This time last year Rob and I were anticipating spending Christmas alone in Windhoek because he had to work over the festive period. We decided to liven things up by starting what we called “The Mongoose Project” which was our name for attracting mongooses into our little garden and photographing them. I can’t believe that a whole year has passed since then – an eventful year too with our move back to Durban, South Africa – and that we are now approaching another Christmas. This year we have a new and very different visitor to our garden in the form of a Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus). How privileged we are to be host to this magnificent (and near-endangered) bird.
About two months ago I came across three Woolly-necked storks in our driveway when I was on my way to collect the post. I watched fascinated as my neighbour’s gate opened and a cat dashed out and proceeded to herd the three storks in their garden. I asked my neighbour about this and she said that the birds were regular visitors because she fed them chicken.
Thinking of an opportunity for Rob to get some photos of Woolly-necked storks, I decided to keep an eye out for them in the future. It just so happened that the day one came onto our lawn Rob and I had some leftover roast chicken. I grabbed the chicken carcass, Rob grabbed his camera and we spent a few happy minutes watching our dinner guest appreciate his meal. He learned fast, because he was back the next day for more!
He has since come back regularly and now that we have a cat again, we have packets of Bob Martins chicken chunks available to feed our feathered friend. Just have to train the cat not to chase him.
It is strange to see Woolly-necked storks deep in suburbia, as their preferred habitat is wetlands and river margins. I guess with all the rain we’ve had lately we do qualify somewhat in that regard. It makes quite a change from the usual weavers and mannikins that we feed. Apart from tasty chicken morsels, these storks eat most of the goggas that are found in our garden, like insects, frogs and certain molluscs. Yesterday, after polishing off a bowl of chicken pieces, our visitor also picked up half a lizard, compliments of our cat!
So we can tick off mongooses and Woolly-necked storks as Christmas visitors. I wonder who we will be entertaining next year – can’t wait to see.
Woolly – necked Storks love cheese,even more than chicken! Cheddar or Edam particularly!
Hi. We have 2 that come into our garden quite often. They both have a leg that is injured, one has no foot on the one leg, only a leg, but stands on the stump. and walks on it.
, the other one has a foot that he can’t stand on, it looks broken. But he hops around. But I put some dog pellets out and they ate those, and some freeze dried flying ants I had, which I’d kept for the Paradise Fly Catcher family that lives here. They seemed to love the flying ants. They both had a bath on the top step in our pool. They also seemed quite tame, as I gotta about 1.5 meters away from the one when I put the food out. They are so lovely to watch. We really feel blessed to have them here. Charmaine Swan, Athlone Park, Amanzimtoti.
Y sad just video-called me now showing that our one visitor, we named Carlos, brought his mate with him to recieve some cheese with him! My best name for her is Carlosita. My chickens don’t seem too friendly with them though and are probably jealous they’re not the ones getting food but are too scared to come near Carlos and his wife Le Carlosita