Gazing suspiciously out to sea are several Kelp Gulls. Maybe they are concerned about all the sharks at Fish Hoek.

Grubbing

The Wynberg Boys High resident African Harrier-hawk (that used to be known as a Gymnogene). This gangly bird uses its long double-jointed legs to reach into cavities and nests (especially weaver's nests) in trees. While we watched it dug out some delicious looking grubs from this old oak tree.

Living next door to penguins

Today was windy and rather hostile, but that did not deter visitors to the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony near Simon's Town. A few years ago there was not a penguin to be seen here, then just over 20 years ago they arrived in force (this is all about the collapse and movement of the sardine shoals on which these penguins have come to depend). They are now having to forage close to shore to survive and this place seemed to suit them. Sanparks have made an interesting visitors centre and walkway that allows paying visitors to walk over and around the African Penguins that go about their daily lives quite unconcerned. It is now one of the top tourist destinations in Cape Town.

The African Penguin used to be known as the Jackass Penguin because of its strange braying call.

Read this interesting article on the nearby colony of African Penguins on Robben Island.

And spare a thought for the oiled Northern Rockhopper Penguins of Nightingale Island off Tristan da Cunha. A tragedy caused by human idiocy.

This morning's tweet

This little Orange-breasted Sunbird is endemic to the Cape - and is found in the fynbos wherever there are proteas and ericas. It lives on nectar, insects and spiders. The male (seen here on the slopes of Table Mountain above Chapman's Peak Drive) has this gorgeous orange breast, whereas the female is quite ordinary - with a browny-yellow breast and otherwise just a little brown job - albeit rather a noisy one.

Two extra pairs of legs

On an empty field near our house in the middle of suburbia I spotted this Spotted Dikkop squatting in the dry grass on its thick knees - not moving away from me and the dogs. After taking the photo, I quickly moved off but later, looking at the photo, I noticed that it has two extra pairs of little legs underneath. The chicks must have been sheltering from the heat - although today is a bit cooler with a chilly southeaster wind blowing.
All our birds have been given official common names to integrate into the rest of the world and this ones new name is ''Spotted Thick-knee"- rather a silly name - I wish they had chosen the more poetic "Stone-curlew" as the official common name.

Grey skies

Grey birds and grey skies this morning. Hadedas in the dead branches at the very top of this ancient old pine tree on the edge of the rugby fields at Wynberg Boys High School.

For more skies, see Skywatch Friday.

Cricket for the birds

A wintry morning sky over the Jacques Kallis Oval at Wynberg Boy's High School. Although Kallis has been doing quite well in the 2020 World Cup in the West Indies, his innings yesterday was rather plodding, and Saeed Ajmal dismissed him for 22 runs, leaving the Proteas 56 for 3 after 10.5 overs. Pakistan went on to win by 11 runs, knocking us out of the tournament.
Perhaps cricket is better left to the hadedas after all.

Wake up call

We do occasionally hear Fish Eagles in Cape Town, but the familiar chk chk call of the African Goshawk is a common early morning sound in Constantia. The day before yesterday was rainy and stormy, but patch of clear weather brought out our resident bird. It likes to call from the tops of trees - like this tall Norfolk Pine in our garden.