A favorite bird…

We love hornbills. They are such funny, quirky birds with an abundance of personality, and we never tire of watching them as they go about their daily activities here in Marloth Park. Of all the birds that visit our property, hornbills have become some of our favorites because they seem to have so much character. They aren’t the most graceful birds in the bush, but perhaps that is part of their charm.

They’ll perch almost anywhere. We’ve seen them sitting on a windowsill, on our car’s window frame, on a tree stump (as shown in today’s photo), and even on the trolley wire that holds our bird feeder. Sometimes they sit on the veranda railing and look inside at us, as if wondering what we’re doing. Other times, they’ll land nearby and stare at us for several minutes before flying off to their next destination.

Their large, curved bills make them easy to recognize, and their black-and-white coloring makes them especially striking. When they fly overhead, their broad wings and distinctive wingbeats are impossible to miss. They often make their presence known with their calls, and once we’ve heard them, we usually start looking around to see where they have landed.

Hornbills are also interesting because they spend much of their time searching for food. They eat a wide variety of things, including insects, fruit, seeds, and small animals. Here in Marloth Park, we’ve watched them search the ground and vegetation for insects and other morsels. They can be surprisingly persistent when they think something worthwhile is nearby.

We’ve also noticed how comfortable some of the hornbills have become around people. Of course, that doesn’t mean they are tame, and we never assume any wild animal is safe to approach. They are wild birds, and we prefer watching them from a distance. Still, their willingness to hang around our holiday home gives us many opportunities to observe them.

One of the things we enjoy most is watching their interactions with one another. Hornbills often travel in pairs or small groups, and there can be quite a bit of activity when several show up at once. One may sit quietly while another hops around nearby, and suddenly they all fly off together. Their movements can be almost comical at times, especially when they hop around on the ground or try to balance on an unusual perch.

Living in Marloth Park gives us countless opportunities to see birds and animals that we might otherwise only encounter in wildlife documentaries. But seeing them in person, right outside our holiday home, is something entirely different. We can sit on the veranda with our morning coffee and watch a hornbill land on a stump just a few feet away. We don’t need to go anywhere. The wildlife comes to us.

That is one of the things we love most about our life in the bush. Every day brings something different. One day it may be a family of kudus wandering through the garden, and the next day a hornbill decides that the top of our car or the bird feeder trolley is the perfect place to sit.

We never know what we’ll see when we look outside.

And when a hornbill appears, we are always happy to see that familiar, funny face and that enormous curved bill. They may be a little awkward, a little noisy, and certainly a little quirky, but that is exactly what makes them so entertaining to watch. We hope they continue visiting us for many years to come.

With two wildlife guides staying in the two little houses on our property, Saturday has become our laundry day, when we use the clothesline. During the rest of the week, the guides often use it for their heavy blankets and other gear after spending time on game drives in Kruger National Park. The new washing machine arrived this week, so today is our first official workout. We’re almost finished with three loads, which is our big project for the day. It may not sound like much, but around here, laundry day can be quite an accomplishment, especially after so many rainy days this past week.

Last night, once again, we had a fantastic evening at Jabula, and tonight we’ll be returning for another enjoyable evening. Since my gums are still a little sore, I ordered the flaky grilled hake, four eggs fried in butter, and a serving of creamed spinach. I’ll most likely have the same dinner tonight. Tom once again enjoyed his favorite mixed grill, which includes a steak, hamburger topped with a fried egg, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, and chips (French fries). As always, the food, ambiance, and service at Jabula were fantastic, making it one of our favorite places to spend an evening in Marloth Park.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 3, 2016: