I consider myself very fortunate to have seen four African Wood Owls in one garden during the past three years – but it wasn’t all my doing. I’ve learnt over the years to always listen for some very annoyed-sounding small birds uttering alarm calls. Depending on where you are and the time of year, this often means that the birds can see either a snake or a raptor, but often even diligent searching on my part to pinpoint where the alarm-callers are fails to produce the desired result.
At Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in summer, if they are giving their alarm calls in mid-level to high tree canopies it often indicates that a boomslang is in the vicinity. However, the snakes are also seen on the ground, generally moving fast across pathways with a flotilla of noisy, small birds hovering above them.
I have also found small birds in alarm mode and dive-bombing a small bush, even though I can see that there is no predatory creature in there. In my determination to discover what was lurking in a bush, a few times I’ve come within striking distance of a Cape cobra, so caution is always advised.
The members of a bird party usually comprise Cape Robin-chats, Cape White-eyes, Sombre Greenbuls, Cape Batises and Dusky Flycatchers, as well as Southern Double-collared Sunbirds. Each species has its own particular alarm call and they can all be fairly soft, but if Olive Thrushes are in the mix, they are a lot more vociferous. Sometimes it’s just a party of one – I found a boomslang at Kirstenbosch and only a Cape Robin-chat seemed to be aware of it. And once alone Southern Double-collared Sunbird indicated a pair of Wood Owls.
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Esta historia es de la edición May - June 2020 de African Birdlife.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
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CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
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when perfect isn't enough
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flood impact on wetland birds
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a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
