Birds sometimes choose unusual places to live. One of these places is on the famous South African Coral Reef near Johannesburg. It's just a few miles from the country's largest international airport and the jets fly high. It is in a very busy industrial area and almost surrounded by factories.
This area doesn't really look like a bird spot, does it? But for these reasons, there are no cats, no children with slings, no men with guns. And there are many features that birds love: a lawn, lots of shrubs and flowers, and a beautiful pond with lilies. In addition, large poplar trees and a number of tall, hardy acacias provide pleasant resting places and nests for the local feather population.
In the beginning
Let me introduce you to some of our colorful winged friends. Meet Willie the Weaver, a handsome boy! The head, chest and lower body are light yellow in color and their fur is greenish yellow with brown stripes. Willie wears an awesome black mask on his face. In fact, he's officially known as the Mask Weaver, a species of finch. And what a happy character! He sings his warm and lively music most of the day.
Then we have our bookmakers, a sort of scream. But they are very different from ordinary calls or birds of prey. They have a pale yellow chest and lower back with a greenish brown back and wings. They wear an elegant black "bow tie" around the neck. From their necks emerge the most melodic tones and the various conversations. In fact, bookmakers are known for their singing couples. Sing a short phrase and it will come back with another. Your beautiful songs can make the early morning a little easier.
Doves and pigeons are very common in South Africa.They incredible gentleness and service is typical and wonderful. We truly appreciate their presence. The smiling pigeons with their adorable looks and their sweet and cool "Cooroocoo-Co-Coo-Coo" are particularly attractive. Very relaxing indeed!
The People,while most of them,are highly regarded by the Cape Wagtail with its elegant black and white plumage pattern.Appreciated are their happy pipe and their sweet Canarian song. They are pretty little birds who have been with us for many years. Of course, there are also aggressive house birds here, which chirp vividly in the early bird chorus.
Poor Willie!
Do these feathered friends really nest and raise families here? Do they?. But first listen to the sad story of Willie's weaving. It is interesting to note that the male of this species builds the nest. And it is a beautiful nest! Using hard grass, tie or throw two or three sticks together. Then teak a compact round frame with the opening below. To enter, the birds must do acrobatics to land and descend at the entrance.
Now that the nest is ready, the crucial moment arrives. The future Mrs. Weaver is invited to make an inspection. The main reason a masked weaver turns down a nest, according to a South African bird expert, is that he is not ready to lay. If you accept, there will soon be eggs and babies to feed. What an interesting sight a colony of these round grass nests! There they sway gently in the wind, and busy parents come and go.
Willie, however, was a pioneer in trying to start a new colony. It was fascinating to see how he built his first nest. Then came the big moment of inspection. Have compassion! After a short visit, his girlfriend flew away. Poor Willie! According to the species' usual behavior, he dismantled the entire nest piece by piece. He was very quiet for the next two days. But it was optimism and he tried again. Another mistake!
Willie built nest after nest at least seven times during his first season. When a woman came to examine her beak, Willie was just a nervous wreck! While the lady took the test in a cool and professional way, she flew from branch to branch or perch that fluttered its wings, not knowing how to behave.
During his second season, Willie has already made several failed attempts. There is still no colony of weaving birds. Poor Willie must believe that women are difficult creatures! However, it provides significant entertainment for betel workers who live near the designated place of residence.
The bookmakers secretly made nests and fed their children in a dense hedge near the lake. Sometimes pigeons are seen in the garden. They look so cute and docile and only fly when you get close. Sparrows generally make their messy nests in the beams of the front power poles, unaffected by noisy traffic below. It is a sight to see them feeding their birds in the grass. With pampered air, the young people pat helplessly and wait for mom and dad to bite their mouths.
Birds also love this environment. We are happy to have them with us.