Drakensberg Siskin (female)

[Richard Flack]

The garden birds at the top of the Sani Pass!
One of the main reasons for my trip up the Sani pass (2874 metres above sea level) was to get decent photographs of this endemic, Drakensberg Siskin. I thought I would be in for quite a long search with no guarantee of success, but these little guys proved easy to locate and reasonably confiding.
After some leopard crawling, some tearing of my pants (don’t ask) and some patient waiting, I finally came away with a few photographs that made the long journey all the more worthwhile. This small, endemic finch is considered locally common but shy in the scrub and grasslands of the Drakensberg mountains.
Location: Sani Pass, Lesotho
Date taken: 15 April 2015
ISO 400 / 1/3200s / Exp -0.3 / f 6.3

[Daniel Cadieux]

This is a cute little bird. Drab but charming! Nice details, and I really like the perch. At the risk of further tearing your pants, would you have been able to crawl over to your left? Just asking as the large oof rock at right is unfortunate, and so are the big black areas behind the subject.

[Richard Flack]

Thanks so much Daniel, unfortunately if my memory serves me correctly this was the best I could do without inflicting further bodily or clothing harm. Thanks for the input as always.