On Monday the 19th of September I headed east from Joburg on the N14 and took the R500 north for a few kilometers and instead of turning left to Carltonville headed to the farm dams that were so alive last year in August/September - but today they were bone dry! Orange River Francolin and loads of Northern Black Korhaan and Little Bee-eater were the best sightings of the 40 odd species I saw in the hour or 2 I spent in that area. I then headed north to the little town of Boons - stumbling across an interesting Wetland Project near the rural town of Mathopestad (mostly common species unfortunately - although a Greater Kestrel was special) and then I stumbled across the Bosparadys farm on the way back towards Krugersdorp (but not far from Boons). I noticed a whole sequence of dams and just had to visit (hey, it's the milk we use at home mostly, so why not pay it a visit to check on standards?). I'm glad I did because I spent over 3 hours there with some highlights being African Snipe, Wood and Marsh Sandpiper, Purple, Grey and Black-headed Heron, all three Ibises, Shelduck, Common Greenshank, Comb Duck, Bokmakierie, Wattled Starling, Greylag Geese with chicks and Gabar Goshawk.

Here are some scenery shots of the spot:

The highlight was watching a Gabar Goshawk snatch a little bird and proceed to eat it:

Here is a selection of waterbirds that I saw:

Two Turkeys in a cage were very obliging and posed nicely for me:

Here is a selection of other birds that I saw on the property:

The only non-bird critter I photographed on the day was this Ground Squirrel: