Archive for July, 2011
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s SUPERDONK!!
July 13th, 2011 | 
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Posted in You must have heard of the musical based on the comic book character Superman, with the words – “It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!” Well, here in Africa we have a new bushveld version of this – “It’s a donkey. It’s a zebra. It’s a ZEDONK!!”
Last weekend we went hiking and camping at Ameib Ranch in the Erongo Mountains in Namibia and we were delighted and fascinated to see a zedonk – a cross between a zebra and a donkey. Actually we had seen this remarkable animal once before on a trip to this game ranch, but it was just as thrilling to see it again – this time a much bigger version as it had had a couple of years to grow up.
The zedonk is a Zebroid – which is the generic name for all zebra hybrids. This interbreeding, although interesting, is not ideal in nature because donkeys and wild equids don’t have equal numbers of chromosomes and this results in the offspring of such a mating being either poorly fertile in the case of females or sterile in the case of males. In most of these interbreedings, the sire is the zebra and the female is the donkey or the horse.
Our zedonk was happily hanging out with both horses and donkeys on the ranch – we didn’t see any signs of zebras in the vicinity and don’t know whether this zebroid was the result of ‘animal attraction’ between two species or an experiment on the part of the farmer.
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Bird of the Week – Week 79 – Squacco heron
The Squacco heron is fairly common along the shorelines of freshwater dams and wetlands that have dense vegetation throughout the southern African region, with the exception of the very dry areas of the Namib and Kalahari Deserts. Beyond the southern African region they are found throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara, and also in southern Europe.
A fairly small heron, with a length of approximately 43 cm, the male Squacco herons are slightly larger than the female, and the sexes are alike in plumage coloration. They are squat birds, with buffy-brown upper parts and pale cream to white under parts and are streaked with black over the head and neck.  The bill is greenish-yellow with a black tip; eyes are yellow; legs and feet red. When standing in the thick vegetation at the edge of the water, they are very well camouflaged and difficult to spot.
Squacco herons usually forage by walking slowly along the water’s edge, feeding on small fish, frogs, insects and crustaceans. They may also feed by standing very still in the shallow water and waiting for likely morsels to approach.
Although usually silent, the Squacco heron has a harsh squawk that may be heard at sunset, particularly during the breeding season. They are usually solitary birds, but may gather in small groups while feeding.
Squacco herons are monogamous and usually breed colonially. The nest that they build is a bulky platform of thin sticks, located in a tree overhanging the water, or in the reed bed at the water’s edge. The females lay a clutch of two to four greenish-blue eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 20 days.
The scientific binomial for the Squacco heron is Ardeola ralloides; Ardeola from the Latin for a “small heron” and ralliodes from the Latin for “like a rail”. Thus a small heron that resembles a rail, which is quite a good descrption, really.
Quiet time – at the end of the day
I enjoy sharing other people’s thoughts on meditation and quiet, reflective time, so was delighted when I stumbled upon a website featuring the poems of the late Jim Metcalf, the unofficial poet-laureate of New Orleans.  He has a lovely way with words and if you’re interested in reading poetry accompanied by beautiful soothing music, then do pay a visit to the site (see below for link).
I hope you enjoy this poem of his, and take time to ponder the thoughts behind it.
Before I Sleep
If I have let this day pass by
and can’t remember something good about it,
then I have been ungrateful
and I beg forgiveness.
If I have been involved too much with me…
my wants and woes, to see the beauty that surrounds me,
then I have played the fool and I am sorry.
my wants and woes, to see the beauty that surrounds me,
then I have played the fool and I am sorry.
If I have not stretched out my hands
to loved ones to show them that I care,
then I have been unfeeling and I am ashamed.
If I have failed to help when it was needed,
yet asked others to help me
then I have been selfish and I apologize.
If I have not seen the face of God
reflected in a million ways and places,
then I have been blind and I ask for another chance
to try again tomorrow.
Do you have a favourite poem or know of a good website for meditative reflections for your quiet time? If so, I would love to hear from you.
Bird of the Week – Week 78 – Mallard
The Mallard (perhaps together with the Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is thought to be the ancestor of all domestic ducks. It is a particularly striking bird, especially the males which have a metallic-green head and neck; a purplish breast; grey under parts and light brown upper parts. The females lack the distinctive green head, and are streaked brown overall, with a purple speculum. Males have yellow beaks and females have beaks that are black and orange. Both sexes have dark brown eyes, and legs and feet orange-red. The males are slightly larger than the females, with a length of about 60 cm.
They are beautiful birds, particularly the males, and this has encouraged people to import the birds from North America or Europe into many other parts of the world, including the southern African region. Unfortunately they have become something of a problem here, as they breed with some of the local ducks, particularly Yellow-billed ducks (Anas undulata). The hybrids may be fully fertile, which is somewhat unusual. This cross-breeding is not viewed as a good thing and the introduction of some method of controlling the Mallard within the region is under consideration.
The Mallard has a fairly weak call, a rasping “raeb”. It is quite adaptable in terms of its habitat, which contributes to the fact that it is one of the most numerous ducks in the world, but generally it prefers well vegetated stretches of water. It is a gregarious bird and is usually found in flocks which may number hundred of birds.
The Mallard is omnivorous, its diet consisting of seeds, aquatic vegetation, mollusks, crustaceans and fish. It feeds on the water by diving, up-ending and by sieving surface water. On land it grazes and also grubs for insects and other food items.
The Mallard is monogamous and builds a nest in a shallow depression lined with grass or small twigs, usually on the ground in dense cover. The female lays a clutch of between four and 18 grey-green or buff eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 28 days.
The scientific binomial for the Mallard is Anas platyrhynchos; Anas from the Latin for a “duck” and platyrhynchos from the Greek for “flat-billed”. Thus a duck with a flat bill; not very descriptive or specific in that many ducks have fairly flat beaks, but I suppose it’s accurate enough.
