Come meet a Cape Sugarbird family!

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(Edited)

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Look at that tail in the wind as he sits on the Protea bush!

Today we went to deliver some parcels from Papillon to a Non Profit that works with disabled children.
After that we stopped off at a dam in the local nature reserve and I certainly took a heap of photos.
These photos are all fresh and taken today!

A bleak and hot African sun does not lend itself amicably to photography, but you will agree that this dam below looks very nice!
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This is a male Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer) and this guy sports a very long tail!

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The tail not only balances him when he eats, but it also steadies him in flight.

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A secret pick up line of the male is in his wings, as when he flies, his wings make a sound to attract young females!

A lovely bird as he sits here on a Protea flower bud!

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Meet the mom and she has less color and a shorter tail.

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The sun was playing tricks on me here below, but I decided that the photo was too good not to post it!

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And here is the youngster below!

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Male or female I don't know, as he is too young to tell!

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More information on the Cape Sugarbird!

"The Cape sugarbird is a grey-brown bird that is easily recognisable by a spot of yellow under its tail and the very long tail feathers present in males. The male is 34–44 cm long, and the shorter-tailed, shorter-billed, and paler breasted female 25–29 cm long. Another characteristic of the Cape sugarbird is the sound it makes when it flies. The main flight feathers are arranged in such a way that when the bird beats its wings, a frrt-frrt sound is made with the intention of attracting females."

"The Cape sugarbird is distributed throughout most of the fire driven ecosystem of the Fynbos in South Africa, the dominant vegetation type of the Cape Floral Region where there are flowering proteas and ericas. It is also found in gardens in summer when most proteas are not in flower, but urban birds are associated with greater stress measures".
Source

Yes, it is indeed a lovely family and during winter when they nest in a Protea bush, the male will sit around singing all day. Beware any other bird that comes near their nest.
Just the way of nature where the males protect their families.
Sadly that is a lost habit nowadays as we work with many children that were abandoned by their fathers!

And That's All Friends!

I leave you with this!

“Health is the new wealth. Happiness is the new rich. Inner peace is the new success. Kindness is the new cool.” —Syed Balkhi

Note: All photos are my own and taken with a Canon Powershot ZX60HS camera.
The parts in inverted commas ("") were duly [Source] cited!

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14 comments
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Beautiful birds very protective of food source and family. Excellent photography once again Stephen.

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Thank you Lady Joan and the summer sun is now with us which makes photography difficult if one cannot have the sun behind you.
Blessings to you guys!

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Birds dance around the blooms never making it easy, or move leaving you still trying to focus and they are gone 😅

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Hahaha, oh yes, the click and the empty branch is what I call it Lady Joan.
Just yesterday I saw a falcon landing in a tree at a distance. Jumped into the car and found a good spot closer to the tree. Falcon was still sitting there. As I got out of the car, two guinea fowls appeared and I took a few shots of them. Then I turned to rest the camera on the car's roof to focus on the falcon.
Only one problem! The falcon was gone!

I said to myself; "Myself, you have 100 photos of Guinea fowls, yet you Klutz, two fowls cost you a falcon"
Empty branch!

Hope that you guys will have a great weekend!
Blessings!

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The tail looks so long!

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Oh yes, the males have the long tails and it's wonderful to see how the winds play with their tails.
Have a look at his tail here as he drinks the nectar in the Protea flower!
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Aaa that's such a dive! Awesome! These tiny creatures are marvelous

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Yeah and I love their style. Marvelous is definitely the correct word!

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You are so blessed to live in such a stunning place

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Thank you for the visit my friend and for the kind words.
Yes, we are happy here!

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