Stephen Davis, Table View
It is late summer, the vlei is now a cracked, a parched dustbowl; the veld is flattened by the incessant South-Easter; and water restrictions are at their worst.
Even the fynbos is reluctant to flower and fruit due to the prolonged drought… but spare a thought for our feathered friends.
In a secluded, wind free environment we have created the ultimate “Airport” in a shady Coprosma bush.
All it takes is the following recipe:
A bird table offering seed. A 10kg bag a month is provided by a local warehouse at the price of a block of cheese.
An apple a day, split in half (the lunch bag cheapie).
Sugar water feeder, homemade – this gets filled almost once a day.
A bird bath – we can spare one to two litres a day to keep it filled.
The birds love this haven and keep us entertained and appreciative every day – “Pietie” the pin tailed wydah and his Mrs, Zorro the masked weaver, waxbills by the dozen, mousebirds, Sunbirds perched at every angle on the feeder.
A few rarities too like the Cape Batis and the Paradise Flycatcher are also drawn to this oasis.
All of these friends are still around and need a little encouragement and help… do try this at home.
