Wild Adventures Blog
Journey to the wild
An African Spoonbill posing
When seeing an animal for the first time, I always make a point of hanging around. It is fun to observe the behaviours of the animal and see how they interact in their surroundings.
I made my way to Rondevlei Nature Reserve in Cape Town for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know that the reserve existed, even though I had often passed this reserve to go surf at Muizenberg.
There are 6 bird hides scattered along a straight walkway in this wetland reserve. I had arrived early and it was still relatively quiet and peaceful inside. One of the highlights for me that day was seeing an African Spoonbill. It was a surprise to me that we even had some in Cape Town.
I have seen many birds perch on branches and poles placed in front of various bird hides. The first hide at Rondevlei has a large log that juts out over the open water. I saw a Pied Kingfisher, Reed Cormorant and a Swallow perch on this log earlier that day.
I took a few minutes break and enjoyed some snacks. While I was busy a Spoonbill flew in and perched on top of this log. It looked really odd to me having such a large bird perch so close to a viewing hide.
I watched the various antics that this bird performed. It walked up and down the log until it finally settled on a spot. It was wonderful to see the odd shaped bill of this bird. It spent some time plucking its feathers and grooming itself. At one point it even looked as if it was going to take a nap as it put its head back and balanced on one leg!
3 Comments on “An African Spoonbill posing”
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A lovely illustrated description of the antics of a spoonbill. Rondevlei is definitely on my list for the next time I visit Cape Town – thank you for highlighting this birding treasure.
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What a beautifully unique little creature! I love birds myself as I have a pet parrot at home 🙂
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Hi Raeesa. A unique bird indeed! Thanks for stopping by
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