The Birding Blog — The Birding Blog

Golf courses are great breeding grounds for lapwings. My buddy Rudy and I were thrilled to watch a lapwing pair raise 4 very young chicks (we think from as young as 2 days old). Every time we played we saw them patrolling the 14th fairway. And every time, the chicks were larger, until they were substantially sized adolescents. Not one had been lost. After 6 or 8 weeks we saw them no more, and assumed they had all moved to new pastures. We would like to think they survived. And then yesterday, a new parent in the same spot (photo...

There are too many egyptian geece (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in South Africa, and especially on our golf courses! Attached a shot taken this week from my cell phone. There were at least 50 of them running around the green (not all visible here) – they seem to love greens. The noise and the mess was amazing. In fact greenkeepers are tearing their hair out, with no solutions in sight. I have even heard a rumour (probably too crazy to be true), that one club is giving caddies a goose each. In any event, in this past week I have twice landed...

Right now, all the garden birding “action” seems to be coming from Knysna/Plettenberg Bay after the disastrous fires. This must be at least partly due to Rozanne Fleet and her birding friends who are helping to feed wild birds in a food-deprived zone (and getting immense pleasure in the process). It made me want to write a blog about Knysna. Contemplating the birds of the area, I believe that the most famous resident must be the Knysna Lourie. But for the sheer presence of the animal, my love is for the African (Black) Oystercatcher. For unknown reasons (has the name...

When it comes to red-winged starlings, tough is the only word that comes to mind! They are disparaged by the multitude who see them as being aggressive scavengers, who bully, dominate, and terrorise everyone who comes too close. Strange behaviour for such a beautiful animal. It is true that I have been dive-bombed many times! For years, my allocated parking bay was blessed by a breeding pair right above, and I ran the gauntlet. The hostile parents were quite willing to make contact with my head (although never actually pecked or caused any damage). My response has been special respect...

Some people believe that Saint Servan was the first person to feed wild birds about 1500 years ago. We certainly know that he had a pet robin. Undoubtedly, feeding of pets and commercial birds would be much older. Bird feeders are probably a much more modern concept. We receive queries from people asking for advice on the “best” feeder. This blog tries to put the pertinent considerations into perspective. Bird feeders have two characters; the utility (an engineering function), and aesthetic quality (an artistic function). Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a brief discussion of the former...