Sunday, July 29, 2012

Wood Hoopoe's, Barbets & Planes

Wood Hoopoe's must be one of the most spectacular birds in Johannesburg's gardens. Its also a species i've never managed to get a half decent photo of - as you can see below. That is something i'm going to try improve on over the next few weeks:
In other news, the red collared barbets & red throated wrynecks are still fighting it out for the nesting log, at the moment the barbets seem to have the upper hand:
lastly, i thought this was a pretty cool snap:

5 comments:

  1. I put 2 nesting logs up this weekend, and saw a Red-Faced Barbet (I think it was, or a crested) "testing" the log this morning. knocking at it with its beak from all angles and from top to bottom. I thought it would take weeks to get them there.

    We're hoping he liked what he saw haha.

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  2. Hi Don, Great news they are showing interest so soon, mine seem to be comming to the end of their breeding cycle ... so will have to wait for spring now.

    I have put up three logs, and have three different species nesting (and a number of other species trying to evict the ones in residence!).

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  3. Hi there, I have a family of Wood Hoopoes looking for a home as the rain seems to have washed their nest away :( I have purchased a nesting log and now don't know what to do with it! Any advice will be appreciated: mmollentz@gmail.com

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  4. Hi, the nesting logs you purchase at nursery's normally don't have a existing hole. Typically they have a starter hole that birds like barbets then excavate. Unfortunately the wood hoepoe's will not be able to excavate this themselves. If you net a "nest box" form a pet stop (ie ones used by parrots) and put it up, the wood hoepoe's may use that.

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  5. have a look at the "tall box" available here:

    http://www.birdhouse.co.za

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