BIRD NEWS: OWL UPDATE AND A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Owlet update

We promised to tell people about the fate of the injured owlet and his/her sibling. Well the two babies grew extremely fast with mom keeping a lookout all the while. Once they had proper feathers on their wings, they took small flights out of their oak tree to the ground. From there the one could fly up back to the tree, but the other (we presume the initially injured one) didn’t seem to be able to make it. Even with mom around we were rather anxious, especially given Osama ben Kitty’s predatorial ways, and so Chloe (the UK volunteer) and I took turns in returning him/her to the nest

And then after some days of this we saw them both on the farmhouse roof and realised that the vulnerable one was now flying too. Mom seemed to leave at this point and for about 3 weeks we had the pleasure of sightings of the youngsters on the roof and in the oak right next to the house.

Now we see them no more, but at night hear owl hootings in the oaks and like to think that they are around, and that they have made Fynbos their home.

Top left: Chloe keeping the owlet safe. Top right: Nearly adult enjoying the sun.
Bottom left: Not yet able to fly home. Bottom right: Owlets now without parents on roof.

A case of mistaken identity

Some weeks ago Abraham who tends the chickens, told me that a new batch of eggs had hatched and that one of them produced a small guinea fowl. I had a look and blow me down there was one tiny guinea fowl scurrying about after Matilde the black hen alongside 6 baby chickens. We were totally bemused as to how this happened but watched in delight as the baby chickens plus the foundling scurried about like mom taught them, scratched in the ground like mom taught them and stood patiently with them as Abraham shooed them inside the henhouse each night.

Now they are all grown and the guinea fowl (ahem chicken) behaves exactly as they do and never attempts to fly out of the enclosure to join its guinea fowl friends who are all around. The question of course arises as to whether we should pop him outside to be with his kind. We are scratching our heads over this one.