Cape Spurfowl or Francolin (Pternistis capensis)

I grew up with these endemic birds to not only South Africa, but more specific the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, mainly along the coastal regions or inland of them.

Large bird, mid-size chicken, without the long legs. They tend to be within the thickets and rarely open for long enough to take pictures, but do frequent gardens, especially where protection is abundant.

The fine beautiful patterns on the body feathers are visible at close range, with bold white stripes on the flanks.

Perfection!

Reference

A comprehensive illustrated field guide: Birds of Africa, south of the Sahara. Ian Sinclair, Peter Ryan. Struik publishers, 2003.

Face to Face...with an Eagle-Owl.

A while back we visited a raptor rehab facility near Addo. The birds and snakes they have are either injured or taken from owners, who cannot look after them. In many cases they cannot be released, due to imprinting. Sad as some of the stories are, we met this beautiful Cape Eagle-Owl.

He had a Spotted Eagle-Owl as a friend.

It was such a fantastic experience to be close to these birds. They are used to educate students at schools about owls and they are full of games as well. We were told that by afternoon they like chasing the minder around the big cage. We found them in a great mood for some attention.

The Spotted Eagle-Owl
He likes a scratch. My wife got a bit of a shock, when he decided its better to get the TLC in a more direct manner.

When he was not happy with this head-scratching he decided to gently ask her to move the finger another itch!

Yes, yes, much better...

The Cape Eagle-Owl

Our second eagle-owl did not really appreciate the attention given to his friend and decided it would be the best time to have a stare-down with someone or something.

He first tried me, then thought to have a go at the one-eyed camera lens.

Not satisfied with the lack of reaction, he decided to go at his minder and sure enough they had a good stare-down.

Goal achieved! Everybody is now certain who the boss is and he will allow a head scratch.

This was a great treat for us! We will go back next time we visit the area, just to look in on our new friends. I would rather see them in the wild, but on rare occasions like these, you cannot help but feel privileged for the chance to get really close and you walk away with a renewed appreciation for these incredibly beautiful birds.