:
Labels: fun, Kidz outings
As ek mag wil ek graag die lirieke van Groot Voël Paradys deur Jacques de Coning aanhaal om saam met hierdie foto te gaan.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:08 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, birds, Klein Karoo, Oudtshoorn, Raakreis, Western Cape
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 10:52 PM 2 comments:
Labels: church, Klein Karoo, Montagu, museums, Western Cape
Almal wat al langs 'n Suid-Afrikaanse strand gestap het moes die een of ander tyd êrens 'n seepampoentjie opgetel het. Ek weet 'n seepampoentjie is 'n "sea urchin" in Engels, maar het nog altyd gewonder of dit dalk 'n ander naam in Afrikaans het wanneer dit nog leef. Die eerste een wat ek besluit om te vra was my goeie vriend Google. Hy laat my selde in die steek en hierdie geleendheid was nie anders nie. Penny Nyren se boek Ontdek Stande was bo-aan die soeklys en daarin sê sy dat 'n lewende seepampoentjie 'n see-engel genoem word. See-engele woon gewoonlik op koraalriwwe of in rotspoele en het skerp penne wat hulle hele dop (skulp) bedek. Hierdie gevaarlike penne word gebruik om hulle te beskerm en is gewoonlik giftig. Probeer om nie in een van hulle te trap nie, want daardie einste penne breek maklik in jou voet af en kan maklik infeksie veroorsaak. Die seepampoentjie in die foto het ek gekry op 'n rots by die Knysnakoppe en moes deur iemand daar neergesit geword het nie lank voor my nie.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:07 PM No comments:
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 9:08 AM 3 comments:
Wanneer mens in 'n stad woon is daar niks lekkerder as om uit die stad uit weg te kom nie, maar dis nie altyd moontlik nie. Die volgende beste opsie is om op 'n strand, 'n park of natuurarea in die stad te gaan stap. Al drie Suid-Afrika se groot kusstede het baie gewilde wandelroetes langs hulle onderskeie strandfronte. Dit maak nie saak op watter strandfront jy stap nie, elkeen het sy eie bekoring, pragtige uitsigte en verskillende besienswaardighede. Die Kaapstadse strandfront kyk meesal uit oor Valsbaai met die berg in die agtergrond. Die foto is geneem vanaf Seepunt en kyk terug na Groenpunt met die Groenpuntvuurtoring aan die regterkant.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:03 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Cape Town, lighthouses, Raakreis, Western Cape
Die Kaap Recife Natuurreservaat in Port Elizabeth beslaan omtrent 370 hektaar om die westelike punt van Algoabaai. Die reservaat is idiaal vir voëlkyk beide aan die kus en om die waterherwinningspoele. Die beste manier om die reservaat te verken is om op die 9km lange Roseate Tern wandelroete gaan. Die roete begin by SAMREC (South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre), 'n pikkewyn reddingssentrum, voor dit by die waterherwinningspoele verby gaan. Die roete lei dan deur plantbedekte sandduine en verby 'n uitkykpos wat uit die Tweede Wêreldoorlog dateer. Langs die kus sluit die roete die Kaap Recife vuurtoring in wat in 1851 gebou is en stap jy al langs die kus af terug tot by SAMREC.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:01 PM No comments:
Location: Cape Recife Local Authority Nature Reserve, Port Elizabeth, 6011, South Africa
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 8:00 AM 5 comments:
Labels: coastal, Durban, KwaZulu Natal, sunrise / sunsets
Location: 73 O R Tambo Parade, Durban 4001, South Africa
Die Tafelbergreeks strek van Tafelberg tot by Kaappunt en het heelwat bekende pieke en landmerke wat deel van die bergreeks uitmaak. Bo en behalwe Tafelberg self is daar ook Leeukop, Duiwelspiek en Seinheuwel met die Twaalf Appostels wat die mees prominente pieke aan die Atlantiese kant van die Skiereiland is. Die Twaalf Appostels maak vir die perfekte agtergrond teen die luukse strande van Clifton en Kampsbaai.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:00 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Cape Town, coastal, mountains, Peninsula, Raakreis, Table Mountain, Western Cape
Sonopkoms en sonsondergang fotos is van my gunsteling fotos om te neem. So rukkie terug het ons 'n naweek op Plettenbergbaai deurgebring. Dit was 'n bibberend koue oggend en ek het maar gesukkel om uit die bed te kom, maar wou graag op die strand wees vir sonopkoms. Dit was die moeite werd, want daardie oggend het ek van my gunsteling sonopkoms fotos geneem. Die enigste probleem was dat ek gevoel het dat ek 'n fokuspunt of onderwerp in die voorgrond wou hê en daar nie regtig iets was nie. Onnodig om te sê dat as enige iemand my daai oggend gesien het op en af hardloop op die strand, hulle seker lekker sou gelag het.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 1:16 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Garden Route, Plettenberg Bay, Raakreis, sunrise / sunsets, Western Cape
Location: Robberg MPA, South Africa
Daar's 'n hoender wat 'n eier nie kan lê,
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 12:58 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, church, Raakreis, tales and rhymes
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 12:57 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Eastern Cape, Eersterivier, Raakreis, sunrise / sunsets, Tsitsikamma
I'm not a big bird photographer, not by choice but because my camera is a bit slow to focus and then still has a bit of a shutter lag as well. But when a bird sits still for long enough for me to focus and get a nice pic I won't let the opportunity slip by. Small birds are especially difficult for me as they always dart around but on a recent game drive at Amakhala Game Reserve a Ant-eating Chat decided to sit still on a sweet thorn tree and look around for long enough for me to get this pic of him. The Ant-eating Chat's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and lowland grassland and they mainly eats insects, especially ants and termites.
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 10:00 AM 3 comments:
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 12:55 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Eastern Cape, forest, Raakreis, Tsitsikamma, Tsitsikamma National Park
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 7:30 AM 4 comments:
Labels: Klein Karoo, Montagu, museums, Western Cape
Location: 23 Lang St, Montagu 6720, South Africa
Posted by Firefly the Travel Guy at 12:53 PM No comments:
Labels: Afrikaans, Klein Karoo, Oudtshoorn, Raakreis, tourist facilities, Western Cape
I have never had the opportunity to see a real live serval cat before seeing that they are extinct in the Eastern and Western Cape. Visiting the Royalston Game Reserve just outside Port Elizabeth not long ago the owners took us to have a look at their Serval rehabilitation project. They obtained two serval cats from another rehabilitation project and they have had three babies which are being prepared for release at one of the big private game reserves near Port Elizabeth.
The serval is a medium-sized cat but I didn't really know what to expect before we got there. They look like normal domestic cats just a lot bigger with much longer legs. Servals grow to about 59 to 92 cm in length and stand about half a meter tall. This boy was in a very playful mood and had a ball chasing the handler's scarf. The rest of us, well we were clicking away through the fence as they wanted as little interaction with other people as possible.
For more information on Serval Cats in general, visit Wikipedia.