Striped Grass Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio)

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden, Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa

This little Striped Grass Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) or Four-striped Grass Mouse was quite unperturbed at my presence this afternoon as he shared some corn with all the other garden birds. I often see a pair together snacking on seeds I put out.

As its common name suggests, the four-striped grass mouse is easily identified by the 4 distinct dark longitudinal stripes running the length of the back. Colour varies from dark grizzled russet brown to a grey-white. The sides and underparts are lighter but vary from off-white to pale grey-brown. The backs of the ears and the snout are russet to yellowish brown. The upper surfaces of the feet are usually lighter in colour than the body. Research has shown that the average body size does vary in different geographical areas, and that tails can be shorter or equal to the body length.

Length 19-26cm, weight about 43g. Diurnal and occuring in all parts of South Africa except most of Limpopo. Prefers fairly dense cover and feeds mostly on green vegetable matter, seeds and insects. Also likes the soft parts of the bracts and flowers of Proteas thus becoming an important agent in the pollination of some species. They excavate burrows, sometimes to a depth of 50cm. Striped mouse are active during the day, but are seldom active at night as they cannot maintain their body temperature if the environment is below 5 degrees C.

Afrikaans : Streepmuis
Die Streepmuis (Rhabdomys pumilio) is ’n muis wat in die hele Suid-Afrika voorkom behalwe in die grootste gedeelte van Limpopo en die noorde KwaZulu-Natal. Die streepmuis is bleek rooibruin in die weste tot donker grysbruin in die ooste van die area waarin hy voorkom. ’n Kenmerk van die soogdiertjie is die vier strepe op die rug. Die streepmuis is daglewend en word tot 19cm lank en weeg 30 – 55g. Hierdieie knaagdiertjie woon in grasryke dele in halfwoestyn tot bergwêreld met hoë reënval en is daglewend. Die streepmuis grawe gate onder ou gras of by die basis van ’n bos met voetpaadjies na die weigebied. Hulle eet sade en ander plantmateriaal. Daar word gewoonlik 5-6 kleintjies in die somer gebore.

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Solly's dustbin chook

This is Solly’s chook, one of the dustbin chicks born last November 2013. He’s turned into a beautiful rooster, obviously of mixed blood as his feathers are like those of a Silkie. But what makes him adorable is the fact that he talks to me – whenever he sees me, he utters this whole repertoire of cackles and croaks all the while staring me straight in the eye. He’s also very tame, sitting down when I put my hand on his back and then allowing me to pick him up for a cuddle. Normally all Solly’s chicks that turn out to be roosters are destined for the pot, but I’ve asked him nicely to spare Mr. Chook. (Solly is our mechanic/handyman and he has all these chickens that wander all over our smallholding and usually end up breeding somewhere in my garden.)

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I can't find the sugar, Hon!

Camera : Canon EOS 550D 

Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

A female African masked-weaver (Ploceus velatus) inspecting a nest to see if it suits her requirements. More often than not, the female will reject the nest and look elsewhere, sending the males into a frenzy of building two or three nests at the same time, sometimes as many as six!

This female was quite impressed with the housing and shortly after her inspection, she flew to the ground, returning with a feather and disappeared inside. the male was ecstatic! He did a little dance on the branch above her, and then joined her inside. How I wish I could have seen what was going on in there!

But the nesting season is all over now, the males have all lost their breeding colours and the garden is strangely quiet with just the odd chirps.

The Southern Masked-Weaver or African Masked-Weaver is a native of sub-Saharan Africa with a short, conical bill. Adult males in breeding plumage have a black face and throat, red eyes, a bright yellow head and under-parts, and yellowish-green upper-parts, whereas females (and non-breeding males) are dull greenish yellow, streaked darker on the upper back, and the throat is yellowish, becoming off-white on the belly, with duller irides. It nests in colonies, like other weavers, and the nests, again like those of other weavers, are woven of reeds, palms or grasses. The Southern Masked-Weaver appears to have established itself locally in parts of northern Venezuela.

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How to know if it's going to be a beautiful day

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken on our smallholding (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) at 6.15am this morning.

It is purported that thick, early morning mist heralds a beautiful day ahead. Today it certainly has turned out to be true, it turned into a beautiful day with blue skies and not a cloud in sight. Even as I was taking the photos, the mist was quickly clearing and half-an-hour later all the mist was gone and it promised to be a lovely day.

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Little White Dove

Camera : Canon EOS 550D 

This is Little White Dove, a White Ringneck Dove I found in my garden last June 2013, minus a tail and a big wound on her coccyx. After coaxing her down from the tree with some seeds, I managed to capture her and tend to the wound. She had obviously escaped from a cage or aviary somewhere in the area and must have been somebody's pet as she did not seem overly concerted about being picked up.

The wound healed nicely and within a few days the first new feathers appeared. A week later, a nice little tail had started forming (below).

Little White Dove sporting a brand-new tail 

A couple of days later I opened her cage door and she had her first venture outside the cage which is in my studio. At first she just sat on the open door's perch, checking out her surrounds, but before long she was investigating every nook and cranny, taking short flights onto the top of cupboards and any other perch she could find.

I offered her a bowl with water and within minutes she had her first bath in the two weeks she'd been with me.

Wow! That was great! 

After her bath she would fly up to some high place, preen a bit and then fly back to her cage, settling down in the grass bedding on the floor of the cage with the door open, taking a nap.

Tweeti, my 16-year old Cockatiel, has taken quite a liking to Little White Dove and he will spend every minute he can get with her, singing to her and giving her tail gentle little plucks. Little White Dove is not worried or perturbed by these proceedings and just seems to take it in her stride.

These birds have been bred in cages since biblical times as pets and cannot survive in the wild. They often are not able to find food having had it provided to them all their life and because of their white colour they are easy prey for a variety of predators. Thus many of these released birds, usually at weddings or parties, die or are killed in a relatively short time. Many white doves that have been released end up looking to humans for assistance.

Little White Dove has also become quite tame, loving to come out of her cage and wandering around my studio. She will also come when I call her for some bread or chopped peanuts and intently watches me when I chop her vegetables and fill her bowl. We’re not yet at the stage where she will sit on my shoulder, but we’re getting there!

The white dove is a colour mutation of the African collared dove/Barbareydove that has been around for perhaps a thousand years. A number of species of collared doves are native to Africa and Asia.

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