Inspiration from Bogart's "Here is looking at you, Kid"

I am suffering from separation anxiety. My trusty binoculars have left our shores, kindly taken to the British Birdfare by Marje Kemp and Callan Cohen from Birding Africa and they are somewhere in Europe now being serviced. And all of this while spring is bringing all the favourite migrants back too!
Fred took these delightful images while on business near Hoedspruit recently.

Crisp mornings and the dry grassland of Millstream

Walking at Millstream in a bracing August dawn we watched the resident Kite devour its prey, sit back and preen. The Kite is such a regular sighting in South Africa that I tend to take the bird forgranted and somehow I was seeing it again with fresh eyes. It is striking and Fred has captured some interesting views of the small raptor below.   

Black-shouldered Kite at Millstream