Yes, that’s right, a bird. And not just any bird. The Hadeda (curiously a member of the Ibis family) will be the reason you will wake up at five a.m. on your first South African morning, convinced that someone’s killing your neighbor. Or maybe more like your neighbor’s pig. Holy S#!t! It is a screech to wake up the dead.
A Hadeda’s plumage has a beautiful iridescent sheen
For weeks you’ll be scheming about ways to shut these guys up, but trust me, it’s not possible. We have a cat that catches everything that flies, but she doesn’t touch Hadedas. I suppose she is not as dumb as we thought when she jumped into the fireplace and got her whiskers singed. Because even a little Hadeda probably weighs more than her, and because that beak is really long and pointy.
You wonder why they have to be so loud. None of the other Ibis-related birds are so loud. In fact, none of the other Ibis-related birds make any sound at all. Leave it to our family to pick the one place to live that has the only non-mute ibises in the whole world.
Some say they are afraid of heights and screech out of fear. A bird, afraid of heights? That’s got to be a first. But it’s true, they only screech when they’re flying, often in groups all screeching together, and mostly in the mornings and evenings. In between, they are the most peaceful creatures, stalking around your lawn looking pretty and making themselves useful.
What, useful, you will ask? And it’s true. What they love most for dinner and are very adept at extracting from your lawn are Parktown Prawns. Yes, those things. Or their larvae. Or pupae. Frankly, I don’t care. Whichever form they digest them in, every Parktown Prawn less on my property is a good thing.
I just have to make peace with a pig squealing bloody murder every single morning.
(From "Moving to South Africa? Beware of the Hadeda!")
And make peace with the fact that there is no more sleep after 04:25h anymore...
That so reminds me of the sound ofHerring Gulls at seaside towns here in the UK. They can keep it up all day. I suppose like living right next to a railway line, airport or motorway some people eventually get used to it. Not sure I could though.
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact one gets used to trucks, planes and trains John, but this Hadeda is relentless, especially early in the mornings! By the way, for some reason I'm not getting notifications of comments on my blogs, so will have to investigate that. Thanks for stopping by!
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