CAREN the BLUE CRANE

Hallo people, Caren Kramer here, proud resident of the Overberg.

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I live on a farm near De Hoop Nature Reserve, halfway between Bredasdorp and the Breede River. I just gotta say at the outset that Blue Cranes are helse pretty birds. Tall and elegant, it's not for nothing we've been chosen as the national bird of South Africa. It's even there in black and white in our species name, Grus paradisea. If you know your Latin, paradiseus means 'paradise', which refers to our angelic looks ... and who are we to argue?

The Xhosa people also hold us in high regard, calling us indwe, which means 'flag'. Traditionally, when warriors distinguished themselves in battle they were decorated by the chief with blue-crane feathers in a ceremony called ukundzabela. They wore our feathers sticking out of their hair and were known as men of ugaba (trouble), implying that if trouble came along, they'd be the ones to restore peace and order - sort of like armed response.

But more about me. My body is a lekker pale, blue-grey colour and I have a long, sinuous neck topped by an exquisite bulbous head. My crown is white, making it look like I'm wearing a natty beret. I use very little makeup, other than an understated pinkish lipstick on my bill to offset the grey. My long, dark wingtip feathers trail on the ground, enhancing my graceful appearance. You might think a staccato, bugling 'kkk-kk-kk-kk-krrraaak' call is at odds with my refined looks, but you'd be wrong.