Pick up your favourite music CD-ROM. Now take it out into the sun and watch the scintillation and magnificent colour – a full spectrum displayed as a result of reflections and diffraction on the surface of the disk. The result is a prismatic effect. The reason is the tiny grooves on the CD-ROM; only 1,6 micron apart. This dimension is comparable to the wavelength of the incident visible light (the range is about 0,4 to 0,75 microns).

Now put that music onto the player, relax, and read on!

The incredible reality is that iridescence in bird feathers is created in a comparable way. Certain birds (my favourite being our sunbirds), have microstructures within some of their feathers (most popular are throat feathers, but also in many other places), the effect falling under the general description of “animal structural colouration”. The effect is a result of a diffraction grating (as for the CD-ROM example), but may also be affected by the natural feather pigmentation. The actual colour (eg. red or blue etc.) would largely be created through differing feather microscopic structure dimensions – where larger microscopic dimensions would as an example create red compared to say blue or violet.

The really interesting point is that the colour and iridescence of birds has been studied for a very long period, and birds have done their part to contribute to the knowledge of the physics of light!

Ironically it was Robert Hooke who in 1665 first described the iridescence of peacock feathers in some detail, and accurately described the microscopic detail of the tail feathers. However, it was his enemy Isaac Newton who first discovered the prism the next year, and Newtons great friend James Gregory who discovered diffraction grating using a bird feather in 1667. When you add to this list the fact that birds had an influence on the work of Christiaan Huygens, Joseph von Fraunhofer, and then Thomas Young (who proposed the wave theory for light), and finally Augustin-Jean Fresnel, you realise just how important those bird feathers were. They were initially observed through the first-generation of microscopes, but the microstructures in bird feathers could not easily be emulated in any man-made items of that time, and the bird feathers were rather complemented by other iridescent natural phenomena such as butterfly wings.

But why do some birds have iridescent feathers? Sadly, a great deal of misinformation has arisen on this score! The initial theory was that birds would gain a reproductive advantage, and it was actually equated to the advantage of better camouflage. The advantage of camouflage is obvious, but the case for iridescence being a camouflage characteristic is patent nonsense. Among the other “contender” theories, only the potential use for increased sexual signal appears to hold any ground. A theory exists that iridescence in animals (a shimmer?) may provide protection by confusing predators, but in the case of birds this does seem a stretch. (There are other theories that iridescence in UV, (higher frequency than the visible spectrum of potential predators), may be used for communication to evade the predators, but this is probably even more of a stretch!) Objectively, the best possible interpretation is that in reality the “prettier” a bird, the more likely to find a mate!

As a truly inconclusive conclusion, we must note that work is ongoing on many, (and some frankly oblique), new theories on bird iridescence (eg. use in flocking). Interesting as these may be, we are greatly blessed by the beauty of these creatures, and our recommendation is to enjoy them first, and try to figure out reasons later.

I am very happy that Lady Gaga won the Oscar. An immediate disclaimer – I am not in general a Gaga fan. Yet this time she created something very positive, a movie that I really enjoyed, and a display of immense latent talent. Sadly, it is not always so, and interspersed between the great moments one may find some crazy scenes and very tragic lows. She was (after all) the woman who was almost arrested outside St. Basil's Cathedral because the police believed her clothing choice marked her as a prostitute. That was the least of her transgressions, especially considering her abuse of good Catholic sensitivities.

Lady Gaga is simply a representation of all humanity, a story of ups and downs. The idiom says “what goes up must come down”. Let us dispel a myth – the saying did not come from the famous fellow who supposedly mused about the physics of falling apples. In fact it has wider application than gravitational concepts. We use it for the stock market, for our rugby teams (perhaps we should apply that to the All Blacks, our rugby team goes from lows to bigger lows), to political cycles and many more. The basic tendency is down, and actually the idiom is far more closely related to the law of entropy than to gravity. When it comes to entropy, one should forget about all those complex thermodynamics formulas. It really means that everything tends from a state of order to a state of disorder. In my opinion, entropy is the fundamental physical law of the universe.

Also forget about all those Utopian concepts about mankind having no constructive participation in Planet Earth. Left alone, earth would slowly descend into chaos, in keeping with the law of entropy. Within their limitations, mankind are the only creatures capable of creating a measure of order, and are thus in opposition to the basic concepts of entropy. It is what sets us aside. Sadly, as mankind has proven from Adam through all the ages, we have an equal capacity for accelerating the decay into chaos, and at a rate inconceivable among the other creatures of the natural world. Thus, Hammurabi wrote edicts that acted to create order. Yet mankind also created the Nuremberg Laws, that sowed discord and harm. Our consciences tell us that order is associated with what is good and right, and disorder is associated with the indefensible and with evil. This can be expanded to every level of human endeavour. Sadly, (and indirectly returning to Lady Gaga) intellectual creativeness is not always done for good; remember it took extremely creative and intellectually misguided minds to come up with Zyklon B…

It is amazing how the adjectives associated with order are so positive, and that with disorder so negative: on the one hand harmony, peace, empathy, goodwill, cooperation etc.. On the other we have discord, enmity, chaos, rancour, and the more destructive elements of greed, selfishness and hatred.

In her own small way, Lady Gaga improved (reduces) universal entropy, and therefore harmony. When Beethoven wrote his ninth, mankind improved. When Tchaikovsky wrote the  Italian Capriccio it had the effect of improving his state of mind regarding his chaotic marriage (not to mention the positive gift to the rest of us!)

The point is that everyone with a creative spirit can work for incremental and cooperative good, or equally for destructive harm. It really is an individual choice.

When it comes to South Africa we have to concede that we are collectively responsible for the good of the country. On the one hand you have the cancerous elements dumping filth in our rivers and oceans, promoting harm to our wildlife, spewing vitriol across our airwaves – in general advancing chaos. On the other, some humble people are caring for smelly flamingo chicks, fighting pollution, promoting harmony among the racial groupings, paying their taxes, and are somehow believing in a corrupted and dis-functional judicial system.

Lady Gaga won because her small project (small in the big scheme of things) made the world a better place. I salute her. Across South Africa great numbers of ordinary people are doing their small bit for our heritage – they equally deserve plaudits. Perhaps the strangest is that herein I see a dichotomy. When I see fellow citizens doing good I have the standard emotion of all those of like mind – I feel humbled. The telling attitude is on the opposite side of the spectrum; when greed reigns it is always accompanied by hubris.

Our responsibility stretches to to the physical, to the emotional, and even to the spiritual. Mankind has a biblical injunction to “replenish the earth”. I am so grateful to those who are doing that! They are the unseen hands that make our existence better and our land worthwhile.

Just recently, researchers in the UK have been investigating the social nature of birds, including feeding habits. Despite a comparatively small selection of targeted species, I believe they have conclusively proved that birds prefer feeding as a group including groupings beyond own species to feeding alone, or even compared to feeding in groups as a uniform species. This even when other birds are larger and may be able to be somewhat dominant.

The data is starting to indicate something even more interesting: birds have “friends” - a social grouping of a number of fellows with whom they not only co-exist, but become dependent. The level of social connection affects quality of life including food and condition (illnesses, parasites etc). The intriguing thing is that some birds have many friends (even bridging social groupings), and others have very few friends. One has to surmise that birds too have individual character even within a social species, and that some are extrovert, and others introvert. I believe this correlates with what one sees in caged companion birds.

Another amazing factoid: the bond between bird friends with fewer other associations (fewer friends) is stronger than the bond between the “extroverts” with many friends, and yet both personal character traits (facets) have advantages to the survival options of the individual birds. It also provides a “proof” to the age old concept of a “bush telegraph” – the birds with greater numbers of friends use these contacts to improve finding food sources. A heartwarming observation was that the bond between a breeding pair proved stronger than the feeding imperative.

Actually, the work has shown amazing commonality with human social networks including the new (rather artificial) networking system created by technologies like Facebook. Just as humans “pull together” in times of loss, birds compensate for lost friends by strengthening bonds with old friends, or establishing new friends within their network.

It appears that animals can teach us another reality too. Friendship among humans improves our health, makes better people of us, and can even increase longevity. Yet our LBJs knew that a long time ago.

Here I relate a super story from the golden age of cinema, and a celebrated glamour queen.

Yes, I confess to enjoying the cinema. It is therefore perhaps surprising that my favourite (current) actress is Anna Faris, who is usually not taken too seriously. She makes me laugh.

Yet the actress that still gets my greatest “off-cinema” attention is one Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler. She was at her acting peak during the 1940s.

Yet again I must confess – my affection is not for her acting prowess, which in todays language was a little inhibited (stodgy?), although not in the sexual sense; she was after all the first actress to simulate an orgasm on the silver screen! Neither was it her legendary beauty, where many regarded her as the “most beautiful woman in the world” (which could not have been too shabby considering she was competing in the era of Rita Hayworth and Ingrid Bergman). She lived in a manner that was larger than life, having affairs with men like JF Kennedy and Howard Hughes besides marrying (and divorcing) six times, and although she led the glittering lifestyle of a celebrity millionaress, she was arrested for shoplifting small value items. All this gave rise to memorable witticisms and quotes that live on today. (One has to make special note of her fifth divorce where she had the temerity to send a body double to the court hearing).

Yet she has a special appeal to me because she is the inventor of spread spectrum technology, so critical to communication in a bandwidth limited world (and more so to the military in the presence of hostile ECM). This I had known from my university days. What I was unaware of was the many other ideas and inventions that she spun out. These became most effective when Howard Hughes gave her access to a laboratory. Her inventions among other included a new soda drink, and a new aircraft wing design for higher speed flight (critical in the 1940s, remember the first operating jet fighter squadron only entered service in 1944, yet the sound barrier was broken in 1947). It is this latter invention that intreagued me most.

In the first place, Hedy always seemed to identify particular very significant problems and resulting needs. She knew that wing design was essential to the military effort, and probably encountered discussion on the subject during her liaison with Howard Hughes. But equally, her solutions were completely out-of-the-box thinking. Hedy turned to nature for an answer. She decided to study birds and fish, and noticed the difference in body, wing and fin design depending upon the animal characteristic speed.

Her concept integrated the wing and fin design impressions from the fastest of the animals to arrive at a very advanced wing design that could be considered a swept wing approach. It would take the allies years to realise the advantage of the design, and they really only implemented it after captured German aircraft prototypes and captured engineers were interogated/analysed. Howard Hughes surveyed Hedy’s design and proclaimed her a genius.

All the same the military would never use anything that they did not originate. In fact her spread spectrum torpedo guidance design concept was never used when needed in WW2, and first saw service with the US Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Eventually, late in life Hedy Lamarr was recognised through the Invention Convention's BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award in 1997. Then she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

This story makes me wonder if we gloss over our many “bush” experiences, and are not fully submersed in the action taking place around us. We can learn and apply so much by good observation. In December, we visited the Kruger National Park. As always the cars buzzed around looking for lions and leopards. We were alone in stopping and observing a young bateleur devouring a recently killed young impala lamb. It was mesmerising, and honestly posed more questions than we could answer. My personal view is shared by no-one! I believe the bateleur killed the impala (despite the presence of a tawny eagle offering a different viewpoint). I took the Hedy Lamarr approach and had a good look at those talons to formulate that opinion! I know Hedy Lamarr would also have enjoyed the wing design…

Here it appears to me that there are two kinds of people – those who try to protect roses from kudus, and those who grow more roses to try to sustain more kudus. I fall into the second category. In fact I love the graceful kudu, and indeed so many of our other bushveld animals. Can you image living with warthogs and kudus patrolling your front yard?

For us city-dwellers that dream is not possible. In a way, that is why we watch birds. They are our closest urban link to the wildlife that we are blessed with. And here, I share my personal imagery. Our special (daily) attraction is the pair of African grey hornbills that obviously live nearby and choose to share our feeders. I see the grey hornbill as our “urban kudu”.

These birds are amazing. They literally call us if the food is low. That sound is described by many as a “rusty gate”. I cannot agree – it is much more ethereal, and reminds me of some type of haunted whistling noise, that is difficult to describe but easy to love.

They eat like horses (rather kudus…), especially in breeding season. Naturally that is not a problem – their favourite is Elaine’s Birdgrub, and that is easily replaced. If I use the rose analogy, my belief is “put out more feeders”. I also realise that we need to remember that the African grey hornbill prefers the NON pigeon proof feeders…

There are plenty of white-eyes about; we certainly are not protecting the gene pool, and it must occur to people to question why so many caring enthusiasts take the trouble to look after these birds. Yes, we love them, but it is so gratifying in ways that are difficult to explain. But perhaps I do have an example!

Anna Netrebko went to the St Petersburg Conservatory to try to get accepted as a singer. They were lukewarm, and she was grudgingly accepted for chorus roles. She took a job as a cleaning woman at the Ballet Theatre, and was then fortuitously spotted by a director, who had previously seen her audition – he offered her a role, and the rest (as they say) is history. She became the premier coloratura of the early 21^st century. It is a great story. It is a true story. It is also a very sad story, because one has to imagine that there were 99 other janitors who did not get a break.

So what does love have to do with it? (Since one of the themes is music, I may as well quote Tina Turner – I have listened to her with great fondness since hearing “Nutbush City Limits” on LM-Radio all those years ago). Sadly, it is not self-effacing love. It is true that we receive immense pleasure from supporting these creatures, and that is what drives us to act. Yet it is love. I believe it is much easier (and still important!) to simply open a wallet, and donate to the institutions who rehabilitate. It is much harder, much better, and much more rewarding to volunteer, and sacrifice your valuable time. That sacrifice is love.

So an exhortation to support these worthy causes and save the little ones that would otherwise be lost. If you are somewhere near the Garden Route, it could be useful to join the Nature’s Valley Trust when they release penguins to the sea. That will move you.

Perhaps you should also watch a Youtube video of Anna Netrebko singing Casta Diva. That will move you too. Contemplate what we would have lost if she slipped through the "system".

A final note when reconsidering the case of Anna Netrebko. The ones with the most fetching feathers tend to get saved first. Which just goes to show that there is more than one kind of love. (Apology to Joan Armatrading).

This is the first time we have ever seen cut-throat finches as far south as Pretoria, and definitely the first time in our backyard. Our previous sightings were Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, with the most sightings in our Limpopo bushveld area. In fact the best ever was Marakele. I decided to research, and found increasing numbers of sightings in places like the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens. There even appears to have been one or two stragglers that were spotted in Johannesburg. I have to believe that this could be the effect of global warming. Similarly, grey hornbills are moving south, and I am sure in my heart that it is due to the same reason. Looking at the Birdlife International website confirms this, as they have a predictive algorithm that shows these little ones moving south. Whatever the reason we are thrilled.

The sad part is that my reference text says that these birds are “nomadic”. We really are hoping they love us enough to stay for a while.

The other obvious characteristic is just how small they are. The two seed feeders we have up are the “Perspex Seed Feeder (Metal)”, and the “Metal Bird Seed House” feeder. Both are designed to cater for smaller birds and discourage doves and pigeons by making access more difficult. In fact, in the case of the “house” feeder, the small birds are able to get inside the feeder and face less competition. It was really interesting to note that the cut-throats preferred the house feeder, where it is even more difficult for larger birds to access the seed. Even so, the disparity in size compared to the competing bishops, sparrows and weavers was really exaggerated by their close proximity (something that a feeder like this does for a small garden). We actually simultaneously had 4 species present early on.

A final comment is that these finches seem to be popular as caged birds. Isn’t it so much more fun to have them naturally appear as free creatures and spoil you?

If you are interested in the feeders we use, please look at www.naturesheart.co.za .

I have a friend who is a very good golfer and tends to get “lucky” very often. Every time he chips in from off the green, he irritates his opponents by saying “even a blind squirrel finds an acorn from time to time”.

Can blind squirrels find acorns? I am more interested in our avian friends and ask – can a blind bird find a mealworm? The little nieces are very clear on this – “Yes uncle George, they SMELL them”.

We know that sight is the primary sense by which birds find their sustenance. Hearing plays a critical role too, from the traditional bush telegraph at your feeders to the incredible audio senses of our owls. But what of smell, and what of taste? Academic sources are ambiguous on this. For the record, we at Nature’s Heart are predisposed through our own observation to believe that smell is important – at least in some birds.

Recently a customer ordered our “Orange Nectar” sachets, and told me that her birds refuse to touch the “Strawberry Nectar”, but “go crazy” for the orange variant. She lives in a drier area of the country. Anecdotally, we have noticed that in drier areas, orange flavoured nectar is more popular, but in wetter areas, strawberry nectar becomes more successful. Whether this is a valid observation or not is not very clear.

My usual “go-to” reference is “Avian Medicine: Principles and Application”. Sadly, it is rather quiet on this subject. The one snippet is:

“Olfaction is difficult to assess, because birds have a poor sense of smell… Birds with (olfactory) disfunction may exhibit an altered appetite or feeding response”. (In laymans language, if the bird has a problem with its sense of smell, it may not eat properly).

There is only a little more on a birds ability to taste, and it appears that birds have both poor taste and smell senses (on a comparative basis), but that both senses are present. What is more interesting is that a birds diet can be affected by causing a “trained response” in caged birds – it is very unlikely that this could happen in the example used of Orange v Strawberry nectar. As an aside, it emphasises how important a balanced diet is for the “companion” caged birds.

A “light bulb” moment for me was when I learned that turkey vultures use smell to locate food! I have watched turkey vultures circling. My guess is that they operate at about 100m above the ground, and they can smell carrion from that distance. Their sense of smell is so good that oil pipeline companies inject a scent that mimics carrion odour into pipelines – the birds are then used to find pipeline cracks, because they settle at those points.

Sadly, the vulture example (and others that may be selectively found), prove only that certain species of birds have a great sense of smell. Most of those we are interested in as garden birders (passerine birds) have long been considered to have the worst sense of smell of the birds. However, the ecologist Larry Clark in a 1993 experiment showed that passerine birds have similar olfactory acuity to rats and rabbits. Increasingly, recent research work seems to be showing that the physiology has resulted in incorrect interpretation of the avian sense of smell. Olfactory bulb size – where passerine birds tend to have small bulbs – has always been considered by biologists to be the measure by which the animal sense of smell is to be evaluated. In many cases there is a clear correlation (the New Zealand kiwi being one). New research leads us to suspect that the relationship does not obviously exist for passerine birds.

The jury is still very much “out”. We tend to go with the “birds have well adapted senses of smell” argument.

In our company, it is indeed the basis of the provision of odour in our nectar offering. We believe it acts as an “attractor”. Evidence shows that the nectar feeding birds are best fed by a sugar water mixture of 1:5 or 1:6 (never stronger than 1:4, but may be weakened to 1:10). Additives and colourants are discouraged, so we have taken trouble to come to an aroma solution that is perfectly safe for birds, and we are convinced that the birds are indeed attracted to the really wonderful scent.

Since we work so much on anecdotal evidence, we would be very keen to hear from the users of our product as to your experiences. Your typical geography and vegetation will also be of interest. Please email us on george@naturesheart.co.za – we would love to hear from you!

If you wish to spoil your senses, give the “Wolgalied” (from Der Zarewitsch by Franz Lehar) a listen. It tells the story of a lonely soldier overlooking the Volga River far from home. It was written in 1926.

Fast forward 16 years, and a shattered 6^th Army overlooks a hostile Volga River, lonely and far from home. The prophecy was fulfilled, and no-one even knew it was a prophecy.

Our far-fetched fantasies of 2018 may also be fulfilled in a single lifetime. Will there be forests in the Amazon? Will the organophosphates have finally bleached and destroyed every coral reef?

Or do we see a world with clean watercourses, sustainable agriculture and sustainable (decreasing) world human populations?

We concentrate on the “big” issues of the day and buzz words like “energy efficiency”. I suppose rightly so. Yet sometimes I think we should dream – and perhaps change our bad dreams and negative visions from the lonely shattered and hostile natural environment that looms before us, to a beautiful happy place. Then let us strive to make the “happy” prophecy come true.

It is true that lunatics made the nightmare of the Wolgalied come true. It is equally true that the start of a better future “liebestraum”, needs us to fire the lunatics who are presently lighting our path.

[Photo Elaine Reed: Lilian’s lovebirds Mana Pools]

And so I stand chastened. I realise that I need to contemplate, and be circumspect towards all; both lesser and greater, the shy, the spectacled, the slender and the broad. Even the dwarfs need love, not to mention the wry fellows, and I include those that come from Europe and the Egyptians. I show no gender bias, or preferential treatment for kings compared to commons. I know that I need to consider the speckled, the spotted, the striped, the flecked, the wattled, the banded and the ringed. Even the cutthroats and their hangmen are welcome and have their place.

But love like this is not possible without the support of the magnificent new range of birdfeeders and other products from Elaine’s Birding and Wildlife Products. Friends reflect, and realise that a small investment today will have an impact in the Heavens. It blesses those who give, and those who take.

Thank you Portia.

Sadly, train designers are not known for their aerodynamic skills. It was thus not surprising that the Japanese high speed rail link suffered from poor nose design. The effect was massive (a literally “shocking” result), and train entry of tunnels was restricted to below 350km/h.

Amazingly enough, the Japanese rail engineers observed the low splash of kingfisher water entry, and decided to give it a try. After experimentation they learned what decent aerodynamicists already knew, and ended up with a design that has great similarity to the shape of a kingfisher beak. (Actually modern aerodynamics also learned from birds!)

The result has been amazing; 30% air pressure reduction, 15% less electricity use in tunnel sections, and 10% increase in entry speed.

And you thought this was just a pretty face!!!

(Source Mr. Eiji Nakatsu, interviewed by Kazunori Kobayashi)

It all came back to me this week as we watched a hamerkop devour what looks like a platanna at Pilanesberg.

We have spent some time watching hamerkops hunting. To observe them standing perfectly still on a rock in a stream waiting for a passing small fish is strangely peaceful (and often a good photo opportunity).  Indeed we have seen them catch and consume many tiddlers. This was different. The hamerkop flew in from its perch about twenty metres away, and aggressively attacked the poor victim. Thereafter followed a two minute duel, as the frog was dipped in water, stabbed, dropped, recovered and had the process repeated several times, until eventually swallowed whilst still very much alive and kicking (literally).

No subtleties in the process here, and a very different approach to the revered Grey Heron. And yet it was riveting. But again, we were the only ones enthralled by this action. It seems that the other observers had no interest in a hamerkop; only a full-scale lion hunt and kill would satisfy. Actually it is quite sad, because people miss out through ignorance.

This blog goes out to people who love birds, and therefore it becomes easy for me to suggest that you look for the little things – a shrike and a grasshopper, a pied kingfisher hovering – enjoying our natural heritage is as much about the little guys as about the apex predators.

So what to feed them? The standard fare is a meal of insects of different types. However, (as the name implies), they are far happier to feed from the ground and may tend to avoid your feeders. If you have an area (typically close mown lawn) where they are frequently found, you may tempt them with a little sprinkling of the Elaine’s Birding made Bird Grub Suet Bits, with a high fat and protein mixture similar to their normal eating habits.

You will be rewarded by the presence of a perky individual with lots of attitude and not too many fears!

We very rarely see the equally beautiful cousin in our gardens – the ubiquitous but garden-shy African sacred ibis. On the other hand, our golf courses are full of them – especially near rivers, or after rain (and in standing water). The photo is from Zwartkops Golf Course after a recent rain, and gives immediate hints as to the gregarious nature of the birds.

The course is always full of hadedas, particularly on the mown fairways. The sacred ibises are also always present in lesser numbers, but stay on the river banks – until it rains. Then sacred ibises arrive through a bush telegraph (we must have had at least 200 at times in February). They are happy to mix with the hadedas, but the photo gives a clue to their differences; the sacred ibises feed in the unmown waterlogged areas.

The key difference is dietary. Whereas the sacred ibis is quite willing to eat earthworms, and indeed do share dietary requirements with the hadedas, (and are incredibly adaptable as to diet), they will generally rather eat frogs and creatures that inhabit swampy terrain. These ostensibly minor difference in diet preference results in a different prey hunting pattern. In turn their preference leads to the sacred ibis being classified as a wader.

The good news is that sacred ibis breeding is about to start. Look out for them in the wetter areas near your home!

We all had a great day in Kruger Park yesterday, and tried desperately to find a “Santa Bird” – one that had red colouration with a white chest. I couldn’t even exactly even imagine such a bird, so settled on the White Fronted Bee Eater as the best trade-off. So here he is – if you don’t like the choice as Santa, consider him Santa’s Little Helper; he certainly put us in a good mood for Christmas.

(Photographed just after departing Malelane Gate on the Afsaal road).

This year we will close from 18h00 on Thursday 14th December 2017, and re-open at 08h00 on Monday 8th January 2018.

Counting our production lead period, this means  a full month where your birds will be begging for food! To compensate we are offering bulk specials on suet over this period. Please avail yourself of the offer, and get in early! This year demand has outstripped supply on a number of items.

Due to the on-going interest in Suet Pops, we have once more extended the special into December, and have included 300g Pops. They are fun, and great for children, and you do not need to commit to a specialised feeder.

Visit our website, or contact us by telephone.

(PS: Our feeders make great Christmas gifts for young and old).

There are presently about 50 birds per human being on planet earth. This sounds like a large number, but upon analysis one has to be concerned. Bear in mind that it includes poultry being bred for slaughter and egg production. At the height of the black death, (an extreme example perhaps, but only 600 years ago), there were about 1000 birds per human being. By the end of the century, we will see about 30 birds per human being. You can project these numbers to other species. The way we are going there may be zero rhino or pangolin per human long before then.

Yet I am not convinced that there are too few birds (as a global statement, and excluding the threatened animals). There are too many humans on planet earth.

In 1996, I had the privilege of visiting Pakistan. There were less than 140 million people. My lasting impression of Karachi was a seething mass of humanity, beyond anything I had experienced before. Well, today Pakistan has 208 million people (in 20 years!) I checked the graph in Wikipedia (see attached), and it became obvious that this is not going to be arrested soon.

And now for a mind-numbing statistic; 1 out of every 15 people who has ever lived (throughout time), is alive today. That is something north of 6,5%. Worse still, the percentage is actually increasing, and gives an idea of the extent of our problem. We cannot be sustained. The earth cannot handle this. If we were elephants we would be culled. Obviously I am not really suggesting a culling programme, although I am sure we would all be able to find one or two people that we could volunteer. For that matter, I am uncomfortable with culling elephants.

The message rather is that mankind has to control reproductive growth rates and establish a suitable policy, no matter how intrusive this may appear, or how much it may grate religious and other sensitivities. Under the very best case (i.e. acting now) the human population will peak at 10 billion people in 30 years time. We will not achieve this “best” case. More likely, we could control population at 11 to 12 billion people within 70 years, and then reduce gradually. A “worst case” scenario cannot even be imagined.

For those of us who care about the environment, think of the damage we see caused by 7 billion people. Then consider the damage still to be caused by a “good” scenario of 11 to 12 billion.

The big move today is for climate management. Yet it is only a symptom. Over-fishing, GMOs etc. – these are only symptoms. In a bigger sense, even our population numbers are merely symptomatic of a bigger problem associated with our attitudes and selfishness as a race. Those of us who see and understand these symptoms need to be examples, at least to the best of our ability.

Even the non-animal named items conveyed a threat e.g. “Cactus”.

You never heard of the “Rabbit” artillery system, or the “Field mouse” mortar. Certainly, small birds did not make the cut. And yet, a few years ago I read of a small shrike in Kruger National Park killing an adult cobra that ventured too close to the nest.

But my most astonishing “brave” bird is the Plover (now Lapwing). Whilst doing a military “Camp”, I heard an anecdotal story of a Blacksmith Plover attacking the Boeing 707 for coming too close to its nest at Waterkloof Air Force Base. My own experience is of the perpetual dive-bombing at Zwartkops Golf Club for any golfer who strays off course on certain holes. Forget the Hennops River, forget the trees, this is a different kind of hazard to negotiate!

In this last week, wife Elaine went to Kruger National Park, and experienced a Wattled Plover defend turf, resulting in actually succeeding in chasing a vervet monkey away from the water hole. The reason was simple – young wattled plovers running about. It truly is amazing how the natural instinct for defence causes such small (and physically weak) animals to take such aggressive action; perhaps they are programmed to know that the best form of defence is attack.

So for the military authorities to consider – how about the Plover Armoured Fighting Vehicle? For the “traditionalists”, let us make it the “Kiewiet”.

Tragically, we are able to cause harm. Here are ten cautionaries to ensure mutual benefit:

• Beware of mycotoxins. The golden rule is that you should never provide food that has a risk of fungal contamination. Unfortunately, many of the “normal” foods we use are at risk. Examples include maize, wheat and peanuts. The toxins typically cause severe liver damage. Therefore, one should only use fresh and uncontaminated product (we certainly do!)
• Beware of water contamination. Typical causes include faecal contamination leading to bacterial growth. Bacterial contamination may cause death. The easy solution is to check water condition – preferably use running water sources. However, simple water replacement may not be sufficient; in the event of contamination, the container needs to be disinfected.
• Vary the food sources. Even “good” food sources (spinach, broccoli, potatoes, etc.) can contain harmful substances such as saponins when consumed in excessive quantity. Studies have shown that birds can become addicted to certain foodstuffs such as peanuts and sunflower seeds. This is a major problem for caged birds, and not severe for wild birds eating a supplementary diet.
• Never forget natural food sources. It is very important to garden for birds, also including insects that form part of bird diet. Remember also that feeding action (especially if not varied) is unlikely to provide the full range of animal vitamin/mineral requirement, but this problem is overcome through natural food supplementation. In short, you need garden insects, and natural grasses, and indigenous shrubs!
• Reduce bird stress! Generally, wild birds will choose to depart rather than face a stressful situation, but may be forced to accept stress in unusual situations (the Knysna fires come to mind, where footage appeared of birds acting very unusually in competing for limited food resources). You can cause stress through your actions, your pets (dogs and cats), can cause stress; one may well imagine causes. In principle, the feeders need to be in areas where escape options are available, and where some cover is provided – thus good trees/shrubs. Stress may be much worse if you keep a companion bird – watch for symptoms.
• Do not feed milk as a rule. Birds do not properly hydrolyse lactose. Normal sugar, as well as glucose and various starches are generally necessary and healthy for the birds.
• Also as a rule, avoid colourants. It is not difficult to imagine that various preservatives and other chemicals are unproven, and may also thus be harmful. They may not be, but it remains better to simply avoid them. With certainty, do not use Xylitol.
• Do not add gritty material. Not that many birds require it for digestion (as an example doves do), but those who do will get it naturally. Generally, your garden birds will de-hull seed before eating. This extends to the bird food (e.g. suet) that you use – do not buy rubbish containing cheap gritty fillers.
• Feeding needs do change with avian activities and with seasons. As an example, feed less fruit when the naturally occurring fruit ripens. During breeding, birds need protein. After trauma, a bird actually needs an increased level of nutrition, and will therefore potentially die. For the garden birder, it is apparent that common sense should prevail, and feeding adapted slightly to the season.
• Whatever else, good water is critical – to drink, at times to bath, at times to cool down. Many birds will die if they do not drink within 48hrs (although some are adapted to water deprivation). The garden birder should have a good water point ahead of any feeder! Water alone is able to attract birds if they feel safe.

The bottom line is that if one is going to feed wild birds, you should do them justice by providing a quality of food and lifestyle commensurate with the pleasure they give to you!

Today began by being woken by two Burchell’s Coucals. We often hear one, but two in perfect harmony – a rarity. They competed with each other for about 20 minutes, and they sounded as though they were no more than 30m away.

All the same, they did not get us out of bed – a quest for coffee and dogs whining for food and attention did.

But in making the coffee, there before us on the closest light pole was the definitive bird that made our morning. This Brown-Hooded Kingfisher simply sat there and stared at us, until I felt obliged to fetch the camera and write a blog.

After all, what can be better than a perfect spring morning in Africa, surrounded by the people you love, and an unrivalled natural environment? Now a nice bang up on the JSE, and rain in the afternoon to make the perfect morning into a perfect day.

A simple observation is that you will never find a bird enthusiast shooting rhinos – bird watching is incompatible with poaching. This is where the youth become so important. If we can capture a curiosity and enthusiasm for our natural heritage among schoolkids today, we can stop massive problems tomorrow. Start with your own children and the animals around you – the family dog, the lizards on your walls, your garden insects, and (needless to say), your garden birds.

Another observation is that so many birders have pet dogs they love dearly. I end this blog with a homage to a great dog loving queen. Queen Henrietta Maria reigned as consort in the mid- seventeenth century. At the time you could only be in one of 4 corners religeously; you could be Anglican, Puritan, Catholic or Presbyterian. Henrietta Maria’s only “crime” was that she was Catholic, and she has been relegated to some obscurity as a result. (Some have called her the “forgotten” queen).

But Henrietta Maria gets a nod from me because she was a noted dog lover. (She also loved visual and performing art). Her finest hour was when she darted from cover whilst under artillery bombardment and truly risked her life to save her favourite dog. It does not surprise me that history is being reviewed, and she is slowly starting to be recognised as a great woman.

A standard question is how this affects feeding. In fact, the fun is multiplied in your garden, as you observe the birds, and notice their little habits and idiosyncrasies. An observant birder will definitely notice a dropoff in the volume of your offered food being consumed at the feeder over short periods, and increases again at other times – and will adapt feeding accordingly. Obviously, we want to encourage the birds to eat the natural food (actually they need no encouragement!)

This morning we have a new visage in the mulberry tree across our street. It suddenly ripened, and is teaming with birdlife. Included were a pair of African Green Pigeons (Treron calva), that we rarely see, and the local swarm of mousebirds – an absolute pleasure to behold.

The point is, we always feed fruit. Now, we will cut back a little over the next week and be observant. It will probably be all over in the mulberry tree within 2 weeks, and then back to the proverbial “porridge and old clothes”.

(PS: A hint. If the termites start leaving a nest - typically after a rain - and bee-eaters arrive to take them as they go, you have the best entertainment of spring!)

We were still adjusting to the pleasure of the newcomers, when a familiar call rang out. The African Grey Hornbills are back!! It is going to be a great summer!

And so I sheepishly admit to keeping my own list of “favourites”. It amounts to perhaps slightly more than a dozen birds, some having already featured in my blogs.

They are all South African terrestrial dwellers. They are (generally) not scarce. They are mostly not special in their habits, although obviously all are defined by the nature of their species. But they are all beautiful, and they are all photogenic.

But I go one step further. I have a favourite among all the favourites. That bird is the crimson-breasted shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus). There is no red that competes with this bird. If anything, the flash of black enhances the striking appearance. The bird puts technology to shame, because I have somehow never seen a photograph do the colour justice. (We all try on that score, and my humble effort at capturing this stunner is attached).

If you are fortunate enough to get one of these fellows visiting your garden, you should give them a special treat of Bird Grub Suet Bits. Then settle down with your camera and tripod…

The sparrow became a symbol of hope to the concentration camp survivors, and through their insistance, the Cape Sparrow was featured in the smallest coin of the state from 1923 until (sadly) the 1c coin stopped production in 2002.

The Cape Sparrow became a symbol of hope through the Great Depression, and to every person in dire need. The spiritual message is simple – the God of the Sparrow cares for those at the bottom.

In practical terms though a physical support message is also clear, the God of the Sparrow expects help to the helpless from those who are able.

This blog celebrates our birders, who strive to do what is best for the country – the people and the environment.

The year was 1931 (depression era). A hippo (known as Huberta) had somehow decided to trek south from Northern Natal. She did 1000 miles over the next two or three years, and became a local celebrity. The newspapers buzzed with daily reports of the hippos location and antics. It was certainly better than reading the business pages of that time.

And then a farmer shot the hippo and killed her somewhere in the Eastern Cape. It caused a quite substantial stir.

The story had a small secondary impact on the magistrate (then in middle age). He deigned it necessary to hang the national flag (an old one) at half mast to honour the hippo. The result was an official written reprimand from Pretoria for discrediting the national symbol. It probably affected his career.

In short – I’m with the hippo and the magistrate.

It is topical today; after all we have recently had lions escaping from Kruger National Park. But in contemplating these things, it occurred to me that the best way to create empathy for our wild animals is to occasionally hang the national flag at half mast in Skukuza. It will definitely create some awareness for every time a rhino is poached.

And then yesterday, a new parent in the same spot (photo taken using my cell phone). We cannot tell if it is the same pairing or not. But as for Rudy and I, we will be watching out for a new crop of youngsters patrolling the 14^th fairway!

In any event, in this past week I have twice landed in a large pile of excrement just off the green. The greens are badly impacted by the droppings, but at least you can lift, clean up (including putting line) and replace. From off the green you play it as it lies. In both cases I was really lucky to get down in two shots. So what to do about this menace?

Then, three holes later, I saw two parents with five little goslings swimming just below me on the Hennops River that runs through the course. They are simply too beautiful, and my heart melted. (Sadly, no photo, because I left my cell phone on the cart). Seeing them actually made the golf better. I have decided to treat goose merde as a hazard similar to a bunker, and will try to optimise my skills from out of the ordure. I just do not like the idea of practising!