Indian Hawthorn

Tags

bees, birds, bonsai, Butterflies, Flowers, Indian Hawthorn, plants, Raphiolepis, shrub

Indian Hawthorn
Raphiolepis

Indian Hawthorn is a hardy sun-loving shrub which is in flower now. It is grown for it’s popular pink flowers and used extensively in Bonsai culture.

It is often trimmed to create hedges, or ball standards. It is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds

Southern Boubou – Bush Shrike

Tags

birds, Bush Shrike, Southern Boubou

Mr and Mrs Boubou

feeding on the fat and bread

Mr Boubou prefers to dunk his bread in the water

Unlike the true shrikes, which perch conspicuously in the open, the Southern Boubou prefers to forage in dense vegetation close to the ground, a habit which has led to its being called shy and skulking. The food is mainly insects, taken from the ground or picked off vegetation as the bird creeps low in bushes. It will also take small rodents, lizards snailsand fruits.

The Southern Boubou has a duetted call, with a ooo-whee-ooo, followed by a whistled ooo-ooo-wheee or wheee-wheee followed by ooo-whee-ooo.

Southern Boubou

 

Fun on Friday with the Penguins

Tags

African Penguin, birds, Boulders Beach, Cape Town, nature, Simon's Town

guarding the nest

The youngsters tire me out

The Guards

Ohh I think the egg has just hatched

The Boulders Colony

In 1983 a pair of African penguins were spotted on Foxy Beach at Boulders and in 1985 they began to lay. Since then the colony has grown rapidly, increasing initially at about 60% a year. By 1997 there were 2350 adult birds. Such a quick growth of the colony was the result of immigration, particularly from Dyer Island, as well as by reproduction. Birds have probably come to False Bay because of the good fishing available since commercial purse seine fishing has been banned in the Bay. Although Simon’s Town is very proud of its penguins, nearby residents suffered badly as the birds invaded their gardens, destroyed the undergrowth and were generally very noisy and messy. The great increase in tourists has also been a problem. As a result, the area has now been taken over by Cape Peninsula National Park, the birds have been restrained from wandering inland by a fence, board walks and an information room have all been established. Boulders still remains the only place in the world where one can actually swim amongst the penguins as they have continued to invade more beaches. They are remarkably untroubled by people but one should avoid harassing them by getting too close or chasing them. Beware!! They have a vicious bite.

Volunteer in the garden

Tags

African Rock Pigeon, birds, environment, nature

African Rock Pigeon

 

Southern Double Collared Sunbird

Tags

birds, Cinnyris chalybeus, environment, nature, Southern Double Collared Sunbird

Southern Double Collared Sunbird

The Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus)  is usually seen singly or in small groups. Its flight is fast and direct on short wings. It lives mainly on nectar from flowers, but takes some fruit, and, especially when feeding young, insects and spiders. It can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perches to feed most of the time.

The call is a hard chee-chee, and the song is high pitched jumble of tinkling notes, rising and falling in pitch and tempo for 3–5 seconds or more.

Source :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Double-collared_Sunbird

Home made bird water feeder #nature #recycle

Tags

750ml bottle, birds, copper elbow, environment, food, garden, nature, orange, recycle, red food coloring, sugar solution, sun birds, sweet sugar solution, water, water feeder, wire coat hanger

These little Orange Breasted Sun-birds wait eagerly every morning for me to fill up the bottle with a very sweet sugar solution, colored with a little red food coloring.

Such a beautiful sight in any garden!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-breasted_Sunbird

To make the water feeder you will need :

an empty 750 ml bottle (preferably not round),wire coat hanger, a twig for a perch, epoxy and a copper elbow.

O B

Tags

Animalia, Biology, birds, Erica, Flora and Fauna, fynbos, Orange breasted Sunbird, South Africa, Species

Every early Summer these little Orange Breasted Sunbirds come down from the Mountain to find easier foraging in suburban gardens.

Obviously due to its restricted range within fynbos this sunbird is associated with Ericas, from which it takes nectar, insects (often taken in flight) and spiders. It breeds when the heath flowers, typically in May. The male defends its territory aggressively, attacking and chasing intruders.

This tame species is a common breeder across its limited range, and is an altitudinal migrant, moving to higher altitudes during the southern summer in search of flowers. It is gregarious when not breeding, forming flocks of up to 100 birds.

Related articles

• White-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris talatala) (sonelcorner.wordpress.com)
• Fynbos: Natural Vegetation in the Western Cape (deeproets.wordpress.com)
• Home made bird water feeder 

The forest Lily

Tags

birds, black seeds, bulbs, Flowers, Forest, Forest Lily, lily flowers, plants, South African endemic plant, Velthemia

The forest Lily  (Veltheimia bracteata)  is a beautiful semi- deciduous bulb. A friend of mine refers to them as shade Red Hot pokers.

Veltheimia bracteata is winter-growing, the leaves dying back in summer, and the new leaves appearing in late-summer to autumn, after a short period of dormancy. In frost-free regions that have rainfall throughout the year, Veltheimia bracteata is almost evergreen. The flowers are bird pollinated, and will thus attract birds to the garden. The pear-shaped, ±6 mm long black seeds are produced in large, membranous, inflated capsules which are ready for harvesting when the capsules are dry and papery, usually during mid-summer.  The forest lily flowers during late winter to spring (July to October) and each flower-head lasts about a month

Veltheimia bracteata can be found growing wild in the forests and coastal scrub of the Eastern Cape.

This plant makes an excellent pot plant for a shady patio, conservatory or a window sill and is suitable for indoor cultivation in bright light but not in direct sun

Sugarbush and the God Proteus

Tags

beautiful flowers, birds, cape gardens, flowering plants, Flowers, garden, gardening, God Proteus, greek god, nature, nectar, plants, protea, proteas, South African endemic plant, sugarbird, Sugarbush, sunbird, sweet nectar

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: suikerbos).

These beautiful flowers are budding at the moment on the mountain and in the Cape gardens, creating a long lasting cheery Winter display.

Proteas were named after the Greek God Proteus, whom Homer called “The Old Man of the Sea”

Sugar birds and Sunbirds feed off the sweet nectar, and considered significant pollinators of the genus.

 

Home made bird water feeder #nature #recycle

Tags

750ml bottle, birds, copper elbow, environment, food, garden, nature, recycle, sugar solution, sun birds, water, water feeder, wire coat hanger

These little Orange Breasted Sun-birds wait eagerly every morning for me to fill up the bottle with a very sweet sugar solution, colored with a little red food coloring.

Such a beautiful sight in any garden!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-breasted_Sunbird

To make the water feeder you will need :

an empty 750ml bottle (preferably not round),wire coat hanger, a twig for a perch, epoxy and a copper elbow.