This has been an interesting month for watching birds in our garden, beginning with the unmistakable sound of Red-necked Spurfowl under my bedroom window early in the morning. I counted six – not regular visitors, yet I am pleased to see how far they have ventured into the garden. One even hopped up onto the raised bird bath for a drink.
The Black-eyed Bulbuls (Dark-capped these days!) are courting – I watched a pair canoodling on the branches, looking very lovey-dovey – in numbers. This morning I counted eight of them in the feeding area. Several Speckled Mousebirds can also be seen cosying up to each other. The two Common Fiscals (one ringed and the other not) are clearly rivals and dart in and out trying to avoid each other. When they do meet they set up a loud haranguing match and have even attacked each other! I have observed a fiscal spreading out its tail feathers when confronted by a Black-collared Barbet at the feeding tray – determined to stand its ground. The barbets nearly always arrive as a pair. Another regular pair of visitors is the Streakyheaded Seedeater.
I put out both fine and coarse seed daily as well as filling up the nectar feeder. Other fare usually includes fruit, finely chopped pieces of meat, cat crumbles, or fat smeared on biscuits or thin slices of bread. This month I decided to take careful note of who ate what:
Dark-capped Bulbuls have enjoyed fat, cheese and fruit.
Both Common Fiscals seem to eat anything that is not fruit and are particularly partial to meat. This one, however, snitched part of my breakfast!
While the Red-winged Starlings are partial to fruit, they also eat cheese. This female is about to tuck into the pears.
Speckled Mousebirds prefer fruit and are prepared to wait their turn for it.
I usually associate weavers with eating the grain. These Cape Weavers, however, are tucking into a piece of fish. They also eat cat food, cheese, and fat.
The pair of Cape Robin-chats usually wait in the wings for the main rush to be over before they feed. I have seen them eating fat, as well as tiny portions of meat. This one has been eating cat food.
Common Starlings seem to eat anything. They tuck into fruit, cheese, fat, bread and cat food with relish.
I associate Cape White-eyes with fruit, nectar, and aphids. Yesterday though a few of them made off with tiny cubes of cheese.
My August bird list is:
African Green Pigeon
Amethyst Sunbird
Bar-throated Apalis
Black-collared Barbet
Black-eyed Bulbul (Black-cap)
Black-headed Oriole
Bronze Manikin
Cape Robin-chat
Cape Turtle Dove
Cape Wagtail
Cape Weaver
Cape White-eye
Cattle Egret
Common Fiscal
Common Starling
Crowned Hornbill
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Fork-tailed Drongo
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Green Woodhoopoe
Grey-headed Sparrow
Hadeda Ibis
Knysna Turaco
Laughing Dove
Longbilled Crombec
Olive Thrush
Pied Crow
Pintailed Whydah
Red-eyed Dove
Red-necked Spurfowl
Red-throated Wryneck
Red-winged Starling
Spectacled Weaver
Sombre Greenbul
Southern Masked Weaver
Speckled Mousebird
Speckled Pigeon
Streakyheaded Seedeater
Village Weaver
Yellowfronted Canary
These are all real beauties, and again you have had so many wonderful feathered friends visit you there 🙂 Wonderfully photographed, too!
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They bring me great joy. Thank you for your encouraging comment.
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Well fed visitors. Excellent photos, Anne!
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They are very well provided for! I am glad you like the photographs of them.
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You really do put out a veritable feast for your feathery visitors, Anne, and they’ve thanked you with the most splendid poses!
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Note they do not get all this food every day. Apart from seed, water and nectar, the rest is rotated on the basis of what is available.
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Very enjoyable and informative post. Thanks for sharing all the photos
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I enjoy sharing ‘my’ birds.
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Dis so interessant wat jy waargeneem het met die etery. Dankie vir hierdie oulike blog, Anne. Jou foto’s is ook pragtig.
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Baie dankie! Ek het gedink Augustusmaand se opmerkings ‘n bietjie anders moet wees.
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What a delightful variety!
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I feel blessed with the variety of birds that not only visit our garden but fill it with their delightful calls.
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A gorgeous collection. I’d like to have seen what that Common Fiscal did with your breakfast 🙂
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It ate it all up!
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Wow
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What a joy, slowly working my way towards such a variety of birds eating at my place
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Wonderful: they need a regular supply of water and food – no matter what – until they become used to finding sustenance in your garden. You already feed your robin cheese – keep going and good luck!
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Beautiful captures. And what a list!
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My monthly bird list reminds me how fortunate we are.
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