Battle of the invasive aliens.

As I have written about before, I’ve despised invasive aliens since I was old enough to know about them. Be it plants, trees, birds or mammals - I have at various stages of my life been on a mission to cut, chop, shoot or poison as much of it as I can. My last venture in the Town Bush Stream, Pietermaritzburg ultimately ended in failure. One person cannot manage the volume of foliage and regrowth with machete and brush cutter alone. Given I was down stream of the horrid Ferncliffe plantation and invasive choked hillside, I knew I wasn't going to accomplish much in the long term.

Hilton may be on the top of the hill, but it is equally chocked with invasives and plantations of Eucalyptus and Pine. The primary invasive in this area is the Bugweed (Solanum mauritianum) of South America. Few properties are free of this noxious weed, even our property has small seedlings pop up on occasion. The weed creates so many tasty berries, that many birds find them absolutely irresistible - resulting in rapid spread. Whilst I keep on top of our garden easily enough, having to look at the infested vacant plot across the road from us has bugged me for quite some time. Meg helpfully suggested I do something about it, so even before lockdown was officially over, Kai and I headed over the road to start chopping and poisoning. It took a few afternoons to wade through the tall grass and a patch of American Bramble (another invasive alien), but eventually we had chopped and poisoned the entire lot. A little maintenance is all that is required to keep one more property under control.

Vacant lot - 18 May 2020

Vacant lot - 11 June 2020

Yawn, just another version of the same Lockdown... Part 12 - Ecuador

The 'relaxing' of lockdown really just meant that the mice were allowed to get off their wheels and walk around the neighbourhood for a 3 hour period. If you haven't read Nineteen Eighty Four, then you have no concept of the inference - if you have, then I think you are well to be concerned. Musings aside, the garden list has grown with some unusual sightings recently including a Bokmakierie and even a young Martial Eagle this afternoon.

To keep sane, one's mind needs to dream a little - and there are few places on the globe where dreaming about seeing a lot of birds can be satisfied quite like Ecuador. It can be an overwhelming destination, with hundreds of new species to see in just a matter of days - so take your time! With a number of feeders and photo blinds, their is plenty of scope to take your time and enjoy the varied species and their behaviour. Toucans and their smaller cousins, the Aracaris never fail to make an entrance at a fruit feeder - often bossing proceedings with a simple swoosh of their bill.

Pale-mandibled Aracari. Milpe, Ecuador

A high resolution version of this image is available on my Shutterstock page.

End of Lockdown, almost... Part 11 - South Africa

I think the vast majority of South Africans will agree that despite the curb on personal freedom, five weeks of lockdown has been a necessary restriction to try and protect our population from the impact of COVID-19. And do we have a top notch president or what - good luck to you Mr Ramaphosa, in Cyril we trust!

We have realised that with slightly better planning there is actually no need to go to the shop every few days. The work we have put into our garden is starting to show some results, as the various gardens fill in, and our new bird feeder island is slowly bringing back the vast numbers of sunbrids and weavers that we got used to before we went to India. Speaking of the bird list, we have added 11 new species during the lockdown, including the dazzling Bokmakierie and scarce Forest Buzzard only a few days ago.

In a few days time, we can finally leave the house and take a walk or cycle around the neighbourhood, something we fully intend on doing. However, I really look forward to the day that we can travel a little further, at least as far as the Drakensberg - and perhaps across the border into Lesotho. I love birding the mountains - be it the Drakensberg, Andes, Himalayas, Atlas or Alps. Being so close to us; Meg, Kai and I spend a fair amount of time in the 'berg', add some decent weather and the photographic opportunities can be stunning.

Ground Woodpecker. Giant's Castle, ukhahlamba Drakensberg National Park. 2015.

A high resolution version of this image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 10 - Cuba

For as long as most of us have been alive, Cuba has been a tantalising - but unreachable destination. Aside from the diverse birding opportunities - Cuba was to an extent a living history, a country trapped in a time bubble set in the 1950’s. In as little as six years I watched Cuba’s 1950’s automobiles diminish from the de facto form of transport to a mere sideline of tourist interest. Hotels were being erected at break-neck speed to host the impending tourism avalanche. I expected Cuba to become just another Caribbean island, practically inseparable from the rest. The legacies of Jose Marti, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and the brothers Castro quickly eroded by mass commercialism. 

At least - that is what I thought around 4 years ago. The impact of the existing US administration and the current viral infection appears to have put the brakes on this for a while longer. It is a nation of contrasts, history, great people and some awesome birds, not least of which are 4 species of exquisite quail-doves. Another place to go one day Meg!

Blue-headed Quail-Dove. Bermejas, Matanzas, Cuba