Three little maidens from school are we…..

Many, many, maaaaannnnnyyyyy years ago, when in my first year at high school, I was shanghaied into playing a part in this Gilbert and Sullivan production of Mikado…. I was to play a maiden…

Now I have to thank my lucky stars that it was not a major part, but rather one of the young maiden chorus group… now stop that laughing… I may still need to visit a shrink in years to come…

When these three ducks or Cape teal came swimming around the corner the song came back to me as if it was yesterday…. Now I know I need psychologist….

Three little maids from school are we

Pert as a school-girl well can be

filled to the brim with girlish glee

Three little maids from school……………… hell I have a shiver going down my back….

Can you that know me, picture this body playing the part of a school girl ? Dressed in a pinafore reaching the ground…. and a bonnet six foot high (slight exaggeration) on my head and a forehead of curls that were made using curling irons ??  Didn’t think so… you don’t know how I prayed for the proverbial things to drop that my high voice would become a deep thunder……

But any way here is a few other photos of the Cape Teal…

Cape Teal.. the male whistles and the female quacks…

Cape Teal (Anas capensis)

Reading up on this bird, I burst out laughing, a description given on Wikipedia states… “This is a generally quiet species, except during mating displays. The breeding male has a clear whistle, whereas the female has a feeble "quack".”

So he whistles and hopes to find a mate, she replies with a feeble quack, hope he is not like me and is deaf, he’ll never find a mate.

This just made me laugh, to find a specie where the female has a feeble voice is most unusual.

A few photos…..

“Quack louder I can’t hear you !!!”

“Quack, quack… hey can’t you hear me you old codger !!”

“I’m getting out of here, been whistling so much, that the cows are now coming home, yet not a single quack.”

“Been quacking away yet he ignores me, old fool !!”