They Force Us To Appreciate Their Smallness
They are part of the smaller birds in the area. They are as big as a fist, sometimes smaller. They have the most beautiful call, and every afternoon when I water the garden, they love to play in the water. Sometimes I stand for 15 minutes watering the same spot just to see them play in the fine mist of water. I am sure they know what areas watering happens, as they always return, either to my garden or to the neighbour's.
This time, I ran to get my camera, to maybe snap a couple of photographs of these small friends. But as soon as they arrived in the garden, they left. They are incredibly active, flying from branch to branch in childlike manners.
In their smallness, they force us to appreciate their beauty. I always look at them, for way too long. Their beauty always mesmerises me. The small little white eye, hence their name: the Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens).
At coffee shops and places where they are used to humans, they will fly onto your table and eat the sugary morsels right in front of you. But in the garden, where they are still essentially "wild", they are so shy.
They never like me being near them, and this is a shame because I love to see them up close. But this is only a shame for me, as their wild status is important to them. They do not know what I want to do with my camera! If they only knew this.
But from afar, I can still appreciate their beauty, their quick and responsive movements as they jump and fly from branch to branch, and then gone! In search for new sanctuaries where they can either play in water or eat seeds.
It is never long before another call also emerges from the thicket. Always on the heels of the Cape white eyes, the southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) calls after the water running through my hosepipe. It is funny how they always appear just after the white eyes.
It is almost like the little sunbirds are attracted to the calls of the white eyes! They know when the group of Cape white eyes show up that there must be something good, so they should also investigate.
Just like the Cape white eye, the sunbird is so small, even smaller, and much quicker. It is not easy to snap some photographs of them, as they like to zoom and fly past you even quicker and more agile than the Cape white eyes.
This time around, I only managed to see a small glimpse of him, as soon as I took the first photograph, it was gone!
I am always surprised how they always return. It is like they know I will be watering the garden.
And every time that they visit the garden, I make the extra effort to appreciate them and their beauty in their smallness.
It is almost as if they force me to appreciate them!
I hope that you enjoyed these photographs with me.
For now, happy birding and keep well.
All of the writings in this post are my own, albeit inspired by the beauty and smallness of these birds. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and Tamron 300mm zoom lens.
Such beauty in the very small birds, extremely shy here as well!
Once they get used to you though, they are more trusting. Such beautiful little friends.
Had a robin-chat sit quietly close to me at sunset today, still need to check which one I am looking at as there are a couple around.
You are so lucky. They are just as shy. I have one that always visits me when I work in the compost. They love the pill bugs walking on the walls.
The few I have sighted are normally on the ground in quiet shaded areas around the garden, nice to enjoy the odd times we see them in the open.
So true. When I water the garden, they always show as well because the bugs surface. They are one of the most beautiful birds for me.
When we had a watering system setup around the garden little birds used to love flying through the spray, alas that now a thing of the past as well.
That is so cute, and sad that it is not happening any longer. I see that every single time I water the garden, the birds somehow know what I am doing. They always inspect, either to bathe or to eat the worms and bugs coming to the surface.
Over 20 years turning garden to indigenous I no longer own a hosepipe let alone watering system, some ferns or plant under cover get bucket of water sip when dry.
Pond for birds to drink or dip in also available as birds requirements high on my list of priorities.
I wish for that day! I planted mostly indigenous plants, but the ground/soil where we live is far from indigenous, I think. The ground/soil is clay, which is not ideal for fynbos, as far as I know. But it is what we make of it. I have seen tremendous growth and return of life, but I still need to water it as the summer kills even indigenous plants.
Break down the clay using bone meal, mixed with compost which has everything but the kitchen sink already. Compost all leaves raked up, kitchen peelings, egg shells crunched up, manure if farm close to you, chicken shit is excellent! Dig up hard clay before applying to aerate it, repeat every couple of years before wet season.
When I started buying massive bags of it, my dogs used go behind me licking up the bone meal, so I mixed it. This creates a protective layer at foot of plants, breaks down slowly with water, rain, dew.
Not sure that will help with Fynbos
It is funny, I think fynbos prefer dry sandy soil.
I make vast amounts of compost, and I use it more like mulch. I have never seen so many earthworms in my garden since using it, and even some of the fynbos loves the compost. I see my whole garden in relation to the compost, the compost is the life and heartbeat of the garden! Every single leave and everything from the kitchen "feeds" the compost, which then breathes live into the garden. I also get a good workout when I "turn" the compost every other day.
I should invest some money in the bonemeal, I totally forgot about that! Thank you so much.
Bonemeal 25kg bag was a reasonable price, shop around I am not sure what it is today....
I will do that as soon as my compost for this season is ready. I am sure the plants will love it. A little goes a long way or how much do you suggest I add?
I would google "applying compost to garden South Africa" as it depends on what you putting into the compost, some great ideas.
My Dad used everything from the kitchen, bought farm manure sifted it together then turned it into the soil. Around trees he would have a trench ring add some compost, top will a thin layer of soil then water daily for food to get to roots of the trees. Vegetables similar except no rings applied around plants, simply evenly spread then some grass clipping to hold moisture in.
Thank you so much. Will do it.
The older folk really knew how to grow things. I am slowly learning all of the tips and tricks on my own, as my grandparents and my parents are not into gardening. But in the 10 or so years that I have been making compost, it is amazing to see how rich the clay soil has become. Still some areas where the clay becomes rock hard in the summer, but most of the garden's soils are so rich in life, insects, worms, microbes and so on.
My Dad was an avid gardener growing up on small holding outside of Meyerton, yes tips and tricks all learned as a child working shoulder to shoulder as a family.
With the state of the economy, having homesteads or small holdings so far out of reach of most people. I would love to do it, but you need so much money to buy property and land, and so much uncertainty linked to owning it. But one can dream about it.
Government has put in too many regulations, price now is not worth downgrading if people own, hang onto it as long as you able. Generation today battle to even rent let alone own a home!
So true. Add things like medical aid, rising food and petrol prices, and things quickly become very expensive; one's whole salary just goes to pay for things to be able to stay alive, no living yet.
Busy trying to fix and repair around the home now, 'thought' my husband attended to it seven years ago! Oh Boy always something when you own a house, more I look $$ signs....
That is true. Never-ending hole in which you throw money. Always the balance between repairs and over-investing to one day sell again. Same with my parents' property; I always want to help but always the need to find the right balance between spending and cutting the loss when one day selling.
Spending is never ending owning a home on the coast, something one cannot do is ignore indefinitely it keeps adding up in the background.
It's sad that these days you do not own property to keep for generations; always consider it as an investment to sell later on. So every penny spent can become problematic for future investment.
Always keep positive, if we don't sell now it will be more comfortable knowing it is ready to go to market should my boys decide when I'm out of here, broomstick and all....
So true. One should always look at the bright side and keep positive. Family properties are wonderful places, always nice when a home sees multiple generations.
Farmers are normally the ones who manage to hold their homes within families for generations, yet they too are dwindling.
For sure, my granddad lived in a small farmer's town, and even there when the farms get so commercialized the family usually cannot care less about the farm; the children want to move to the big city. It is usually we city folk who desire to live on farms and homesteads. Strange world!
My Dad grew up on a small holding outside of Meyerton this was sold when we were very young, not his decision his brother and sister who had no children sold it off. Rest of us brought up suburban, stayed that way ever since. I could go to a small village and be totally happy if safety wasn't an issue like Himeville or Clarens.
For sure, I think that is the only problem. Security and the problem of owning land in the country (political problems).
Personal security has paramount importance of late, life is cheap here....
For sure, this is such a sad turn of events. We could use all of the potential of human life in so many different ways, but most choose the easy way out, and then life becomes as you say cheap.
Still plenty to explore, under the sea or new on land good to be alert at all times.
For sure. This is the only way to go.
Very bright green color we have in India greenish-yellow in color those white eyes. Thanks for sharing.:)
I am glad that you also have such beauty! Keep well, my friend.
Thank you.