That Nature Thing – exploring the wonderful world of nature in our bedroom and beyond
AROUND THE HOUSE
Nature appreciation begins at home, although the centipede Bob ran into on our bedroom floor was a bit too close for comfort. Camille found a three-inch long blue wasp outside on our back steps.
AT BOSUMTWI
Another captivating centipede. We love how the legs fold up so nicely.
BIRD WATCHING AT HANS COTTAGE IN CAPE COAST
Have binoculars, will bird watch. We got a hot tip from our housemates that there was some fine bird watching to be had at Hans Cottage so we went.
ORANGE WEAVER BIRDS – Ploceus aurantius
These little cuties are both industrious and communal.
VILLAGE WEAVERS – Ploceus cucullatus
Over at the other end of the lagoon we saw a nice colony of Village Weavers and were able to stand close enough to photograph them entering their nests and cooling them down by flapping their wings.
MORE ORANGE WEAVERS
Couldn’t help ourselves! We found these strange little colonies captivating.
BIRDS IN THE TREES
It’s pretty hard to see in this photo of the breadfruit tree at Bosumtwi, but there are two birds sitting in its branches. The larger of the two (on the left) is the Pied Crow (Corvus albus) and the one on the right at about the same level is the Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis).
While relaxing at the Mighty Victory Hotel in Cape Coast we heard a ruckus in the trees which turned out to be a gaggle of Western Grey Plantain Eaters, a large grey bird related to the Turacos.
BIRDING AT STUMBLE INN
Laughing doves littered the sandy paths at Stumble Inn and just a little bit up the road we saw many birds including this colorful Malimbe. During our four-night stay at Elmina and Cape Coast we identified twenty-three different species of birds.
LIZARDS IN ABUNDANCE
What Bob remembers about his childhood in Africa is lots and lots of lizards and although there aren’t as many lizards about today they are still pretty common.
SEXUAL TENSION
Lizard style!
RED-HEADED ROCK AGAMA
The males of this species are especially colorful when in their breeding phase.
POSSIBLY EXTINCT LIZARD
We have not seen this guy around the yard for awhile but have seen a grey hawk swoop down and carry off a lizard from the yard, possibly explaining his disappearance.
FREE RANGE SHEEP AND GOATS
Sheep, goats, dogs, chickens and sometimes even cattle roam the streets in Ghana. These photos were taken in Cape Coast where the population is over 100,000 but we’ve also seen roaming livestock in Accra, population four million and Kumasi, population two million. Jeremy feels that the little goat on the left is the cutest animal he’s ever seen.
WHITE HIBISCUS AND A VERY COMMON RED FLOWER
Both seen at Hans Cottage.
LIFE FINDS A WAY
Life will not be denied as evidenced by this little plant growing in the crack of the wall inside the cottage bathroom at Stumble Inn. The young Ceiba tree produces spikes to protect itself from predators Mature trees have smooth trunks.
PATTERNS
The seaweed on the rocks at Elmina was a vibrant green just before sunset.
LADY BUG ON THE SAND
The African version.
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