Page 33 - Fourways Gardens May 2021

Nature

The darted hadeda and Kevin Pearl (note circular net at his side).
Another familiar large bird that has also taken to suburban living
is the hadeda, though, compared with the dikkop, it exhibits acute
nervousness when people approach – and its call is possibly the most
grating of all birds. The hadeda, whose name is onomatopoeical, has
a call that sounds like a hysterical toddler whose big brother has just
pinched it.

There is a family of three living high up in my ‘Johannesburg gold’
tree. Annually, for years, they have reared one and sometimes two
chicks and they very usefully potter about my lawn spiking it with
their long bills seeking worms and grubs.
In March somebody, perhaps in our estate, using a blowpipe, shot
the female. The dart lodged 20mm into its neck and was obviously
greatly irritating the bird. Nevertheless, she went on feeding her
demanding sub-adult chick for the next five days.

We had hoped by then the dart would fall out. When it didn’t, we
phoned Friends of Free Wildlife in Kyalami (082 561 3681) and in no
time one of their volunteers, Kevin Pearl of Lonehill, came round to
set up a trap.

The trap was a circular rubber-rimmed net the size of a cartwheel. It
was suspended from a tripod. Breadcrumbs were placed underneath.

Mummy hadeda dutifully began feeding under the net and, with
consummate skill, Kevin, well-hidden but holding a long string,
dropped the net over the bird.

Success! Her neck was fine – but then we couldn’t find the dart. Had
we trapped the wrong bird? Kevin had had difficulty freeing the
frantically struggling bird which had then taken off, noisily. Later, we
spotted the dart lying in the grass – it had been pulled free during
the two-minute panic inside the net. We could see from the small
amount of blood on the needle how deeply it had been embedded.
It was two weeks before the hadeda family returned to my lawn.
Never have I enjoyed hearing their calls as much as I did when all
three came back.

Fourways Gardens • 31 • May 2021