For the birds

Many years ago when I first met my wife, I was still a wild at heart country boy. I had grown up on farms and in the bush and was passionate about wildlife, more particularly the mammals.

At this stage I was also trying to impress my new family.

My mother-in-law was an avid bird watcher and would often point to a variety of birds in the garden, which she had identified. I would nod my head wisely (typical man speak) and say nothing, because I had no idea what the names of these birds were. I was not totally ignorant as far as birds were concerned, because I could identify the more common ones, like guinea fowl.
From my reaction and background, she assumed I was quite knowledgeable.

One day she pointed out a bird she had been trying to identify and asked if I knew what it was. "Yes," I replied, "a tweety bird."

Let's just say that amidst much laughter, I was exposed for the fraud that I was.

To make amends and brush up on my bird knowledge I went out and bought, Roberts Birds of South Africa, which in those days was the definitive guide on the birds of Southern Africa.



I have since become an avid birder, but sadly, my knowledge of bird names is still sadly lacking. My edition of "Roberts" still talks of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South West Africa (Namibia). Not only that, but in the past 26 years, many species have been reclassified - in fact 100's have been reclassified.

I was getting very rattled at Addo recently, when trying to tick off birds in a bird checklist I had just bought. I then discovered seven pages, at the back of the checklist, devoted to the new names. No wonder the real "experts" gave me strange looks when I knowledgeably pointed out certain species.
What this means is that many of the birds I have featured on my blog have new names. Just goes to show that knowledge is changing all the time. It also means that I will have to get the latest version of "Roberts" and start the learning process all over again.

This Crowned Lapwing, which up until two weeks ago I called a Crowned Plover, has made her nest in the middle of a busy car park at a factory in Uitenhage. They do that. I have put rocks around her nest, to make her more visible.