We see so much of the large game (in fact quasi on a daily basis) that for quite a while I have not introduced anything “new”.

I noticed an incredibly beautiful photo of a White-Breasted Cormorant that Jesse snapped a shot of about 3 days ago. The photo was also posted on our Facebook page (do check it out, by the way: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vuyani-Lodge/160291423981740)

Now, here’s the shot! Just stunning. In fact this is a more beautiful shot than any of the photos I found online while doing research about this particular bird. Hat off to Jesse, great job!

 

So, what about this pretty bird? This one is a very unusual sub-species, as we usually see cormorants as sea-water birds. But not this one!

The White-breasted Cormorant is the only form of Great Cormorant found in the sub-Saharan part of Africa, and it is the only sub-species that has strictly freshwater populations and also the only form with a white breast and throat. Interestingly, it does interbreed freely with dark-breasted forms from Central Africa though.

It is not that rare, as one can find them from as far afield as the Red Sea in Egypt, Angola, all the way, of course, to South Africa. It is a bird that needs clean and fresh water for fish hunting, so it is a great satisfaction to see them now as well on our reserve. There certainly are a lot of dams here, and a lot of food for them, so they are certain to be seen time and time again. So, to all you birders out there: there’s yet another species that you can tick off your bucket list during a visit here. We have over 400 species of birds here, so this is birder’s paradise here!