Waves, wind and wildlife

There's been a heavy shorebreak off Kommetjie for more than a week now. We've been treated to a display of incredibly beautiful wave action, with perfect peppermint ice cream pipes folding over along the mouth of the little bay next to the Kom, the trapped air shooting explosions of white surf metres into the sky and sending reverberations like gunshots across the water. A friend who lives near the lighthouse very close to the sea can feel the vibration of the wave action as it transfers from the rocky ledges through the boulder-strewn substrata deposited over millenia - rather an aural vibration than physical, a most strange phenomenon.

The strong surge has kept the roosting birds on their toes, or rather, their wings, as they seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time wheeling above my house as the high tide covers the rocks around the Island. Or it could be the unseasonal south-westerly wind that is accompanying the heavy swells - the birds, particularly gulls, love to hover in the thermals from that direction as they sweep up the cliffs of Slangkop and soar to tremendous heights, almost disappearing from sight. We have learned from them, and hang-gliders and remote-controlled plane enthusiasts are also taking advantage of the south-wester from the top of the mountain.

A fish eagle from nearby Wildevoelvlei soared overhead yesterday, and it was quite a sight to see this magnificent bird passing slowly by. On our usual walk with the dogs, we were lucky to see a kestrel flying from telephone pole to telephone pole ahead of us, on the lookout for small mammals, and as we crossed over the dried up vlei area, were startled by the swoosh! of a flock of 70 or so small birds turning this way and that like a shoal of fish in perfect synchronisation. I think they may have been canaries - I've never seen them before in the area and they certainly made a spectacular sight. I'm not much of a bird watcher, as I can't focus well enough to see the detail required to identify most small birds, and they may well have been the ubiquitous LBJs! Nevertheless, a treat to behold.