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This is what we see when we stand in our garden and look into the forest.




our neighbour

On this Valentines Day I think it is appropriate to post this picture that was taken in our “gardenâ€

On most mornings, when i am home, i am lucky enough to sometimes see up to 5 Narina Trogons in the trees and taller shrubs, from my bedroom.
They have been resident in my Garden for years now, and their surreal calls, especially when misty, is a great sound to wake to.
For Forum Members who want to see them (when I am in Durban), perhaps can be arranged?

Also resident in my Garden, though not condusive to avian harmony - a Little Sparrow Hawk!
A newer resident, with a nest is a Brown Hooded KingFisher pair.
We have LS Genet cats living in a hollow tree, who then hunt in my Roof. Even eat my Dogs' food.
Thick Tail Bushbabies - which are sometimes too noisy... But then so are my Kids
Perhaps my biggest pleasure, is that 3/4 of my property borders Kranskloof Nature Reserve in Kloof KZN, and my view is of Indigenous Forest and Kloof Gorge!
Cannot see another house or neighbour!!! Except Nature!!

My garden is quite small, but the trees are large and there is a pond. Many birds visit my garden as I put out seed and fruit for them. I have so far identified 34 different species. The biggest thrill I had was two winters ago when a hamerkop stopped by every day to eat the fish in my pond. That year I had to buy 30 comets every second week to keep enough for the hamerkop! Unfortunately he hasn't been back. There are also frogs, lizards and huge parktown prawns for ibis and they visit every day.

Sometimes I see mice in the trees. I don't know where they nest. I don't use pesticides in my garden and over the past 8 years a wonderful ecosystem has developed here. The mice don't get into my house and they also eat the bird seed. My garden is full of spiders and when I go out at night I often feel their silky strands. I don't know what kind they are. They hang from the trees in the dark. There are also other spiders around.

I am very excited this morning. For two years I have been hearing black collared barbets in the area I live in and sometimes in the trees in my garden, but I have never seen them here (although I have seen them elsewhere). Yesterday I started putting out tomato with the other fruit for fruit eating birds. This morning, three black collared barbets landed in my garden to eat the tomato. Isn't that just great ! And on top of that, a few minutes ago, a green wood hoopoo also visited. I have seen them on rare occasions here, but didn't expect a visit today.

We live in Fourways which has exploded with major growth but despite that there are still a few interesting creatures turning up. Last week in our suburb we had a Grey Hornbill - they are very occassional visitors and a few weeks back friends nearby had bush babies in their garden. My garden is tiny but because I planted mostly indiginous and put out food occassionally ,we now have a bird list of 53 for the past 10 years. To get onto the list the bird has to actually land on the property. Some specials include Black headed Oriole. Blue waxbills,Greater reed warbler (common each summer) Southern Boubou ,and at least 9 nesting species including Burchells Coucal.
It's annoying to be so far from the bush but it's amazing how much is around when you are looking for it.

These hadedas are my alarm clock

@ Peterpiper .. we also stay in Fourways ...

This little guy visited us about 3 weeks ago ...



About the same time I phoned WTM one morning ... 3 Yellow Billed Kites were right outside our gate .. 2 adults and sub adult ...

But my favourite sighting in my garden this summer was the African Hoopoo ... My favourite little bird ...

Well done on the pic, I know how secretive they are and have never gotten a pic of them at home. Also been watching the kites and occassional Steppe Buzzard cruise over as they get ready to leave. End of March, listen out for European Bee eaters as well ,you can easily hear their call, often flying over very low.Only had Hoopoe once as our garden is too small.

I have to share this – Bosveldkoning and I had such a good laugh this past weekend. In our “garden” at Marloth Park we saw a warthog chasing a frog. This crazy pig was pushing the frog with his nose, when the frog jumped, the pig followed with a “jump-run”. Continued for some time before the pig lost interest.
Unfortunately we were laughing so much that we did not even think about video or photos.
This specific pig has entertained us on previous occasions by running in circles – looked as though he was chasing his own tail – got some great video of that.
.

What about “Wildlife in your HOME”
On Sunday this donkey tried his best to get into our house in Marloth.
NO, I did not feed him, but he was surely planning to check that there was nothing to eat.

The usual bird life that one finds in Jo'burg's suburbs; Loeries, Burchells Coucal, Cape Robin, Thrushes, Hadedas, Doves, Sparrows, Weavers (which tear up new palm leaves), Mousebirds (speckled and red-faced) etc... Some of the special visitiors we get every summer are Paradise Flycatchers.

They have gone back to warmer parts; I like to imagine that they spend winter in the Park.

This last summer was remarkable in that brand new summer visitors to Jo'burg spent their whole summer in the vicinity of our home...European Bee-Eaters! It was definitely new and exciting to have them in the heart of this metropolis and I had a stiff neck for the first few days after they arrived...truly beautiful birds.

We often get Grey Herons who visit the pond alone (but there is more than one) in the early morning. Regularly enjoy Rameron Pigeons in the trees and at the water and a non-indigenous but established population of Rose Ringed Parakeets (in SASOL Bird Book) frequently fly through at speed, sometimes stopping to eat seasonal berries or perch briefly and once the whole colony took up nightly residence in a neighbouring Poplar tree!

We were treated to daily sightings of Yellow Billed Kites soaring over suburbia, parks and golf courses even over the freeway. We had two visits from a Little Sparrow Hawk, it caught a Dark Capped Bulbul (new name ) on our lawn! We saw it again a few weeks later.

Probably the most surprising discovery, though not a pleasant one as it has been killing the ducks on our pond...is a GENET! Yes, Genets are starting to flourish in Jo'burg...they have adapted to life in the city and a volunteer at a local Rehabilitation centre told me that there have been many reports of them from the suburbs and a number of babies have been brought in!

Well, that's about it from me...I just need the Genet to prey on something else...

It seems that there is more wildlife in one's own garden than one realises, many people simply don't know.

jj ....

We have several CB's in our garden ... we have not fed any of them It seems they just prefer the area .. lately we also have a few BCB ...

I've watched the CB's ... even thou our neighbour behind us has a bird feeder I have never seen them feed there .. instead they are on the trees or feeding in the grass ....

What I'm trying to say .. I suppose you have to be lucky to have them in your area ...

We have recently also received a new visitor (a Burchell's Cougal) .. even thou I have not seen him I hear him every afternoon ...

I can hear the CB in the area I just hope they would come to my garden. I see a mouse is now in my sisal root so I doubt the BC's will even go back in there. I will have to put a deterent up to prevent the little guy going up the tree.
Jet

Both CB and BCB use our feeding table. The BCB prefer the fruit - especially apples. They also like bonemeal (beenmeel in Afrikaans). The CB eats about anything and also chases off anything while they busy feeding - definitly the top of the pecking order in our garden!!! I also put out soaked dogpellets and the CB seem to like that. Maybe you should try the dogpellets?