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MOMENTS OF QUIET JOY

My life is lit up by moments of quiet joy that come upon me quite unexpectedly and create a balance against any out-of-kilter feelings I might be experiencing. A few recent examples include:

  • A friend becoming a grandmother for the first time.
  • Receiving a picture of my youngest grandchildren getting ready for another year of school.
  • Spotting a pair of Cardinal Woodpeckers on a branch above where I was sitting.
  • Seeing a Burchell’s Coucal flying silently past me.

  • Listening to the happy-sounding chuckles of African Green Pigeons early in the morning.
  • Receiving phonecalls from my family.
  • Sometimes, being brought tea in bed.
  • Inviting a friend to play Scrabble.
  • Finding the draft of a story penned a while ago and realising that it is ‘not too bad’.

Such joyful moments lift my spirits and remind me of the gift that each new day is.

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RED HARTEBEEST VIII

I only numbered my second post on Red Hartebeest, but see that these delightful animals have featured on my blog seven times before this! I cannot resist posting about them again.

While they are described by some as being ungainly looking animals, to see their shiny reddish-brown coats with the distinctive white rump glowing in the sun makes one realise that the Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) is actually rather attractive. for their coats are a shiny reddish brown, with a distinctive white rump. The dark patches running from the front of their shoulders to the front of their forelegs tend to look like shadows. Look at this pair with their mouths stuffed with food.

This one looked up at me just as it had pulled up some grass to eat. The length and narrow width of the muzzle of the Red Hartebeest make them selective feeders, preferring grass of medium-height.

This is the time of the year when many youngsters are born. It was great fun seeing these twins lying next to the road, nibbling at the grass on the verge. They got up at our approach to stand next to their mother.

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AQUA

Some colour is required on this blog, so why not start at the very beginning and start with A for aqua. Here is an aqua sky with two donkeys on the foreground, grazing on a little island of grass at the end of our street.

I would also like to share with you this lovely drawing of a Lilac-breasted Roller given to me by my granddaughter, Ceridwen.

Then there are the Agapanthus, which are indigenous to this part of the world.

An aqua pullover in front of which the wearer is making Cat’s Cradle shapes.

Our swimming pool in the garden.

Lastly, spot the aqua on a Scrabble board!

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PARTS OF A FEATHER

Having written about birds preening yesterday, I walked around our garden early this morning looking for feathers that have dropped to the ground. This might occur as a result of a feather becoming worn or damaged so that it can no longer be smoothed into place. When this occurs, that feather will begin growing back immediately.

It is useful to know that feathers are made of keratin, as are our hair and fingernails. There are different parts to a feather and – although I couldn’t find a variety in our garden – different types of feathers, such as those shaped for the tail, wings, and breast of the birds, each fulfilling a different function. If we look at the complete feather below, we can see the main parts that make it up.

Basically, a feather is made up of a calamus (which could also be called a quill – hence quill pens), which is the hollow portion of the shaft that anchors the feather in the skin of the bird. The shaft (or rachis) is the solid, slender central part of the feather which tapers to a fine point at the tip of the feather. The vane is the plumed part of the feather that grows from this central shaft. Then there is the downy bit called the afterfeather. Here is a closer look.

You can clearly see the hollow portion of the shaft, the downy, lower barbs of the afterfeather, the solid rachis, and the vane – the plumed part of the feather that grows from the central shaft. What is really interesting about the structure of feathers – a lot to do with the preening process – is that the vane is made up of tiny structures called barbs. They are tightly packed together and each barb contains small ‘hooks’ called barbules that interlock with each other. Those lower, downy barbs lack barbicels because they are used for warm and are not needed for flight. The next time you find a feather lying on the ground, take a closer look at it. You might be surprised.

https://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2010/07/02/anatomy-parts-of-a-feather/

 

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PREENING II

I have posted several times about the importance of preening so that the feathers of birds can be kept smooth and aerodynamic. Maintaining their feathers helps birds to keep warm and dry. These Cattle Egrets have gathered on the edge of a dam to preen by gently pulling each feather through its beak.

A pair of Grey Herons are doing the same. Like many birds, they have a preen gland at the base of the tail, the uropygial gland, which produces an oily substance which the bird distributes through its feathers by moving its beak along the full length of each feather.

This pair of Egyptian Geese spent some time smoothing the surface of their feathers. The action of preening helps to clear parasites (such as mites or lice) and debris out of the feathers.

This Blacksmith Lapwing opted to have a good bathe in a puddle before it set about realigning its feathers to improve its aerodynamic performance.

Lastly, here is an unidentified raptor which perched on a branch for a while, seemingly observing its environment. Every now and then though it would set about tugging at its feathers.