Depending on the weather, the dawn chorus begins at around half past three these days. This morning, for example, I could hear Cape White-eyes, Cape Turtle Doves, Klaas’ Cuckoos and a Cape Robin – until the raucous Hadeda Ibises joined in shortly after four o’ clock! One simply has to love these birds.
There seem to be many more Village Weavers than Cape Weavers visiting the garden of late. The males of both species look very smart in their elegant breeding livery. Laughing Doves abound and fill the warm mornings with their soft, burbling cooing. The Lesser-striped Swallows completed building their mud nest under the eaves and have spent the past week lining it with grass and lichen. The image of the nest reveals what might be a crack at the back of it – I am holding thumbs the nest will hold long enough for the eggs to hatch and the youngsters to leave. Note the different colours of the mud the birds have used in the construction of this nest.
Birds have had to dive for cover this month both for a Black Harrier and a Yellow-billed Kite. The latter spent nearly a week roving across town and sweeping low over the garden. Fork-tailed Drongos and Black-eyed Bulbuls are quick to sound the alarm.
I have been intrigued by the Speckled Mousebirds feeding on apples that have fallen from the feeding tray to the ground; I usually associate them with clinging closely to branches as they work their way through the trees.
My November bird list is:
African Green Pigeon
Barthroated Apalis
Black Crow
Black Harrier
Black Sunbird (Amethyst)
Blackcollared Barbet
Blackeyed Bulbul
Blackheaded Oriole
Bokmakierie
Bronze Manikin
Burchell’s Coucal
Cape Robin
Cape Turtle Dove
Cape Wagtail
Cape Weaver
Cape White-eye
Cattle Egret
Common Starling
Diederik Cuckoo
Fiscal Shrike
Forktailed Drongo
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Greyheaded Sparrow
Hadeda Ibis
Hoopoe
Klaas’ Cuckoo
Knysna Lourie
Laughing Dove
Lesserstriped Swallow
Olive Thrush
Paradise Flycatcher
Pied Crow
Pintailed Whydah
Redbilled Woodhoopoe
Redchested Cuckoo
Redeyed Dove
Redfronted Tinkerbird
Redwinged Starling
Rock Pigeon (Speckled)
Southern Boubou
Speckled Mousebird
Streakyheaded Canary
Village Weaver
Whiterumped Swift
Yellowbilled Kite
Yellowfronted Canary
Something Over Tea 
Dawn comes early in your neck of the woods, Anne! Active time of year for nesting and parenting; looking forward to further reports on the patter of tiny swallows ….
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You know what they say about early to rise … I love this time of the year though for the variety of birds that are around in the garden.
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That’s quite early an alarm for you, courtesy the birds 🙂 The nest looks a fine work of art. I envy you the birds, Anne. 🙂 What with losing many trees in the neighborhood, I am seeing fewer of the regulars over here.
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We inherited a desert-like property here filled with gravel and cacti and immediately set about planting about sixty trees. Many of these have since seeded themselves and so we have a veritable forest in our large garden which has proved to be a bird haven.
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That’s really wonderful!
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