Animals don't have a voice

Animals don't have a voice ...

So guess what?

You'll never stop hearing mine!

 

This odd bird, the Hadeda ...

I know most of you expats contemplating a move to South Africa are worried about crime. But you know what you should REALLY be worried about? The Hadeda!

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

And you will think: Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me! I cannot live in this country. Or, rather, I cannot SLEEP in this country!

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...

I took a stroll

 

I took a little stroll 

along the pathway 

and observed the wild flowers blooming.
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It was a very fine day.
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(Photo taken on my stroll through Sheffield Beach Estate, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal)

Today

It has been 6 weeks since we sold our smallholding and Gauteng in moved down to the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) (ONLY 6 weeks??!! feels like a life-time!) and it has taken me all this while to find my feet, gather my thoughts and feel as if I once again belong somewhere. The biggest thing about moving from a place where you have lived for 43 years is seemingly losing your 'identity' - an identity tied to the bird life you studied for so many years, an identity tied to the grass, trees and the very soil you were walking on, an identity tied to "your" plants and birds and insects and little animals nurtured in your garden for so long.

I open my eyes in the mornings and in stead of hearing the Cape Robin-chat singing on my patio, I hear the exotic sound of the Burchell's Coucal outside my window, the sound of the surf pounding on the beach in stead of traffic whizzing past my front gate, and when I rise and go for an early morning walk, I see tropical (and unknown!) vegetation in stead of veld grass and Bluegum trees. A big a change as you can ever imagine!

Yes, it has taken me 6 weeks to get into the swing of things in this new life we have chosen and although I was, and still am, mourning the loss of my pets (my chooks will forever be ingrained in my heart), I now look forward to discovering all that is new in this exotic coastal location; insects I have never seen in my life, the names of the trees and plants which thrive in these hot and humid conditions and finding out which succulents like to grow here!

Walk on the wild side

As I went on a mission to rid my wildlife pond area of the beautifully green and thirsty Kikuyu lawn over the past few months, I seemed to be fighting a losing battle. As fast as I was removing it, leaving only the indigenous grasses, the lawn seemed to organise its own offensive to get rid of me. The left-overs flourished in all the rain we’ve been having, all the while displaying taunting evidence of a new generation destined to pick up the fight next year!

But this time it appeared my mid-summer decision to let nature take its course has finally been rewarded. The native grasses have loved all the water and attention spent on it and is now offering plenty of food and shelter in this area for birds, insects and small wildlife.

Yellow Thatching Grass usually grows in sandy soil in bushveld with a rainfall in excess of 600 mm per annum. It is also found in open grassland and sometimes in other soil types. Often abundant along roadsides it is found throughout tropical Africa and I am lucky that some of it took hold in my garden.

During summer, mowing this Kikuyu is a 3x a week job and this piece of lawn is defying all efforts to get rid of it!

At last, mid-summer last year, and the indigenous grasses won the battle against the Kikuyu  (right at the back of this pic), offering food and shelter for lots of wildlife. A few Hens & Chicks (Chlorophytum comosum) that I planted around this Acacia tree absolutely thrived as the wildlife pond is fenced and no chickens can get in here to do their dirty deeds!

Don't go away and please be patient!

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I know I've been awfully quiet over the past few weeks, but there's a very good reason for that. As you may (or may not!) know, our smallholding has been up for sale for the past year and twice we've had a buyer, and twice the sale has fallen through. We now have an offer in place and it seems that THIS IS IT! I'll be moving to the coast in a few weeks! Although I'm looking forward to the change, there's a lot of sadness ... saying goodbye to a garden that has been part of my life for the past thirteen years is not easy, and even more devastating is saying goodbye to my girls. I've had to find a new home for my chooks as it is impossible for me to take them with me. I'll also be missing "MY" garden birds, we have become very, very close over the past years, especially Robbie (the Cape Robin-chat who visits me inside my house), and I hope the new owners will be tolerant of his antics inside and outside the house.

Lots has happened since our last summer rains, like a tornado and a mega-storm with hail as big as tennis balls hitting the area. My garden is pretty much annihilated, but nature is wonderful - already the trees and plants are bouncing back and will probably look much better for the wear!

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This picture was taken the next morning, the day after the storm, and none of the hail in the garden had melted yet.

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So please don't go away, as soon as I have more news, I'll be back. See you later!

In memoriam of Peeps

In memoriam of Peeps, husband of my four girls, who died in my arms yesterday. RIP Peeps.

Peeps as a baby in my studio, where he grew up with Snoodles.

I have no idea what was wrong with Peeps, no injuries, no runny tummy, just difficulty breathing. Could possibly have been a respiritory disease...?

I have not  been around blogging for some time now. At the end of May I went down with Pneumonia and just as I thought I was getting better 3 or 4 weeks later, I developed Chronic Bronchitis and ended up in bed, deadly ill, for three weeks and after surviving that, it took me another two weeks before I could get out of bed and function properly. Not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

But now I'm better, finally able to get round to my favourite past-times, gardening and blogging. At one stage I thought I was going to die and it has given me a new appreciation for life and being able to breathe in particular. I hope you have all been well and looking forward to connecting with you again.

Maree

 

Amazing winter

A Grey Loerie (Corythaixoides concolor) enjoying some Winter sun.

Winter. I just LOVE winter.

There are just some things that are just better in winter. Like scarves, cuddles, fireplaces, and movie nights in front of the TV. I love the sunny winter days. Gauteng has summer rainfall, so the days are crisp and clear and the Coast has the warmest winter weather in the country with lots of sunshine all year round and warm ocean temperatures even in the middle of winter! And there is no better time to enjoy game viewing (or hiking) than in winter when temperatures are cooler. The bush thins out and loses its colour, improving visibility considerably. There’s no tall grass for the animals to hide in, making for good photographic opportunities.
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And warm beverages are perfect for winter. Who can resist cuddling up in a cosy coffee shop, nursing a steaming mug of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate after an exhausting shopping bout?

Summer gives me a headache. Most days are too hot for me - if the temperatures go over 25℃, I've had it. The daily average winter temperature is between 16-24 degrees C (61-70 degrees F), just perfect! South Africa does not do blizzards and snow banks. You will never (except on very rare occasions) find your car grounded and covered in snow. Our winters are just cold enough that you need only add a warm jacket. How much clothing can you shed in summer? And at least in winter you can switch on your electric blanket if the cold gets too much - is somebody EVER going to invent a COLD electric blanket, please?!

So what’s not to love about winter?

Country patio

One benefit of living out in the country is the space one has. Living on an 8,5ha smallholding, one has lots and lots of space!

Another benefit is the freedom to do virtually as one likes. So when we built our house, I added big rocks to the patio, bringing the outdoors closer — as close as possible! If it wasn’t for hubby reigning me in every now and the, there would have been big rocks all over the inside of the house. I could just imagine taking a seat on a big rock in the lounge, next to my favourite bookshelf, reading for hours on end.

Those little brown jobbies

This little chap is one of the tamest birds in my garden, sitting right at my feet when I put seeds on the ground for the more timid birds like the Laughing Doves. And when I walk to the feeding tables, he will follow me, sitting right on the edge of one, waiting for me to fill it up.
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We so often over-look these Sparrows (Passer domesticus), one of the most widespread birds in the world, who originated from Eurasia and was introduced to Australasia, the Americas and Africa. It is often considered an invasive species, ironically, however, its population is experiencing serious decline in many of its native regions. Despite its abundance here in South Africa, it seems to have a minor impact on indigenous birds, although it may have displaced Cape wagtails from urban areas, as they are both adept at scavenging in these environments.

It generally prefers urban, rural and suburban areas and are very rarely absent from human habitation. Being so used to humans has made house sparrows resourceful in finding unique food supplies. They have been seen inspecting car grills for insects, and will feed on farms searching for spilled seed and grain.

House sparrows are monogamous with a life-long pair bond and will build bulky nests in roof crevices, nesting boxes and natural tree cavities, or they may chase other birds out of nests. The female will incubate a brood of 4-6 eggs for 14-18 days, then both parents will regurgitate food for the nestlings for 14-18 days until they leave the nest. Depending on the climate, pairs may raise 2-3 broods per year.