Bird with issues

The rain clouds that passed over yesterday are doing a repeat run, brought back by the swing of the wind from northwest to southeast, and bringing light rain to the mountains again. Not so for Kommetjie, which has lower rainfall than the rest of the Peninsula, but the calm conditions and grey backdrop made for a very pleasant time out on the deck observing the avian activity at the feeders.
Back in July, I saw a young Cape White-eye at the suet ball, standing on one leg and fluttering its wings to balance. The other leg appeared to be deformed and too short. He flew away and I wondered if he would survive.
I noticed him again today, sitting hunched with feathers fluffed out while the other birds hopped about confidently. He sat in the fork of a twig, his useless foot hanging while he gripped with the other and fluttered a wing. He survived the winter, probably coming to the feeders unnoticed among the multitude, and only seen because I took the time to sit and watch rather than peek out momentarily. He did get a chance at the suet ball, where he hung from one leg and pecked away, but then he flew down into the sheltering branches and spent a while looking around warily before departing for a safer place, perhaps.
He was definitely the outsider, relegated to the sidelines, but still determined to survive. I hope he is around for a long time to come.

July 2020

August 2020

What his friends look like