Muteness

Today started and ended much as yesterday did but I didn’t want that to get me down as yesterday somehow got to me. Fight or flight did not quite work for me nor did standing very still and hoping that Monday would not notice me.

Today I forced myself a break and took a walk into the gardens surrounding my office. Sitting by side one of the duck ponds, I could feel the heaviness roll off. Next to the stone bench on which I sat, was this square stone pillar and inside the bowl on top was three smaller square stones, intriguing.

While sitting in stony silence in the fresh winter air, my thoughts were all over. Schweigen, inside thoughts! What will my future hold? Do I settle down or do I flee. One of my options is buying a house and we have found a rather lovely one but it is near the very top of our budget.

Two young swans were inquisitive of my muteness and swam a little closer but not too close mind you.

Babies Growing Fast

Our babies are starting to grow quite fast and more pregnant mommies are expectant soon. Our eco-park at Mogale is expanding nicely.

The Ice Chick has tripled in size since she arrived 3 weeks ago. Mommy and daddy Blue Crane are very protective over their single baby. But poor Mr and Mrs Black swans, they lost one of their cygnets, and are down to two since they were born two weeks ago.

Last week a duiker gave birth but now it looks like poor baby duiker has been left on its own to fend for itself while mommy goes foraging. The little thing is so inquisitive and comes out of hiding to check us out. Every time the sound of the camera triggers, a shiver runs up the back of the duiker which is about a metre away from us. All the best little ones.

Mr and Mrs Black

With South Africa colour has once again become a big issue with “F#<& White People” not being racist but the colour purple is. I am starting to feel down, no depressed about what the future holds.

Anyway my thoughts are transgressing, back to real black swans, the Cygnus Atratus. Over shadowed by the baby blue crane that was born last week, Mr and Mrs Black Swan had triplets. Now we have three little grey cygnets waddling around.

Meet the Swan Family

Wow the just over 3 months old cygnets are growing up fast, they are even starting to lose their baby grey feathers. It has not been easy getting close to take some photos without Mr and Mrs Swan getting all aggressive but during the last few weeks I have been taking it slowly to approach ever so closer to this swan family without disturbing them. And today I managed to get to a few meters away although they were in the pond which made them feel much more secure.

I think this might be the first clear photo that I have of the cygnets other than that fleeting one taken during the Swan Attack last month. Well hopefully more photos will be posted as the Swan family get more used to me and allow me spend more time with them.So readers allow me to formally introduce you the Swan Family.

Demoiselle Crane

With an afternoon storm threatening, I took this photograph of the pair of Demoiselle Cranes, sitting in the foreground waiting expectedly for the large drops of rain mixed with small hail that would soon deluged us.

The Demoiselle Crane are the smallest of the crane family but the second most abundant, not in Africa but in Euroasia. In this photo along with the Demoiselle you can see 3 Helmeted Guineafowl running for cover, a single Black Swan, an Egyptian Goose, and a pair of Blue Cranes. All water off a duck’s back so to speak.

Incoming Attack

The swan couple at work laid seven eggs but only five hatched. And out of the five hatchlings these swan parents have only two cygnets. I am not sure what happened to the other three cygnets but you can understand why I am now under attack, I got too close. You can just see the two cygnets behind mommy swan as the daddy swan is incoming while I bravely hold my ground.

Love Nest

With Gerald the peacock practically having a love pad just outside my office, love was in the air. Well not for Mr and Mrs Swan, because for the last couple of weeks now that have been attacking people walking along the path from our offices to the canteen.

Remember my earlier post showing poor Ella’s bite marks after an attack on her, which was from Mr Swan. And now we know why, walking up to the stores, which are situated behind the canteen, I noticed one of the swans sitting on what looks like a nest. Making sure the other swan wasn’t sneaking up on me, I took out my cellphone and snap this photo of the love nest. Soon we will have some cygnets waddling along.

Patagonia Couple in Love

In trying to conform to a politically correct business park, Bosasa diversifies its animals at the Mogale Business Park, there are zebras, black and white stripes of course, but it doesn’t stop there. Along with the normal coloured springbucks there are the black springbucks, same with the white speckled black guineafowl as there are plain white ones too.

Now this racial policy has also crossed over to the swans, as we have a pair of the white Mute Swans which originate from Europe, a pair of Black Swans from Australia, and this beautiful pair of Black-necked Swans from Patagonia region of South America.

Clearly this beautiful Patagonian couple are inseparable and in love.

Black Swans

So how close can you get to a pair of Black Swans? The answer is very close but I didn't risk my life creeping any closer as they started puffing out their feathers to make themselves look bigger and I was down on all fours at eye level.

Bring on Mondays, this is my start of the week, other than arriving at work later than I wanted to, stalking the wildlife at Bosasa's Head Office in Mogale Business Park has taken on a new meaning. With the Black Swans starting my week, will this week be predictable? Highly improbable.

Majestic Swans

At first light this morning, I walked around Mogale Business Park on an assignment to take photographs of the wide range of wildlife here. Sitting down next to one of the ponds, a pair of majestic swans swam over to investigate, I suppose hoping for some food.

It is tranquil just sitting here with the only people about are the grounds men preparing the estate before the office workers arrive. While enjoying my lush surroundings I dared to think of all those poor people sitting in the traffic on their way to work. Thankfully it was only a fleeting thought, as I realised that I am in my office.

Cygnes dans l'amour

On Friday it was the peafowls, Monday it is the swans turn, I mean you could swear it was Spring with all the amour going on around me. Cygnes dans l'amour.

This is the last of the short weeks for a while now, so I better make most of it.