Here is a bird we all instantly recognise. When not breeding, we hardly notice him because he looks very similar to the female of the species. But come breeding season, and the male Long-tailed Widowbird truly lives up to his name. His colouring changes and the tail feathers triple their length up to an extraordinary 500 cm. The longer his tail, the better his chances with the females. And this handsome show-off has 5 to 6 wives!

The Long-tailed Widowbird belongs to the same family group that includes weavers and Queleas. They are common local residents and nomads, from the Eastern Cape coast to the Highveld. Their preferred habitat is open grassland where they forage on the ground for seeds and insects. It is when they display, flying low and slow over the tall grasses, spectacular gleaming ebony tails undulating gracefully, or folded under like pouting bustles, that they grab our attention. While flying, the deep red and white on the bend of the wing is clearly seen. The whitish bill also contrasts well with the black body colouring. These birds are usually silent but while displaying, the male call is a sharp zik zik zik zik.

What a tragedy if, because of rapid land development, we should no longer experience the enchanting sight of the Long-tailed Widowbird dancing across the veld.

Then, late one afternoon last year, Gerda Swanepoel phoned me rather excitedly. Could I come to the farm and identify an unusual bird? As soon as we heard the distinctive call, a loud harsh week-week-week-week-week, it was easily identified as the male wryneck. I decided to lure him from the trees on the far side of the house by playing his call. This certainly got him going and he flew into a gum tree close by us. But he remained half-hidden, so I played his call again. The response sent us into helpless, muffled explosions of delight. Our wryneck was obviously convinced that another male had dared to trespass his territory. He launched out of cover, doing a little jig on the high branch and screamed in a temper tantrum. It was not so much a week-week as a cacophony of rage, up and down the bird musical scale! This was one of the most memorable bird sightings I have ever experienced.

We are delighted that the Red-throated Wryneck is still here and visits our garden daily. He is usually solitary or comes as a pair and is easily identified by the deep red throat and breast. He has a white and black streaked belly; greyish – brown back with a conspicuous irregular dark midline stripe; and greenish – grey bill and legs.

This tiny little Smithfield garden visitor was rescued, none the worse for wear, out of the jaws of certain feline death.

The Fairy Flycatcher breeds mostly in the Karoo and Lesotho Highlands, but in winter tends to migrate to the lower regions and is found over a wide range from the Western Cape to Zimbabwe and Maputo. Except when breeding, it is usually solitary and its habitat can vary from grasslands and thornbush to exotic plantations, and gardens. While breeding, it prefers karoo scrub and bushy hillsides where the female quickly builds a small cup-shaped nest sometimes as low as 20 cm above the ground, well camouflaged amongst fallen branches and drifted debris.

Only 12 cm long and weighing 9 grams at most, this restless little forager feeds on small insects it finds on leaves and twigs. It has a habit of drooping its wings and flirting its tail. Although it might be confused with a Batis, the Fairy Flycatcher’s tail is longer. In colouring, the tail is black edged and tipped with white, the body is blue-grey above with a black facemask, white eyebrows, black wings with a conspicuous white stripe, soft blue-grey breast, white underparts, and tinged salmon pink on the throat and upper belly. The narrow bill, legs and feet are black.

The call of such a tiny bird – as can be expected – is a thin, squeaky tsee-tsi-zee tseepy-tsweeu, tseepy-zzzzz, something like a Sunbird, or a sibilant kisskisskiss.

Although quite common, the Fairy Flycatcher is difficult to photograph because it is constantly flitting around. In the photo above however, as the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Even though it is considered abundant and widespread, of all the starlings, this one seems to create the most excitement and interest when seen in our area.

The Wattled Starling’s most unusual feature is of course, the facial wattles, which are only present when the bird is breeding. It is smallish – about the size of a Laughing Dove – and is ashy grey in colour, with a white rump and black wings and tail. The beak is pink and the black wattles show very clearly against the forehead and throat.  Also conspicuous is the bright yellow colouring around the eyes, and also the hindcrown of the breeding male.

These birds are highly gregarious at all times and roost in trees in flocks of hundreds or even thousands. They often join with flocks of Pied Starlings. Their song is a merry mix-up of high-pitched squeaks; tsip-tsip, tseep, tseee, tseep-tseep. But when alarmed, the call is a harsh graaah, similar to a crow.

Wattled Starlings seldom stay in one place for long, usually following the food supply. Their most common habitats are the Karoo, open woodland, grassland, farmland, and occasionally gardens. They are omnivorous as their diet includes insects, offal, fruit, and the nectar of flowering trees and aloes. The Wattleld Starling is another excellent example of the synergistic interaction between birds and animals as they perch on the backs of sheep to catch insects disturbed by the grazers.

Since they appear and disappear so erratically, it is quite an event to spot any of these unique starlings in and around Smithfield.

Perched on the roof with the moon in the background, this Laughing dove and Redwinged starlings observe the surroundings.

It is a medium size bird, with an orange bill and dull yellow legs. The white plumage stands out clearly in both summer and winter landscapes, when the birds crowd amongst the grazing herds, and often perch on their backs. Despite its nickname, the “Tick Bird”, it actually eats very few ticks. Mostly, it feeds on insects and other life disturbed either by the animals, or the farmer’s plough; grasshoppers, caterpillars, earthworms, spiders, scorpions, also frogs, lizards, and nestling birds. In fact its Latin name means “one who ploughs with oxen.”

In the evenings these egrets usually gather around dams or pans to drink before taking off in a V-formation to roost. Large flocks settle in trees or reeds where they set up quite a clamour with their harsh rik-rak kraa and deep thonk-thonk-thonk calls.

The Cattle Egret is as much an icon of our country as the springbok, and it would be a very sad day if we no longer saw them wandering amongst their four-footed friends.

You cannot miss this bold, debonair little bird with the slightly crested black head and bright orange-red ring around his eyes.

The African Red-eyed Bulbul is a common sight in our garden, usually in pairs. You won’t find them much on the ground but leave a piece of fruit or cheese on a feeding tray and they make short work of it. They love water and while drinking you can easily see the black bill and feet, and how the breast feathers shade down from black to white on the belly, and the lemony yellow undertail.

Their nests are like neat cups of grass built in the fork of a tree and they prefer to forage in trees, often hanging sideways or upside down.

Red-eyed Bulbuls are quite tame and very noisy, calling from the top of the tree while they flick their wings and tails. Their song is a cheerful mixture of tillop, peep, peep, tiddlypop, but the alarm call is a piercing chirrik, chirrik, chirrik.

Guard your fruit when the Red Eyed Bulbul  appears!