Twitching

It would be an exaggeration to call myself a twitcher, but I do appreciate birds, and admit to getting overly excited when I spot a lifer.  I also enjoy attracting birds to my garden, but have been disappointed in Mthatha, as the golf course over the road provides ample food for the local birds.  As this is a summer rainfall region, I've discovered that the best way to attract birds is to make sure that the birdbath is full.

Here is a selection of birds I've seen in and around the garden in the last three months:

The hadeda is everywhere.  The noise as they head home at sunset can only be described as raucous.  Not a pretty sound.

The mousebird is one of my favourites, with its clumsy landings and 'Hey, what's going on?' approach to life - not first in the queue for common sense.

The mousebirds often visit in large groups.  When I mentioned my fondness for this Village Idiot of birds to a local, he told me that he shoots about ten a day, as they destroy many crops, including the green tops of carrot plants (I've seen what they can do to a fern).  The problem with shooting them, he says, is that the next day, fifty of them turn up for the funeral.

Leaving the door open can attract curious visitors

...and their partners.  Good thing the dogs are deaf, or there could have been carnage

This Collared Barbet was a lifer for me. 

And because he's so pretty, you get another pic of him

The trouble with Cattle Egrets is that they tend to attract cattle.  Which can be a problem when they settle down outside your driveway, and you're a city girl who's not used to this sort of thing yet.

These tick birds looked like something out of a Disney movie, about to launch into a dance routine

An egret contemplating a dip in the pool.  Yes, it's still green (to match the steps, of course)

I think this chap is another reason why I am experiencing an avian stayaway.  The Butcher Bird is really a feisty fellow, and when he's in the mood for a bath, no-one else comes near. Since I took this photo, this tree was severely damaged by the fire.  Let's hope it survives.

At last!  I lowered the feeders, and that seems to have worked.  I am now working on getting the local birds addicted to sugar water and peanut butter.  Bulbuls, barbets, and white eyes have sampled my fare.  I have seen robins, thrushes, weavers, tinker barbets, and the usual assortment of pigeons and doves in the garden.

I was so excited when I let the dogs out for their morning ablutions last week and saw this 'owl' sitting on the tree stumps over the road.  Only when I got the camera with its zoom lens did I realise that I seriously need to upgrade my specs.

Okay, this isn't strictly a bird.  But I really enjoyed this description on the menu of one of the better restaurants in Mthatha. If the chicken had been marinated in white wine instead of green Thai curry, 'legless' could have taken on a whole new meaning.