Birds and Trees

With all due respect to Dr. Seuss, I thought I'd write a bit about the birds and trees here, about the birds in trees here.

While recently looking at a bird book, I was awed by the variety and beauty of the birds that live in South Africa.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen too many of the really striking ones.  In PE, we mostly see seagulls, pigeons and doves.  My favorite bird so far I often see walking in the park or on the golf course.  Approximately the size of a chicken, it is called the hadeda.  I don't have a picture of it (yet), but Jim swears that it gets its name from the fact that it laughs whenever he hits the golfball.  (Ha-dee-dah!)  

Hoopoe

On our travels we've seen many quail-like birds and once a black eagle which is entirely black with a white V on its back.  And, we've seen the ostrich everywhere.  I've been told that the brain of an ostrich is the size of your little finger's fingernail.

The only new bird that I have a semi-decent picture of is the Hoopoe.  Its head is cinnamon colored, while its wings are black and white striped.  Its call is hoop-hoop-hoop.   

As far as trees go, most are tropical ones - palms, banana, fig, etc.  Jim's favorite tree must be a type of South African pine tree.  It has needled fronds that grow upward, ending with a definite "cross" at the very top of each tree.

An acacia tree is a giraffe's
favorite food

Personally, I am intrigued by the acacia tree, which is full of long, SHARP thorns.  One author I've read says, "The wickedly sharp thorns scarcely scratch an elephant's hide, but for us soft-skinned 
species, they hold the equivalent of a maze of fish hooks."  This tree is a giraffe's favorite.  The giraffe's mouth and tongue are so tough that they don't feel the thorns.  They can have the acacia trees all to themselves!

What's referred to as the African Christmas Tree is actually not a tree, but rather the flower and stem of the aloe plant.  This grows as big as a tree, and I have been told that many South Africans chop them down, spray paint them white, and decorate them for Christmas.

The last poor tree I'm going to tell you about needs a good publicity agent.  The sign posted in front of it on a walking trail said that an extract from its bark is good for stomach aches, menstrual cramps, infertility, as well as impotency!  Its leaves are good for all kinds of rashes.  And, its roasted seeds can be used as a coffee substitute.  Surely, for such a useful tree, someone could think of a better name than "Bladder Nut Tree."