"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday, 25 June 2016

Feathers of a different kind...

RMan was walking outside when his sharp eagle eyes spotted a couple of these feathers lying on the ground.
A feather from the Cape Parrot?
Whaaaaaaat???

I have never seen a bird with these colours / markings here where we live.
The Cape Parrot is the one in the lower
 right hand corner
Consulting my Robert Birds of Southern Africa book, the only bird I can possibly identify it with is a Cape Parrot.  But, again, I have never heard anyone mention it...
The distribution map shows that although it's
 name Cape Parrot, it does not frequent this
  part of South Africa...
A Cape Parrot - which is not normally found in the (Western or any) Cape??

But there is no other bird in the book which comes even close to those markings / colour.

Naturally, I am keeping my eyes peeled for a repeat visit so that I can confirm the sighting.

But, if any of my readers can help me confirm / re-identify which bird these feathers belong to I would be very grateful.

~

We have been having a plethora of absolutely breath taking sunrises and sunsets - and I have to share these pics I took of the sunrise from the 20th June.
Skies such as this mesmerise me. 
The colours lingered for such a long time -
 almost right up until the sun rose above the
 horizon
And make me realize how starved I was for both whilst we were living in our town house in the valley.  Surrounded on both sides by mountains, view such as this weren't possible.

They provide such an incredible way to start (or end) the day... :D
Posted by Dani at 17:25:00
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10 comments:

  1. Marlin Andrus26 June 2016 at 01:37

    I can't help with the ID of the feather...we have no parrots in this part of the world. But I can say that global warming is proven to make birds go in different places than normally seen. My wife and I are serious birders and have been for several years. Two weeks ago we observed a pair of Gambel Quails. The closest place in Texas to us that they are suppose to be is 500+ miles away. We did get pictures of them and they were confirmed by TEXBIRDS. There's no telling what all of us might see now!!

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    Replies
    1. Dani26 June 2016 at 13:07

      Marlin - I'm not a twitcher, but it is fascinating to see all the different birds around us. But, parrots I've never heard of.

      Global warming / climate change is going to be an eye opener for all of us, in many different ways. I wonder how many of us are ready or will be able to handle it...?

      Delete
    2. Marlin Andrus26 June 2016 at 21:05

      Very,very few of the billions of people are ready for global warming, and the few of us who are working to be ready may have a big surprise!!

      Delete
    3. Dani27 June 2016 at 12:10

      Marlin - I know. I reckon that no matter what we try and anticipate, it's going to be much, much worse. But, I have to try and do what I can to continue to grow the fruit and veggies that we consume in whatever way I possibly can - e.g. hydroponics / mulching and a new product which hasn't been launched yet so I can't share info on it. But, that is all presupposing that the bees can handle the new climate... :(

      Delete
  2. Dawn26 June 2016 at 17:38

    I wonder if it was a pet that has escaped, stunning feathers, stunning sunsets too :-)

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    Replies
    1. Dani27 June 2016 at 12:11

      Dawn - I have not idea? Haven;t heard of anyone in the area who has lost one...

      They are stunning views, aren't they :D

      Delete
  3. DFW27 June 2016 at 18:48

    Beautiful sunrises & sunsets! Can't help with the feather. Hope you get to see it strutting around, I bet it's beautiful!

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    Replies
    1. Dani29 June 2016 at 12:31

      DFW - Actually seeing the bird would be excellent - I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open :)

      Delete
  4. Unknown28 June 2016 at 19:35

    Hi, colouration is Lilac Breasted Roller but their distribution is not normally as far south as you are.

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    Replies
    1. Dani29 June 2016 at 12:33

      Cheryl - Welcome - and thank for taking the time to leave a comment. Lilac breasted roller - that's an interesting thought - thanks :) Either the parrot of the roller are not normally spotted here - maybe it getting too hot up north...?

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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