New Visitors to the New Watering Hole in the Summer Heat

It has been a very hot summer and the bird friends have felt it I am sure. Me and my dad decided to fix up the old water fountain things that have stood empty for a while now. The "watering hole" is situated right outside from where we drink coffee in the morning. It is thus perfect to spot the birds who come by for a drink in the morning. But I also think they appreciate a new spot to drink water from! In addition, I threw out some of the seeds that I have been collecting throughout the years. (I hope secretly that they plant these seeds through my garden!) In any case, here is just a couple of shots from last week during the morning coffees.

The first visitor was a juvenile Cape robin-chat (Cossypha caffra). He or she was so skittish and scared. Luckily it stayed for a while and I could get some nice shots in. Since the first visit, it has been here quite a few times.

But is not always safe for the juvenile cape robin-chat. This is the adult male and I think this is his "territory". Many times I have seen vicious battles for this watering hole. Trying to get a nice shot of some birds, then suddenly this particular male swoops down and chases away all the other birds. What a nasty friend!

King of the territory!

Early mornings before the cape robin-chats, the Cape sparrows (Passer melanurus) make their visit. It has only been brief visits. I am not sure, but I do not think they know about this watering hole. I hope for more frequent visits once they know about it.

The ring-necked dove (Streptopelia capicola) could not wait to feast on some of the seeds I threw out. This happened just before a naughty squirrel chased the dove away. The squirrel proceeded to eat all of the seeds! Who would have guessed?

Enter the speckled pigeon (Columba guinea).

Doesn't he look like the king of the area? He brought his whole family (I couldn't get nice photographs of them). But he sat perched on top of the wall looking over the watering hole and kept an eye on his family.

Cool cat!

In the trees covering the watering hole, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) did some acrobatic tricks to get to the seeds, but they do not stay long. They rather want to visit the fig tree!

Shy and tucked away, the fiscal shrike (Lanius collaris) looks out for some insects. The watering hole doesn't contain many insects, so he just flew away before coming down.

Another shy visitor is the Cape weaver (Ploceus capensis). They also search for fruits and bigger twigs to build their nests. They also do not stay long.

I hope you enjoyed my new visitors. The watering hole is mainly for the doves really, the others are really quick visitors. Meanwhile, the squirrels steal all the seeds. We will see what will happen! In any case, all the photographs were taken with my Nikon D300 and 300mm zoom lens. Happy birding! Stay safe.