BUSHVELD IN THE 'BURBS
It is such a delight to have Woodland Kingfishers in the garden in suburban Johannesburg, especially as they have taken over a nesting log and have had chicks.
We watched as they both sat opposite the nesting log on numerous occasions, assessing its location. It was obviously deemed a good spot, as they had to wait to take occupation from the incumbent Green Woodhoopoes. Then, after they had moved in, over the following few weeks we would see fleeting glimpses of one or other adult going into the log.
The eggs finally hatched and the parents made frequent trips in and out of the nest to feed the ravenous mob. One of the adults would perch on a nearby branch and make a very loud 'tweep...tweep - tweep...tweep' to announce the arrival of 'Mr Delivery' with either a frog or skink in its beak. It would then proceed to whack the hapless prey to a pulp on the branch while simultaneously announcing its 'grub's up' call. One day we witnessed three skinks and a frog going down the hatch in three hours.
The chicks have now fledged and the activity has moved from the nest to the greater neighbourhood. We can't wait for the next nesting cycle. It is such a pleasure to hear that special call of the bushveld here in suburbia.
THE ROOF IS THE LIMIT
Esta historia es de la edición May/June 2023 de African Birdlife.
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Esta historia es de la edición May/June 2023 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.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
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
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
