As promised in earlier posts, I will introduce more bird life onto this blog, as I think it is completely wrong to just focus on the silly notion of “Big 5 only”. Our guests are usually much more discerning and educated than that, and they are not after a “zoo”-like experience, but after a true adventure and learning experience. And we want to show and teach about all of African wildlife, not just a few cliche animals and leave the rest as if it wasn’t interesting, beautiful or, even worse, unimportant. All animals are equally important to the eco-system, and in my eyes they are also all beautiful. There is nothing cuter than an up-close sighting of a bush baby, there is nothing more mysterious than an intense encounter with an owl at night, and there is nothing more elegant than a cheetah. And yet none of them rank highly on the average travel agency’s websites (ok, maybe the cheetahs do), but they tend to leave the strongest impressions with our guests. And none of them form part of the Big5, not even the cheetah.
So, in that spirit, here 3 birds we saw on our reserve over the last 48 hours, just to give you a glimpse of what one can spot here. By any stretch of the imagination, do not think that these are the only birds we saw, very, very far from it actually. We see a couple of dozen bird species every day, if not more, but I picked these as they are special, and Uyai managed really nice photos.
So, first off, the White Backed Vulture:
Admittedly maybe not the prettiest of all birds, but nonetheless a fascinating one, and a crucially important link in the food chain. And one that has entered the endangered list, so it is great to see them do so well on our reserve. Just 15 years ago, it was considered to be of “least concern” from a conservation point of view. Well, no more. They are in trouble now. Thank God for reserves such as ours, as they help them in a pivotal manner. You will see quite a few of these when you visit here, and it is always good fun.
Next up, the Knob Billed Duck:
OK, the photo explains the name. No further explanation is required I would say. 😉
This is a very unusual duck species, in fact it is the only member of an entire family, the Sarkidiornis. It is not easy to spot them, and they need lots of fresh water areas to do well. And with our 30+ lakes, we are a perfect place for them. Their numbers are locally declining in Africa and Asia, but they are not considered as endangered … yet. On our reserve their numbers seem to be on the up. Great news!
Finally, a very mysterious kind of bird, the Eagle Owl:
The full name is Spotted Eagle Owl, as the Eagle Owl is a Eurasian Owl, and not present in Africa.
We sometimes get lucky, and we have a sighting of these owls just a few yards away from us. It’s always a fascinating moment to observe these elegant and silent birds in their nightly pursuits.
These owls are quite large, up to 45 cm. They mate for life! Eggs take 32 days to hatch, and it takes the chicks only 7 weeks to go to being able to fly. Wow, I wish it was that quick and easy with my own offspring. 😉
In the wild they can live up to 10 years, in captivity up to 20. And they do make good pets, and they are very affectionate then. But feeding them is very complicated, as they need a very varied and odd kind of diet. Best left in the wild, I say.
I hope you enjoyed the introduction of these three birds. More will follow in the coming weeks and months.
