The parking lot kids - update

The parking lot kids ar just three days short of six weeks old and doing well.

Over this period, this is the first time I have managed to photograph the two chicks together - and they parted company very quickly. It must be something about the survival instinct that makes them separate from each other. On a few occassion this week I could not find them, but their colouring is so amazing that they just disapear in the grass.

It wont be long before they lose all the baby feathers and start looking more like the adults. Tgis one is already taking on that sleak appearance.

The shot below was taken on 15 December 2008, the day the eggs hatched. I thought I would put it in just to show the progress.

If you want to see the progress just click on "crowned lapwing" under labels

Nearly time to spread its wings

It is amazing how quickly these guys have grown up. It is a week since I last photographed the two parking lot crowned lapwing chicks and they are already beginning to look more like the adults.





I have enjoyed watching their progress over the past two weeks - not long now and they will be making their own way in the world.

Crowned lapwing chick

These little guys are growing up fast - I can already see a difference in this chick after a few days. I find it amazing how they survive in the harsh environment of the parking lot. It has been extremely hot in Uitenhage this week and there is no available water - I assume they make do with the dew in the morning.

If you are interested in birds, pop over to Firefly who has posted some delightful pictures of a Cape Glossy Starling feeding her young.

Avian update #2

About three weeks ago I did a post, Avian Update, on the arrival of two Crowned Lapwing chicks. For the South Africans, it is a kiewietjie.

After being away from Uitenhage for three weeks, I was delighted to see that the chicks are flourishing. The only problem is that whenever I am near enough to photograph them, the light is poor or they are running around. Also true to form the chicks do not remain together. As soon as an intruder arrives they retreat in different directions

Mother is warning me off . Come any closer she says and I will attack. They are very protective of their young.

Avian update

When I arrived at work this morning, there to greet me was a brand new Crowned Lapwing chick, or for the South Africans a Kiewietjie. It must have been newly hatched, because it was still quite unsteady on its legs. (See For the Birds posted on Friday, 12 December). It wont be winning any beauty contests.

When I came out about an hour later, a second one had arrived and by the evening the chicks were quite mobile. The only problem with the chicks is that it is impossible to photgraph them together, because as soon as anyone arrives, they split up and each one runs to a separate parent.

When I wrote about the Dikkops (Spotted Thick Knees, for the purists), in Pavement Specials on 16 November, I expressed my concern about the survival of the chick. I am happy to report that he, or she, has survived and I often see the family running about in the park at night feeding. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get an up to date picture.

The chick looks just like the adults now, only slightly smaller.

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.

Nesting Kiewietjie

This morning when walking past the Cape St Francis lighthouse I came across this Kiewietjie (Crowned Plover), sitting on her nest.


I first noticed the male and knew that there would be a female nearby, because of his behaviour, which is to lead intruders away. Plovers nest in the open and the female will sit on her eggs until the absolute last moment. They usually produce two to three young and both the male and the female will rear them.



If you get too close, she will "scream" at you and if you drive her from her nest she will attack. By the way I did not drive her from her nest and kept at a respectable distance from her.