Page 27 - Dainfern Precinct Living 4 2021

NATURE
them under her wing. Next day, the cats bothered the dikkops again.
restless family of four had moved
200 metres away and a day later we Dikkops live mainly off beetles and
saw them at the end of a cul de sac. termites, of which I had a large
Mum was covering the chicks under surplus, as well as small lizards.
her wings while Dad was close by – I was annoyed at the dikkops’ name
still standing perfectly motionless. change some years back. It was to
comply with the name used outside
Hours later, a chick was missing and South Africa. On the other hand,
was never seen again. the name ‘dikkop’ meaning ‘thick
head’ is hardly flattering. But thick-
I recalled how a pair settled in my knee was no improvement and
garden when we lived in Bryanston. the scientific name for the genus,
Their home took only minutes to Burhinus, is just as unflattering – it
make – a barely visible scrape in means thick nose.
the grass right in the middle of the
lawn. I had to mow around their nest The dikkop has one of the great bird
and, despite the noisy mower, the calls of the African night. Sasol Birds
presence of our Alsatian, Medo, and gives it as “whi whi whi WHI WHI
our two cats, the birds successfully WHI whi whi” while Roberts Birds
raised their chicks. has it as “noisy, mournful piping: ti ti
ti teeteetee ti ti ti”.
The nest became even more difficult to
see as the grass grew around it and, The dikkop demonstrates how
on one occasion, I saw Medo approach some birds have become totally
it. The male (I think) advanced with habituated to suburban living even to
lowered head. Spreading his wings the extent they can sit right next to a
so they were parallel to the ground, roadway, almost on the kerb, trusting
The chick (resting in a flower bed) it flashed its vivid, white-patched their parenting skills to ensure that
was able to walkon the first day of underside. Medo, who was merely their young understand the safety
hatching. Here, we see it at five being nosey, retreated, almost code. They do not even blink when
days and eight days old. apologetically. Neither he nor the somebody walks past them.

nother familiar large bird that time one of their volunteers, Kevin
has also taken to suburban Pearl of Lonehill, came round to set
Aliving is the hadeda, up a trap.
though, compared with the dikkop,
it exhibits acute nervousness The trap was a circular rubber-
when people approach – and its rimmed net the size of a cartwheel.
call is possibly the most grating It was suspended from a tripod.
of all birds. The hadeda, whose Breadcrumbs were placed
name is onomatopoeical, has a underneath.
call that sounds like a hysterical
toddler whose big brother has just Mummy hadeda dutifully began
pinched it. feeding under the net and, with
consummate skill, Kevin, well-
There is a family of three living hidden but holding a long string,
high up in my ‘Johannesburg gold’ dropped the net over the bird.
tree. Annually, for years, they have
reared one and sometimes two Success! Her neck was fine – but
chicks and they very usefully potter then we couldn’t find the dart.
about my lawn spiking it with their Had we trapped the wrong bird?
long bills seeking worms and grubs. Kevin had had difficulty freeing the
frantically struggling bird which had
In March somebody, perhaps in our then taken off, noisily. Later, we
estate, using a blowpipe, shot the spotted the dart lying in the grass
female. The dart lodged 20mm into – it had been pulled free during the
its neck and was obviously greatly two-minute panic inside the net. We
irritating the bird. Nevertheless, she could see from the small amount of
went on feeding her demanding blood on the needle how deeply it
sub-adult chick for the next five had been embedded.
days.
It was two weeks before the
We had hoped by then the dart hadeda family returned to my lawn.
would fall out. When it didn’t, we Never have I enjoyed hearing their
phoned Friends of Free Wildlife in calls as much as I did when all The darted hadeda, top, and Kevin
Kyalami (082 561 3681) and in no three came back. Pearl (note circular net at his side)

41 24 25
41
DPL