The adventure of Tiny Tim continue

(preview of the full story still being edited)


1619h (Day 2 of captivity)
Tiny Tim left the nest and disappeared in my jungle of a back garden.


We went on some errands and when we returned he was perched at the top rim of the cage, but when we returned he was gone. I did not irrigate the garden today in case I drench him. It is near impossible finding a little bird in my bushy garden. I just hope that he can hop onto low shrubs.

If Mary was not caring for him, I would have placed him in the big cage, but then she would not have been able to get to him in order to feed him.

I believe that nature have, under normal circumstances, ways of sorting out its own problems.

Tiny Tim has a dedicated mamma, so I just closed all the doors and windows of the house, giving him time to adjust to outdoor living.

I do not expect to see him again, but if I do, I shall keep you posted.

The Plum Tree 1-12-2008

1 December 2008

We have a Wild Plum Tree on the side of our driveway.

This tree draws much interest from children and indigenous people.

Young boys like to climb the tree to get to the highest fruit. The higher, the better, it seems.

Old men and women come by to sample the fruit.

Even the young girls find the fruit desirable.

Some would knock at the door and ask if they may pick the fruit.

Other think it is their right to do so.

In the eighteen years the tree has been here, we have never seen so much interest in the fruit of this tree.

Are people becoming more knowledgeable about indigenous fruit, or are they just becoming cheekier?

I guess it is more knowledgeable because they used to fish in our goldfish pond before the fence was erected. How cheeky could one get?

Posts about Wild Plum Jam

7-9-2008 Cool weather for spring

7-9-2008

Spring is in the air, in spite of the winter weather outside.

We saw lots of ducks with little ducklings swimming around in the flood-pools. We even saw a Moorhen with chicks.

The daisies are out on the field, but at Rietvlei, which is a wetlands reserve, there are hardly any daisies yet. Other indigenous flowers show a spectacular yellow carpet.

When we got back, after a short absence from home, today, we saw the ill fated Masked Weaver nest lying on the ground. The chicks are nowhere in sight. We hope they left the nest and Boytjie (male Weaver) broke the no-longer-needed nest down.

MY GARDEN 3-9-2008

The remaining Masked Weaver nest is still hanging and there seem to be life inside. The other female, the one who lost her nest in the storm, still get food for her chicks, but then hops from branch to branch with the food in her beak looking for her nest.

The Cape Weaver, who abandoned his nest building yesterday, was back briefly to put a few mote touches to his nest.

It turned out a cool but sunny day, and I notice all the daisies are out, as well as my Nasturtiums.

It is springtime again, even though it is a cold one.

My Cape Garden 2-9 2008

Today the sun is shining but it is still cold. More rain has been forecasted and there is snow on the mountains.

Yesterday in spite of the cold wet weather conditions, a cape weaver also started building his nest among the many nests of the Masked Weaver. It is amazing that they tolerate each other. I thought “Boytjie” would be more territorial.

They build their nests differently.

This morning I do not see any activity from his half built nest.

Last year our Cape Weaver got killed.

This morning our cat came from the yard licking her chops. I hope she did not develop a taste for bush-meat again.

My garden, 31-8-2008

My garden, 31-8-2008

After an early spring with the daisies appearing early and the birds breeding out of season, it seems that winter decided to complete its cycle. Spring stood back again and we just had three days of the worst winter weather we can have with rain, wind and hail. It is said that there is snow on the mountains again. In my garden I see the evidence of the cold snap.

One of the early bird nests blew out of the tree, with chicks, one week away from leaving the nest. The parents decided to peck them to death, before ripping the nest apart.

My husband climbed up the ladder to strengthen the other nest containing chicks.

It is a miracle they survived the cold spell so long.

In the back garden I see evidence of eggs that fell from nests. There are no chicks to be seen, because a stray cat visits that part of the garden.

It is early spring in Cape Town

19-08-2008

The daisies are blooming on the field behind our house. There seem to be quite a lot of them. I want to go and check on Rietvlei to see if their removal of all the trees resulted in the expected fynbos paradise.

So it is official. The fynbos regards Aug. 19 as the first day of spring this year.

My mask weaver, in our front garden, has three females in nests. This morning I heard the sound of baby birds coming from one of them.

Yes Spring starts on Aug. 19 in Cape Town from now on.

20-08-2008

My garden

One of the Weaver chicks emerged from the nest this afternoon. I saw its mother feeding it while it sat on the edge of the feeder flapping its wings. It is a nice big fat chick; we must have put enough food out. I must admit the sounds coming from the nests when it is full of chicks always spurs me on to put a bit of extra whole wheat bread out a bit more frequently. I must do this quietly; because my husband say it is not fair to spoil the birds. I just can’t help feeling motherly towards them.

Even the female looks well fed, not as thin as one would expect a bird that spent the last few weeks sitting in the nest.

It is a lovely sunny (spring-August) day here in Cape Town.

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19-08-2008

The daisies are blooming on the field behind our house. There seem to be quite a lot of them. I want to go and check on Rietvlei to see if their removal of all the trees resulted in the expected fynbos paradise.

So it is official. The fynbos regards Aug. 19 as the first day of spring this year.

My mask weaver, in our front garden, has three females in nests. This morning I heard the sound of baby birds coming from one of them.

Yes Spring starts on Aug. 19 in Cape Town from now on.

My Cape Town Garden 8 June 2008

8 June 2008

My Garden

My garden is so happy after the rain. It looks as if the plants are smiling.

It always amazes me how the sandy soil of the Cape, do not absorb the water, like when I lived in Brisbane with its clay soil.

In Brisbane one can stick anything in the soil and it will grow. Here in Cape Town new plants need much nurturing.

Rainwater just does not penetrate the sand. When I dig a few inches deep, it is pure dry sand. I loose more plants in winter than in the summer. I always think the soil is wetter than it is.

There were two dead doves in my garden this morning. I checked that the blue-green algae at the vlei are not in bloom. I believe that birds can die if they eat the toxic algae.

Well, it is not in bloom, so the only thing I can think may have caused their deaths are either that someone put snail poison in their gardens, that kid with the BB gun wounded them or they died from the cold.

My Cape Garden 2 April 08

April garden update.

It seems to be a time of regeneration in my Cape garden.

I found a shell of a bird’s egg that hatched during the night or late yesterday. I think it is a dove egg, but I am not sure. It is amazing how small they are when they hatch. On the opposite end of the garden two dove chicks that hatched on April 1 still remain near the tree where they hatched. The parents are still feeding them.

At first light this morning I saw the silhouette of two chameleons interacting. By the time I got my got my camera, they just moved away from each other. They are perfecting camouflaged. I did not know I still have chameleons in our garden.

About a year ago my neighbor removed a hedge of honeysuckle. I know there were chameleons in the hedge so the next morning I went and see if I could find any before the collectors came to remove the branches. I rescued about nine and put them in my garden.