...as usual I was at the right place at the right time, to get this fellow on camera.
So, how's this? A white Mousebird sitting in the open on a white fence.
What you will see in here, is a mousebird (4 shots), then a Cape canary (3 shots), and finally a Peregine Falcon (4 shots).
It was a White-backed Mousebird (Colius colius), and it is rare to get them out in the open, as they always crawl out of sight into trees and bushes. But not this guy, as he was searching for food, and his call gave him away.
Look how he hung on to that plant tendril, happily singing away. The sound of the song sounded like an Elvis Presley number called; Are you lonesome tonight. It is mating season and this is a very smart operator. Lol.
Maybe he was looking for something for his nest, as he was pulling away at that tendril.
And here he tried another tendril, but he could not get it off.
This is a Cape Canary (Serinus canicollis) sitting on a bush.
I see them often on this bush, and you can see the seeds that they eat in his beak.
They have a long tune and it has a typical canary sound, so those that have canaries will know what I am talking about.
Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about this bird.
The Cape canary is a common and gregarious seed-eater. Its call is tsit-it-it, and the song is warbled goldfinch-like trills and whistles given in display flight or from a high perch.
Its habitat is fynbos, grassland and gardens, preferably in highland areas. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub. It inhabits a variety of terrestrial habitats, from forest edges to montane areas, foraging mainly on seeds in pairs or flocks.
Just a close up of him.
And finally, come and see what this Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) does with his foot on a cold day.
I should say a cold day, as the wind came in from the Atlantic Ocean, and its waters are icy cold.
Here he started to raise his foot.
He carefully folded his foot to pull it into the feathers that cover his stomach.
Very similar to us when, on a cold day, we pull our hands into our coats or pockets.
The great thing about nature, is that one will never know what one can find during a visit into nature, and that's what makes it much more exciting. But mind you, nature even comes to visit us here at our house, as you saw the mousebird up top. One just has to be ready, and I always have my camera with me when I open the door to step outside. The weather also plays a role in this, as on a dark day or a rainy day I always concentrate on the clouds.
I like variety and hardly ever post anything same old, same old. I know now you might say, yes, you always post birds and clouds, but the birds are never the same and the clouds are also never the same, and then what about the mountains and the cars, and so many other things. So, I don't let it disturb me as I only post the things that I am interested in, and so many seem to like it here on Hive.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, shalom!