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We live in a security complex and the apartments are built around a lake. We have resident Egyptian geese and they have just hatched 9 goslings.

The problem though is the seagulls catch the small ones, so now there are only 8. Most of the time if we are lucky 4 or 5 will make it.

It is also amazing to see how territorial the Egyptian goose is. If any other Egyptian goose come to this lake he will chase it for a long time and make a heck of a noise.

Every morning we sit on our porch with and enjoy the lake. There are Guinea Fowl here too.

We also have white ducks on the lake (which I have heard are not indigenous to South Africa). This year they have not been successful in breeding at all. The last ten broods have been taken by cats or seagulls. Not one survived.

Nature conservation said they were going to remove them soon and replace them with indigenous ducks.

This year we have Hadedas and Fork-tailed drongos nesting in our garden.

Our neighbours have weavers and the one poor set of weaver parents are trying very hard to keep a baby cuckoo filled up.

When we first moved to this house, we used to have Cape Sparrows nesting on the one side of the house and House Sparrows on the other. We had doves nesting once as well. Then for a few years we had fiscal shrikes nesting in the garden and they discouraged a lot of other birds.

Well Oumie is out with her "Liewe Heksie" broom, the Rock Pigeons have new chicks The Crows are flying around the nest, so the broom is being showed to them
2 little chicks must think this human is mad

I love the little black and white Egyptian geese hatchlings and found it amazing how both parents protect the little ones I have also watched them from time to time in front of our apartment. They sometimes even "hire" a second mother to help protect. Good idea with all the predators always around

Saw the resident thickknee pair chasing a dog lat night. Wow was that hillarious. the lil dog ran for his dear K9 life. I actually saw sparks everytime his paw's hit the tar.

No things to stuff around with, these thickknees.

Growing up in SA we had a nest of Indian Minors (not sure if that’s the actual name) in our garden. Every time we went out to play they would swoop down on us. My poor dog also got attacked by them and was so scared to go out.

While the SO and i were sitting in the garden having afternoon tea a water mongoose calmly wondered through the garden, had a drink from the dogs water dish and then retraced his steps.
The dogs water dish is also an attraction to a lot of "Karoo Toads" who come to soak some moisture back into their skin every evening. Looks quite comical with all these heads sticking out of the water. The dogs just look at this and wonder inside to the other water dish -- not willing to drink that "polluted" water.

Well my "showing the crow the broom" must have helped because the new set (2nd brood) of Rock Pigeons have started their "flying" exercises They flew for the fist time on Saturday and yesterday they flew around the garden. But they are reluctant to leave the nest permanently

I want to ask a blone question ................

Does anybody have a clip of the sound a bushbaby makes. Or explain to me the sound they make.

I am convinced we have a pair living in our back yard. Never seen them, but i am convinced it sounds like them.

Others have disagreed with me. Now I wonder..........

Cheers and thanks

DVZ, it does have a series of different sounds. Also depending on which bushbaby you happen to come across. It sounds sometimes like a baby crying but most of the times it is a very shrill and loud tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk.

To lure them out place fruit on long nails nailed into a tree. You will very quickly enough find out if they are around.

At last the 2 new Rock Pigeons have flown
Wonder if the mother is going to lay more eggs
If she does it will be her 3rd little "family" she created

I wonder how many of you can boast of a resident genet. We leave on Durban's Berea - a very built up residential area and yet have a genet that regularly visits and in fact has a midden in our roof!! We have even seen it with kittens!

My best is a hedgehog in summer

Poor us
Luckily Nico has much more animals walking through the garden

My best garden sighting was a
Sparrowhawk during winter. In the city in my small garden
Sat on my shed.Was attracted by the doves and gulls fighting over bread laid out by my neighbours. Our meeting took a few seconds, but was awesome

Last summer I walked into my lounge and through the window I saw a sparrowhawk "jumping" on a blackbird on my front lawn and carrying it away. Pretty amazing sight in suburbia. Judging by the feathers I saw recently in the back garden its still around.