Burchell’s Coucal..In the City?

Burchell’s coucal ( Centropus burchellii )

This near endemic to Southern Africa bird prefers areas with dense vegetation and at least 600 mm of rainfall per year, such as thickets, reed beds, coastal bush, borders between woodland and grassland and land adjacent to wetlands. Now none of these areas describes where we live, we are in the city… so what is this bird doing on the lawn of my neighbours property.??? 

I’ve told you all I love to sit and watch the birds, but this had me collecting the camera… Nature at it’s best.. just when you think you are understanding it, a curve ball comes your way…

Sure he/she is collecting the snails in the garden and making a feast of them… but he/she shouldn’t be here… or so I thought….

Ok he/she did enjoy the snail… but I ask once again why are they here.?? Later another appeared, sitting higher up…. looking for danger…

and then the reason popped it’s head up for me to capture… a youngster still being fed by the parents… the darker neck is a sign of a juvenile…

Little Egret.. hallo there..

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

The Little Egret is a small white heron and is very similar Snowy Egret, in fact I don’t know how these experts tell them apart. The Snowy is slightly smaller and the yellow around the eye extends down to the beak..

The little Egret is an all white bird with a long beak and black around it’s yellow eye. It looks as though it is wearing yellow socks, which you can clearly see in my photos. It grows to approx. 55–65 cm long with an 88–106 cm wingspan.

Little Egrets eat fish, insects, amphibians, crustaceans, and reptiles. Stalking their prey in shallow water, they often run wings up or jump in the air to land near the small fish. They will also stand still and wait for their prey to venture close enough to strike.

They nest in colonies, laying 3 or more eggs and both parents are involved in raising the young that leave the nest after approx. 6 to 7 weeks.

A few Photos I’ve just captured… played “hooky” from my office and went to a bird hide I love.. got a quick 130 photos of which 60 are OK.. just shows one shouldn’t sneak off…..