21 November 2017 – Birds and Dogs

“Stop!   A Bird of Prey!”  yelled one of us in the car.   “What bird is that?!”

“An immature Bateleur,” I said confidently.  “No way,” came the reply.  “Nothing like a bateleur.”
“Look carefully,” I instructed in my school teacher voice. “The shape of the head, the crest, the short tail, the general shape of the bird.   It’s a bateleur. My granddaughter could have told you that when she was 10!”

Much searching through the field guide ensued until finally they concurred.  Of course, it is indeed a Bateluer!

The next exciting call out was for the behaviour of a bird rather than the often seen bird itself.  Hornbills make their nests in the holes in the trunk of trees. When it is done the mother hornbill enters the nest, lays her eggs and sheds her feather and the father closes up the hole and only lets her out once the chicks are hatched.   She is completely reliant on him for food after that.  Today we saw a pair who we believe were preparing a nest. They usually inspect a site together and then begin to line it.

One of the birds whose call sounds like an engine running is the Crested Barbet.  You hear it before you see it.

We went out fairly late for our afternoon drive and enjoyed seeing some of the usual elephant, buffalo and buck.   We were cruising along the tar road to get back to camp in time when we saw a few stationary cars ahead – always a sign that something exciting has been spotted.  And sure enough there they were!  The third sighting of these creature for The Earl and me but P&T had not had the privilege yet.

The leader scurried about, marking his territory and doing some ablutions and then the whole pack got up and scurried through the bush.

No better way to end your day than with a great sighing of African Wild Dog!