DAY 30: JACK ATTACK!

JACK ATTACK!

What an awesome action shot.....one can almost hear the squawks of terror as the birds frantically try to escape their predator. I wonder if they all escaped or if the fox succeeded and ended up with some lunch?

 THE SLY FOX

Sly and slippery as an eel 

His true intentions he does conceal
The sly fox never likes to be caught
For others he never has a thought.

Never turn your back on him
Or the consequences could be grim
He is as cunning as they say
And your trust he will betray.

Always keep him within your sight
Especially in the dead of night
For that is when he does his deeds
When he makes his victims bleed.

 Watch him and study him well
Where he`ll strike you never can tell
Always try to be one step ahead
Then you can sleep soundly in

Elsie`s Poetry

DAY 29: FLAMINGOS AND WIMBLEDON!

You're probably wondering what these two (flamingos & Wimbledon) have in common..........I hoped you'd ask!  I've been watching a bit of the tennis at
Wimbledon this week and then came across this picture with all the heads facing in one direction.....sufficient explanation?  Yeah, just like all the heads turning to watching the ball going to and fro across the net, and then they all go 'aaaaaah'
at exactly the same time. Hahahaha, very funny!

But the flamingos in this pic have even more in common with the crowd watching at Wimbledon - when the sun actually does get round to shining, all those lil English people turn the same colour.  Now THAT'S funny, dontcha think?

DAY 28: THE PELICAN

I absolutely ADORE pelicans - my most favourite bird!  I don't know why, except they are so big and chunky, and full of character.  I would love to see them really close up.  

We have a large number of pelicans on the West Coast, and whenever we are out, I look out for them. They have 3 favourite spots, as far as I can tell,
but a lot depends on what the weather is doing. When the south-easter is blowing they seem to congregate at Rietvlei, on the side of Table View, & we
see them when we go through to Cape Town or to the library in Milnerton.
Then, they have a favourite spot on the way to Durbanville near the quarry area (for those who know this part of the world).  After all the heavy rain we've had, the whole area was flooded, much to the delight of the pellies.  Yesterday as we turned off the N7 to take the Conterman's Kloof road to Durbanville, we found a gazillion pellies!  It was awesome to see!  So THAT'S where they got to!  

Their third favourite spot is way out past Malmesbury where there is another vlei - they are of course waterbirds, so they migrate from vlei to vlei. 

The pelican is the subject of a popular limerick, originally composed by a guy called Dixon Lanier Merritt in 1910.....several others have come up with variations since then, but this is the original - for your entertainment!

A wonderful bird is the pelican
His bill will hold more than his bellican
He can take in his beak
food enough for a week
but I'm darned if I see how the hellican!

DAY 27: SWANS & PASSENGERS

I think the swan is possibly the most elegant of all birds.  The beautiful snowy feathers and long graceful neck have created a picture that many artists have worked hard to recreate. There are logos, associations, organizations, home décor and more, all inspired by their beauty.

The adult male is called a cob. He is both a devoted father and husband. He has been known to use a blow from the “knucklebone” of his wing to defend his family. His blow is said to be strong enough to break a man’s arm!

• The Mute Swan is perhaps the noisiest of all swans having eight different sounds in its repertoire
• Swans can fly as fast as 50 to 60 miles per hour.  Some have a wing span of 10 feet.
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• A baby swan or cygnet has a grey feathered coat until it reaches about 20 pounds. Then it too will become snowy white like its parents.  A baby swan pecks at the inside of the egg for 24 hours prior to making its entrance.
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• The female swan is referred to as a pen.  Their regal beauty is one of the reasons for the swan to be considered as a royal bird in England and all swans found in the open waters belong to the crown.

• A mother swan has a sound similar to a yipping puppy, which it uses to call the young to her.
• Swans are the largest known flying bird.  They are not known to attack humans without cause, and actually can remember humans that have been kind to them
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• They dine off of aquatic vegetation, insects, tiny fish and tadpoles. Because they are able to reach far below the water’s surface, they have actually broken plants apart and left them floating on the water which enables smaller birds to find ready food.
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• Their life expectancy in a protected environment is as long as 30 years.
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• Swans are another of the many marvels created by God. 
• They have inspired art, music, literature and dance.  
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• Read more: http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/some-little-known-facts-about-swans/#ixzz2XRjRL600

DAY 26: THE HUMMINGBIRD

                                           

My cousin Bev Honeywill who lives in the USA,  put a link on my FaceBook page all about the Hummingbird.  For those interested you can see this fascinating clip by going to YouTube The Genius of Flight, The Hummingbird.

Here's a little poem I found that is very descriptive of this beautiful tiny bird:

 "The Hummingbird" by Simon Clark

Hummingbird:
Small,
Fast,
Beating wings,
Hovers,
Dashes,
Darts,
Pretty,
Clever,
True,
Cuts,
Darts,
Dashes,
Hovers,
Beating wings,
Fast,
Small:
Hummingbird.

DAY 25: PROUD PEACOCK

Peacock by Dean Crouser

Peacocks are probably the most beautiful and spectacular of all birds.  They are also very fascinating to watch, especially in mating season, as of course, the main purpose for their fabulous showy tail is to attract the birds (the female ones, of course!) What a sight it is when the display begins, accompanied by much strutting and shivering etc.  

Many years ago when our kids were quite young, we spent a holiday in Port Elizabeth.  The holiday home we stayed in faced onto a great big tree which was used by a large number of peacocks for roosting in at night.  It was most entertaining to watch them every night - you could set your watch by their punctuality - at exactly 7pm the peacock procession of at least 40 to 50 would arrive, all ages and sizes, and elegantly fly up into the branches to roost.

Oh, last point......a number of these creatures is very aptly and quaintly called A PARTY OF PEACOCKS!

DAY 24: MOMMA THE NESTBUILDER

                                                        

Do you see that focused look in her eyes?   She's on a serious mission.....nest building!

How does she know how to do it?.....The Creator equipped her with a blueprint in her brain, I guess.

Some of the things she will have to do now:

- find a suitable site near to food and water.

- somewhere safe from predators.

- gather about 350 bits of grass and twigs

- transport a few hundred beakfuls of mud

- after a few hundred trips to find all the above, line the nest with soft grass and hair.

After laying her eggs and rearing her young, she will have to pull apart the nest and start all over again because mites & lice etc. gather quickly and make an  old nest unsafe for new baby birds.

You've heard about a dog's life.....this is a bird's life!