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African Birdlife
|January/February 2022
August sees the greatest flurry of birds at our feeders.
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To date we have recorded 53 different species in the garden, but seeing this pair of Burchell’s Coucals feeding on a suet ball, rather than preying on our nestling Laughing Doves or crushing open snails, was astonishing. GWENOLA LE GARREC-COOPER IRENE, GAUTENG
On a cold, cloudy day I was shelter-ing in the lounge when I spotted a Hamerkop at the garden pond. I grabbed my camera and sneaked outside. Voilà! A frog was caught and after a little softening up, down the hatch it went… MAGGIE MENDELSOHN PAULSHOF, JOHANNESBURG
Late one afternoon I heard a hornbill calling and after walking around the garden trying to locate the bird, I saw a pair of African Grey Hornbills in a tree. The female had a nestling in her bill and was bashing it on the branch, while the male perched nearby, watching. I managed to get a few pictures and then, very suddenly, a dove attacked the pair, driving them away. Perhaps it was the parent of the nestling taken so violently? DOUG CHARLTON OLIVEDALE, RANDBURG
This story is from the January/February 2022 edition of African Birdlife.
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