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Geelbek hide at Langebaan lagoon has been quiet on the rare wader front this summer, bar a Redshank and Mongolian Plover that have been putting in the odd appearance. I was lucky enough to catch-up with the Mongolian a few weeks ago.

Initially the bird was quite distant, but the rising tide eventually pushed it fairly close to the hide. The wing bar and general upperwing colouration in the shot below is a little overdone in Photoshop – it wasn’t that dark.

This image below provides a better idea of the upperwing colouration – this shot has only been cropped.

Apart from the waders, summer is also a time when snakes are more active in the park. I’ve never been lucky enough to see puffadder or any cobras, but molesnakes are fairly common. This individual was just warming up on the road close to the Geelbek hide. The shot only shows a small section of the animal – it was at least a metre long!