Babies Growing Fast

Our babies are starting to grow quite fast and more pregnant mommies are expectant soon. Our eco-park at Mogale is expanding nicely.

The Ice Chick has tripled in size since she arrived 3 weeks ago. Mommy and daddy Blue Crane are very protective over their single baby. But poor Mr and Mrs Black swans, they lost one of their cygnets, and are down to two since they were born two weeks ago.

Last week a duiker gave birth but now it looks like poor baby duiker has been left on its own to fend for itself while mommy goes foraging. The little thing is so inquisitive and comes out of hiding to check us out. Every time the sound of the camera triggers, a shiver runs up the back of the duiker which is about a metre away from us. All the best little ones.

Mr and Mrs Black

With South Africa colour has once again become a big issue with “F#<& White People” not being racist but the colour purple is. I am starting to feel down, no depressed about what the future holds.

Anyway my thoughts are transgressing, back to real black swans, the Cygnus Atratus. Over shadowed by the baby blue crane that was born last week, Mr and Mrs Black Swan had triplets. Now we have three little grey cygnets waddling around.

JZ in the House

I am pleased to announce a new baby Klipspringer which was born late this afternoon between my office and the Imbizo building at Mogale Business Park. And I have decided to call the wee little thing JZ.

JZ’s mother, sure had it hard, her last baby drowned about a year ago and the worst part was that her partner died when struck by a car about six months ago. She is now the only Klipspringer left in the park well until now.

The gestation period of a Klipspringer is about 214 days which is about 7 months ago. Well I am very pleased for mommy and her new baby.

Marigold Springbuck

Last night, a springbuck was born at Bosasa’s Mogale Business Park. It is a little late in the calving season but we don’t mind as long as baby is healthy. We are still not sure if it is a boy or a girl yet. All the buck are so used to Richard as he feeds them, this allowed him to get real close to photograph the baby buck without spooking the mother. As you can see, the baby is lying among the marigold flowers hence I thought s/he should be called Marigold from now on. Soon Marigold will be running and jumping like springbucks do, long side Monday and Norma Jean.

Meet the Swan Family

Wow the just over 3 months old cygnets are growing up fast, they are even starting to lose their baby grey feathers. It has not been easy getting close to take some photos without Mr and Mrs Swan getting all aggressive but during the last few weeks I have been taking it slowly to approach ever so closer to this swan family without disturbing them. And today I managed to get to a few meters away although they were in the pond which made them feel much more secure.

I think this might be the first clear photo that I have of the cygnets other than that fleeting one taken during the Swan Attack last month. Well hopefully more photos will be posted as the Swan family get more used to me and allow me spend more time with them.So readers allow me to formally introduce you the Swan Family.

Incoming Attack

The swan couple at work laid seven eggs but only five hatched. And out of the five hatchlings these swan parents have only two cygnets. I am not sure what happened to the other three cygnets but you can understand why I am now under attack, I got too close. You can just see the two cygnets behind mommy swan as the daddy swan is incoming while I bravely hold my ground.

Pea Chicks

Well keeping on the topic of babies everywhere, one of the peahen’s eggs hatched on Friday. So this morning mother peahen paraded her five small chicks passed my office window. Now I remembering the awful noise the peacocks made wooing the peahens, am very worried as all I can think of is how much more noise there will be come this mating season. But then all the ladies still in the office went ahhhhhh cute, as one does when seeing babies. Sigh!