Aloes In The Eastern Cape

A dry-season bonanza for nectar-feeding birds

Bird-ringers tend to take note of sites where birds may concentrate when food is temporarily abundant as this offers the prospect of catching good numbers of individuals of particular species. But if food availability at such places shows a predictable seasonal pattern, it raises other intriguing questions: are these just local birds concentrating for a while at one site, like shoppers taking advantage of bargains? Or do we find an influx of species, some of which are not usually present in the area? Do long-lived birds remember such localities and revisit them at appropriate intervals?

In the Eastern Cape, aloes provide a spectacular show of colour in winter when little else is flowering in the veld. The bitter aloe Aloe ferox is the most conspicuous species in our area and many birds come to feed on its nectar, a vital resource in this dry season. Every so often we get queries from people who have seen drongos, starlings or orioles with orange faces that result from a generous dusting of aloe pollen. (Casual observers sometimes wonder if this is in fact a change in plumage.)