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This one’s for the birds

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 07 2008 | By: admin

I live in an amazing place with incredible views. Waking up can be a chore though, especially when the birds take it upon themselves to rouse me at 5 am. The rains have started, and its not even the rainy season! Before the trees have even had a chance to respond, the air is filled with sounds of happy animals. Here are some of my visitors ….how many do you know?

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This is a daddy with his chick who eats non-stop. They come to my verandah every single day and wait in a nearby tree for crumbs and fruit. Whoever can name the species gets to name these two friendly guys who until now are currently known as ‘noisy’ and ‘greedy’. Who are they?

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This pair loves bananas and papaya. They are always together and shriek outside my bedroom window if I’m late with the ‘breakfast’. They have beautiful red wing patches. I’ve seen them attacking ‘greedy’ above and killing lizards! Otherwise they are really a very pleasant chatterers. What are they?

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Initially shy, this fat bird figured it out and has discovered that there is such a thing as a ‘free lunch’ and will wait for me to bring the food! What is it?

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This little beauty nests in the eaves above my bedroom with a family of many others. Any idea what it is?

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Who lives in this nest just outside my house?

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And here’s someone who came out with the rain and had to be rescued. Any idea what it is - well even if you do there’s no point in naming him (or her), I’ll probably never see it again.

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5 Responses to “This one’s for the birds”

Dino Martins, on 07 Jul 2008

Hi Paula
Great pics of the birds. The frog looks like and African Clawed Frog- Xenopus sp. Incredibly it is one of the most important ‘model’ species used by thousands of scientists around the world in lab studies. It was originally used in pregnancy tests!

Peter, on 07 Jul 2008

That’s a seriously ugly frog. They are supposed to be cute and cuddly. I call the frog Bob - aka Bob Mugabe and I hope they both disappear for a long long time.

Paula, on 07 Jul 2008

Dino, you are right. Herpetologist Kim Howell confirmed this! I need to get a GPS reading …can you help?

Martin Odino, on 09 Jul 2008

I know all but may be the nest may be tricky. In Order, Baglafecht Weaver (Male to the left and an immature to the right-the kid may be?), Red-winged starlings (Male to the left, female to the right;notice the greyish head to neck colouration on her?),Speckled Pigeon, Rock Martin (a relative of the Swallows, not Swifts. You wonder why?swifts hardly perch, an indicator of their primitivity or lower evolutionary level. Some swifts stay airborne for up to 3 years, only coming down to lay eggs and brood. They are renowned as the creatures who eat, sleep and mate on the wing!), the nest is likely a Holub Golden Weaver’s(the largest of the Ploceus[yellow]weavers to the best of my knowledge. Check out on it next time;shoul be a big weaver with an obvious black bill with pale eyes. Legs are faded pink or you could still say pale in colour) and finally is Xenopus frog. The only clawed species of frog in our range i bet. I have once been attached to herpetology. We netted it!

Paula, on 11 Jul 2008

Well done Martin, … I’ll catch you next time with some tougher ones! The nest is the Baglafechts … I think

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