It was a little cooler when we woke up this morning but still a very pleasant day. In fact, we are quite pleased that it is neither too hot nor too cold. By the time I peeked outside my Gecko just after 7 this morning, a handful of others were already drinking coffee and visiting others in the laager. There is such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere here and it is clear that everybody is having a good time.

The Earl and I had a little wander around the campsite before breakfast and I took a few more bird photographs. Of course, the really interesting birds were hiding in the foliage of the trees but at least we got to see them with our eyes even if they scorned the camera!

John and Jane are also here and they are keen birders too. For many years, John and I served on the Cape Bird Club committee and John still leads many birding outings. While here he is Atlassing for SABAP 2 so is keeping a list which he will give me at the end of the week. I will then post which birds we have seen in my final blog. Today John, Jane, Earl, Nida and I did the Half-collared Kingfisher Trail. Earl and Nida turned back a little earlier but John, Jane, and I continued up until the pont before turning back. It is a very pretty route through the forest but some of it is up and down steep steps and the ground is quite uneven. It was also quite humid as we did it in the middle of the day. It was pretty quiet as far as birds were concerned but we heard bar-throated apalis, sombre bulbul, southern boubou, and Knysna Turaco. We caught sight of the turaco but it refused to look at the camera. The half-collared kingfisher was conspicuous by its absence!

Everybody did their own thing today, some chatting at each other’s sites, going for walks or excursions to surrounding places of interest or simply chilling with a book or having a nap. We also took care of our own cooking for the evening but many shared fires and a lot of ‘kuiering’ took place.