Sitting on my balcony, basking in the warmth of the sun as it sinks towards the horizon. The cloudy day has given way to a mild evening of clear skies as the birds criss cross the blue yonder, heading for their roosts on the other side of the bay. The wind has swung to southeast and puffy clouds cloak the mountains, but no doubt tomorrow will bring a fresher breeze as we head towards the windy month of November. Well, comparatively windy - when the southeaster can blow a gale for anything from 2 to 10 days and tempers flare, bad hair days are rife and we wonder why we live in Cape Town. Then as soon as the wind drops, we remember!
The birds are so busy there must be nestlings in the hedges and tree tops. Always a sure sign of newly hatched guinea fowl is the predatory hovering of the crows that prey on these hapless birds while their parents fly into the safety of the branches. The crows have wreaked havoc with the guinea fowl population over the last few years and the once abundant flocks of 50 or more are down to patches of 3 to 15.
A butcher bird sits silhouetted in the gum tree - he seems to favour this time of day for that perch, and as the sun sinks further, the tiny witogies, sparrows and sunbirds are darting into the shelter of the leafy undergrowth to get some rest before another busy day. They start at around 5am, chirruping outside my window, and I no longer need an alarm to be set as the neighbour has acquired a new young rooster who is in fine voice at that time!
Perhaps a few eggs will find their way over my fence!
No comments:
Post a Comment