This is our tiny Cape White Eye (Zosterops capensis) only found in South Africa!
Beautiful and very agile little birds that you will see in action in this post. This morning in a weak winter sun, they decided to visit our garden for some nectar.
Come and have a look at the athletes!
Ever eaten your lunch upside down?
Hold on! Look carefully, as there are two of them in here!
"Distribution: There are seven subspecies of Cape White-eyes. The nominate western subspecies is sometimes split as the Orange River White-eye, Zosterops pallidus, leaving the eastern races as Cape White-eye, Z. capensis . The Orange River White-eye prefers drier, more open woodland than the eastern forms, and the ranges of the two populations do not overlap. They are both endemic to South Africa."
A precarious position to judge the distance to the next flower!
"Status: The Cape White-eye is very common throughout South Africa. This species is endemic to South Africa, though, which means it only exists in that country. The Cape White-eye also depends upon a particular habitat for survival. Destroy that habitat and the bird will possibly be lost forever."
"Habitat: The preferred habitats for the Cape White-eye are forests, woodlands, savanna, grasslands and riverine areas. Yet, this species is also at home in wetlands and bushveld or scrub areas, and even in gardens.."
"General habits: This is a sociable species forming large flocks outside the breeding season, when it is generally seen in pairs. It is seldom seen as a single individual. It is partially migratory , with some seasonal movements."
Finally, I found the reason for the cold, 10C today. The highest mountain peak was dusted with snow and as usual the winds are blowing the cold down to us.
Not a very pleasant experience, but the little birds are all out and a full stomach strengthens them against the cold.
Of course apart from my camera, I also have the water gun near in case one of the house cats decides to make an appearance.
And That's All Folks!
Note: All photos are my own, unedited and cropped for uploading"
The written sections in inverted commas ("") were all taken from this: Source
Camera used: Canon Pow3ershot SX70HS
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