Wilkinson's World

Archive for March, 2010

Bird of the week – Week 13 : Great egret

March 28th, 2010 |

Author: Rob |

Posted in Bird of the week, Birding |

The Great egret is the largest of the white egrets. At almost a metre in length and with a wingspan of up to 1.3 metres, it is almost as large as the more familiar Grey heron. Apart from its size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by the combination of its yellow bill and black legs and feet. When in its breeding plumage, ornamental plumes are present on its shoulders. Males and females are identical in plumage and size. Although regarded as “uncommon”, the Great egret has a very wide distribution and is to be found in many parts of the world.

It flies with relatively slow wing-beats and with its neck retracted, in the manner of all herons and egrets.

The snow-white feathers of the Great egret are beautiful, and this led the bird close to extinction in the second half of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. Fashion during those decades demanded that ladies’ hats be festooned with feathers, and it was the feathers of the Great egret that were amongst the most coveted. It is said that upwards of 300 Great egrets were slaughtered to produce just one kilogram of feathers, and that these feathers could be sold for twice the value of the same weight of gold.

It is from these valuable feathers, and especially the plumes of the breeding birds, called “aigrette” in French, that the egret derives its name. The egrets and the herons belong to the same family, with the white birds generally being referred to as egrets and the coloured birds as herons.

The Great egrets inhabit all types of wetlands, both inland and along the coast, generally feeding in shallow water, mainly on fish and frogs, which they spear with their long, sharp bills. Commonly they will stand motionless, waiting for likely prey to come within striking distance, when they will stab forward and impale the victim on their bill. When in drier areas they feed on small mammals, grasshoppers and other insects.

The call of the Great egret is a raucous “croak-croak” which is often uttered while in flight.

The birds are usually shy and solitary, although the same couples are thought to re-unite to mate during the breeding season. The nests are platforms of sticks and twigs, with a lining of finer material, often near water and may be located in heronries with other varieties of herons. The female usually lays two to three eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 26 days.

The scientific name of the Great egret, has changed several times (as has its common name!) and is presently Egretta alba; egretta from the French “aigrette” meaning a tuft or crest, which was later adopted as the name for an egret or a little heron; and “alba” being the Latin for white. Thus a white egret or heron. All quite sensible, really.

Tags: "aigrette", Egretta alba, Great egret, Grey heron, heronries, white egret |

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Only in Africa

March 24th, 2010 |

Author: Jane |

Posted in General |

There are some pretty elaborate irrigation schemes out in the world today, but we came across a rather ingenious and typically African one on a visit to a farm in Namibia recently.

Namibians never take rain or water for granted, so when it comes to watering their vegetables without any wastage, they ‘make a plan.’

Check out this system of canals using wine bottles.

The wine bottles are removed or placed to restrict the flow to a given area. Not only can the side channels be blocked by a wine bottle, but the centre makes provision for that as well, allowing the water to go only as far as they want it to.

And of course the best part of all is that they get to polish off all those bottles of wine. How’s that for smart!!!

Talking of wine – the whole world knows that the soccer World Cup will be held in South Africa this year. To commemorate this Nederberg have brought out a special gift pack – Rob was fortunate enough to be given one by a colleague visiting him from South Africa.

And now the big dilemma …. do we drink the wine or save it as a collector’s item? Decisions, decisions!!!

Cheers!

Tags: 2010, canals, gift pack, irrigation scheme, Nederberg, soccer World Cup |

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Bird of the week – Week 12 : Verreaux’s eagle

March 21st, 2010 |

Author: Rob |

Posted in Bird of the week, Birding |

Visit any part of Southern Africa blessed with mountainous terrain or rocky hills and gorges inhabited by dassies (or hyraxes) at a time when the thermals are rising and there is a good chance that you will see a pair of large black birds soaring to great heights. With wings narrow at the base and broader at the distal end, with white windows in the primaries; and with a broad white Y-pattern visible on its back as it wheels, this is the majestic Verreaux’s eagle.

With a length greater than 80 cm and a wingspan approaching two metres, the Verreaux’s eagle (formally called the Black eagle) is a formidable bird. The sexes are alike in plumage, although the female is a little bigger than the male and has more white on its back. They feed mainly on dassies but may also take hares, monkeys, squirrels and other mammals, as well as a variety of birds such as guineafowls, korhaans and doves. They have been known to carry tortoises aloft and drop them to break open their shells and rarely they will dine on domestic stock like lambs and chickens.

Verreaux’s mate for life and will usually be seen in pairs. They are highly territorial and, like many other territorial species, the size of their territory will often correlate inversely with the food supply; in this case dassies. They hunt by surprising their prey in a fast stoop, but may also hunt from a perch. They are most active at dawn and at dusk and will often spend the hotter part of the day in the shade.

Their nest is a platform of sticks up to two metres in diameter with a bowl 30-40 cm deep lined with leaves, usually located on a cliff ledge rather than in a tree. The same nest may be used for many years. The clutch is usually of two creamy-white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 45 days.

These graceful hunters are mostly quiet, but may utter a variety of mewing and whistling calls.

The scientific name for the Verreaux’s eagle is Aquila verreauxii; aquila from the Latin for an eagle and verreauxi honouring Jules Verreaux (1807-1873) and perhaps also his brother Édouard Verreaux (1810-1868). Thus Verreaux’s eagle, which makes sense.

Tags: Aquila verreauxii;, dassies, hyraxes, Verreaux's eagle |

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Mysterious Crystal Skulls

March 17th, 2010 |

Author: Jane |

Posted in Meditation |

At about the same time that I was learning to do Reiki healing, I came across a book called “The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls” by Chris Morton and Ceri Louse Thomas. I was fascinated with the subject matter of the book, which outlined the power of crystals and the mystery and controversy surrounding the crystal skulls that have surfaced in various places around the world.

Little did I know that the book would have me ordering a modern crystal skull for myself and sending me on a quest to see a life-size one for myself. These intricately carved crystal skulls, although macabre in looks, have amazing energy and my own little moonstone skull, which fits neatly into my hand, is now an integral part of my meditation practice.

According to ancient native tribes, crystal skulls have healing and prophetic properties that could reveal the mysteries of creation and the future of the world. No-one knows where they came from or who made them, but at a time when the world is focusing on the imminent approach of the year 2012, legend has it that if thirteen sacred skulls are reunited they could prevent catastrophes predicted for this time. Crystal skulls have connections with both the Mayans and the Aztecs (and possibly Peruvians) and are hallowed by the native tribes who act as their guardians.

On a visit to England in 2008 I was lucky enough to be able to visit the British Museum where there is a magnificent specimen on display.

Unfortunately this skull has been found to be a fake in that it was proved to be a modern production, unlike others that were found in Mexico and Central America, which are thought to be over one hundred years old and some that are classified as ancient – having been created between 1500-2000 years ago.

With no visible tool marks to indicate how they were made, ancient tribes claim that they were either brought to earth by supernatural beings, left over from long lost civilizations (like Atlantis or Lemuria) or made with some technology that is unknown to us.

Crystal skulls first made their appearance towards the end of the 19th century and both the French Museum and the Museum of Man in London each had one on display at the time. They were acquired from Soldiers of Fortune – when the French occupied Mexico – who obtained them from sites around the country. Apart from those found in museums today, many private individuals and native tribes have old and ancient skulls.

In 2008 Harrison Ford acted in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, in which the skull was portrayed as exhibiting paranormal phenomena. If it did nothing else, perhaps it also made folk more aware of these incredible objects.

A short article like this cannot possibly do justice to a subject as vast as this, but I hope that I have whetted your appetite to do more research on the skulls. There is a wealth of information to be found on them on the internet and I highly recommend the book “The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls” that I mentioned earlier. And if you’d like a skull of your own, there are thousands that have been carved in the past decade for the modern market.

Tags: 2012, Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas, crystal skulls, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, prophetic properties, The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls |

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Bird of the week – Week 11 : Lilac-breasted roller

March 14th, 2010 |

Author: Rob |

Posted in Bird of the week, Birding |

One of the most delightful avian sights to be seen in the central and northern parts of Southern Africa is that of the male Lilac-breasted roller in his courtship flight. He ascends to up to 50 metres or so, calling a harsh “ghak, ghak, gharrak”, as if advertising his display, then descends in a dive with wings closed, repeating this climb-and-dive a few times, before ending with a high speed dive, rolling from side to side rapidly four or five times, flashing the brilliant blues of his wings in the bright sunlight. He usually lands close to a female, who then joins him in a duet of calling. A wonderful treat to watch.

Common throughout the more northerly parts of Southern Africa, the Lilac-breasted roller is actually quite sedentary and is more likely to be seen perched on a dead tree or telephone wire, surveying the area, searching for prey.

Spotting a likely morsel, it swoops down and will either eat the prey, usually an insect, on the ground, or it will return to its perch and batter the victim on a branch before swallowing it whole. Their diet includes a variety of insects, scorpions, snails, beetles, frogs, small snakes, lizards, and even small birds and rodents.

A fairly large bird, some 36 cm in length, the Lilac-breasted roller is usually solitary or seen in pairs and is easily recognizable. It has a large head with a washed green crown, a short thick neck and a white chin that contrasts with the bright lilac breast and blue underparts, the flight feathers are violet, as is the rump. The tail is narrow and the outer tail feathers are elongated and somewhat darker. The sexes look alike.

They are found in a variety of habitats – savannas, open woodlands, farmlands, and grasslands. Nesting takes place in a hole in a tree, either a natural hole or one conveniently excavated by a woodpecker or barbet. They do not excavate their own nests. The female lays a clutch of 2–4 eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 22 days.

The scientific name for the Lilac-breasted roller is Coracias caudatus; coracias from the Greek “korax” meaning a crow or raven and caudatus from the Latin, “cauda”, a tail. So we get “a crow or raven with a tail”. How helpful is that?

Tags: "cauda" tail, "korax" crow, Coracias caudatus, Lilac-breated roller, raven |

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