Do you have a favourite bird (apart from a pet naturally)? It is not really a purist thing – after all the birds are all wonderful.
And so I sheepishly admit to keeping my own list of “favourites”. It amounts to perhaps slightly more than a dozen birds, some having already featured in my blogs.
They are all South African terrestrial dwellers. They are (generally) not scarce. They are mostly not special in their habits, although obviously all are defined by the nature of their species. But they are all beautiful, and they are all photogenic.
But I go one step further. I have a favourite among all the favourites. That bird is the crimson-breasted shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus). There is no red that competes with this bird. If anything, the flash of black enhances the striking appearance. The bird puts technology to shame, because I have somehow never seen a photograph do the colour justice. (We all try on that score, and my humble effort at capturing this stunner is attached).
If you are fortunate enough to get one of these fellows visiting your garden, you should give them a special treat of Bird Grub Suet Bits. Then settle down with your camera and tripod…
