On the Farm

Sombre Greenbul

My next learning curve regarding birds was as a result of a career move. I left Johannesburg where I had grown up and worked and moved to the Natal Midlands where I worked as a farm manager. I was employed on a 10 000Ha farm on which we grew potatoes, maize, cattle, sheep, cabbages, pastures and timber. At this stage I was still using my trusty old "Roberts" given me by the nuns, who incidentally, were now my neighbours. Here I was able to study some of the traits and habits of the birds in the area. I managed to gain access to the source of one of the largest Natal rivers and breeding pairs of Vereaux Eagle, Bearded Vulture, Blue Crane, Grey-crested Crane and Wattled Crane there. I was devasted when in my first year in that area there was a fire which swept through the valley where the Wattled Cranes were breading. Fortunately the Eagles and Vulture were out of harm's way but three Crane nests, which I knew of, were destroyed.

Black-headed Heron

On the farm there were four trout dams which I visited daily. Here I learned about various ducks, shovelers and geese, plovers, weavers and some cisticolas. I was very excited when I discovered a Maccoa Duck on one of the dams one evening, as according to my reference book, this specie was not known as far south as we were. After keeping an eye on them for a few days, I decided to contact the local branch of Birdlife who showed great interest in my find. A delegation of birders came to the farm the following day and the first sighting of a Maccoa duck that far south was recorded. The Birdlife representatives also had a keen interest in the Pipits that were on the farm and we spent an afternoon going to spots on the farm at different altitudes and discovered a myriad Pipits and Cisticolas, Grassbird, Weavers, Red and Golden Bishops and a variety of widowbirds. My interest in birds was now truly sparked and I spent the next few years making a greater mental note of the birds on the farm.

Burchell's Coucal

We created a Vulture Restaurant on a plateau high up on the farm. The farm was widespread and stretched over an altitude range between 4700ft (1440M) and 6200ft (1900M). Since we ran a total of 4000 sheep and 1800 head of cattle there was always something to drop in the 'Restaurant' and we had Cape Vulture, Bearded Vulture and the occasional Egyptian Vulture feeding off the carrion. I observed an interesting phenomenon with the vultures at the feeding place. Whenever animals were struck and killed by lightning the vultures would not eat them and even though the carcasses were left out for a few days, they remained untouched.