Hiding in plain sight, I caught them in the act. Stealing my figs, I found the culprits. Or, I knew it, but now I have proof! Caught in the act is the red-faced mousebird (Urocolius indicus) and the Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens). They did not see me, for they are so shy. It is almost as if they know what they are doing is wrong, stealing my figs! No, that is just my own jealousy talking. They are shy because they know I might do them harm, in a nature-being-cruel way, not that I will actually harm them. The only shooting I do is shooting with my camera.
In any case, the fruits they are interested in are high above in the tree, there where I rarely get to. Sharing caring, but this is not about sharing. This is about survival. I wonder where the seeds are planted of possible new fig trees. I think there is one in my own garden, for the new fig tree is growing in a spot where I seldomly go.
Three Shots of the Culprits
I got close enough to see their facial expressions. Okay, no, it is my reading facial expressions into their faces, but I can see the glee and happiness and the slyness. Figs! Sugary-sweet figs! How delightful the tree after days of monotonous seed feeding. If I had to eat seeds and stumble upon a fig tree, I would not stop until my body gives in.
The Attempts and their Delightful Eating
All puffed up, I can see the delight on its face. "Yum!" it shouts from the feast.
A big bite! Just look at it go, taking more than it can chew in one go. In Afrikaans, we have a saying: "Sluk nou, kou later." Translated it says swallow now chew later. For when you are busy and in need of eating, you swallow the food quickly and chew on it later. This little bird embodies that idiom. Gulping down the sweet fruit and watching for prey, it takes more than it needs and tastes it later.
A massacre of fruit, but oh so sweet!
Munch munch, they eat the sweet fruit. All in one go, no time to waste, nothing to spare.
And far away, in a giant strelitzia, or Natal wild banana tree (strelitzia nicolai) two lonely Cape sparrows (Passer melanurus) sit perched looking at the sticky sweet nectar. How wonderful is life not, an abundance of food for everyone. Nothing goes to waste, nothing is too much or too little. (Okay, take this last bit with a grain of salt!)
Reflections as a Post Scriptum
Always with the reflections, it seems. Philosopher proper, or quasi-intellectual. I digress. Standing underneath the fig tree, taking these photographs, it struck me again how wonderful life is. Embracing the small things, or actually looking at life, I am struck at how intricate the balance is. If this fruit tree did not nourish the life that surrounds it, how bland would life be? All the noise of our making (cars, equipment, and so on) is supplemented with that of the birds and bees and insects. Cicadas, mousebirds, bees, and carpenter bees, life is full of amazing sounds if you just listen and look.
If we take away one piece of the puzzle, the whole thing might tumble down. Life is sometimes robust and resilient, and sometimes it is so fragile. If we do not look after the insects, that feed the birds, will the falcons and eagles look for food elsewhere? If we do not look after the eagles and falcons, will the small birds and rodents disappear? Or will they eat all the flora and in so doing inevitably kill themselves? Have we already scarred the earth with our permanent homes and cement structures? The last animals remaining only a handful to soothe our own demise?
I always ask too many questions, some people do not like it. Cutting the flesh, or cutting to the bone, people will sometimes believe in the lie to help them survive. In any case, the photographs are my own, taken with the trusty but old Nikon D300 and Tamron 300mm zoom lens. The musings are my own, inspired by massacred figs. Oh, the slaughter! I hope there are some figs left for me. Happy birding, and stay safe.
How I love fresh figs. I had them once. They were a very expensive import. It's hard to believe that they actually grow on trees. They are so rare around here. You know how people say about money, "It's not like it grows on trees." However, figs are more rare (but less in demand) than money here. What does that say about people? Screwed up priorities. You can't eat a five dollar bill. A loony (our one dollar coin) releases no sweet juices. As far as I know. Confession: I have never tried to eat hard currency valued at over $0.50.
Anyhow, I really enjoyed your article.
Loved your comment! Makes one think yes, where are our priorities. And yes, figs are so scarce actually. I think it has to do with the shipping in some sense. A really nice juice ripe fig is very fragile. And I cannot think about how much they ask for them that side of the pond if they are already so expensive here where I live. Lucky for me with the tree, unlucky that there are so many (bird) mouthes I need to share them with. Thanks for the comment! And I am glad you enjoyed it.
😂 I love that they came in and got what they wanted! Ues, the ecosystem is fragile. I hope we will realize it before we kill everything.
Can I please use one of your pictures in Let Our Picture Tell Your Story? Giving you full credit, and linking to the post.
Oh what an honor! Yes, by all means. I am looking forward to reading what you write!
Yes, let us hope we will realize in time.
Thanks so much 🙌!!! You'll see the tag in the credits, so you'll know immediately :)
!ALIVE
You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE(4/10)@fermentedphil! to your account on behalf of @wrestlingdesires.
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe
through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Awesome! Cannot wait. Hopefully, I have not missed it yet!
I just see my fig tree as my giant bird feeder, I hardly get any for myself!!
Oh we had a fig tree growing up on the West-Rand, have not seen nice healthy figs since!
!BEER
View or trade
BEER.BEERHey @rynow, here is a little bit of from @joanstewart for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.I wish I had this optimism! I do see it 50% as a bird feeder! But there is nothing as delicious as a ripe fig from the tree. Hence the hordes of birds that feast here. So let us hope for some compassion from our bird friends!
I really hope they leave me some as well!!
Me too. Sorry for the late reply, let us blame the starlings I need to keep away from the figs! I am still hoping for some haha.
Now who could blame them? Not I, since if that fig tree was anywhere near me they would be gone!
Brilliant photography capturing them in the act! Little white-eye is so shy you are lucky you captured between those large green leaves.
Be sure to enjoy some fruit, ask the birds permission nicely perhaps they will oblige 😆
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 29/89) Liquid rewards.
Thank you so much! Indeed, I will try. Let us hope that the starlings stay away this year, for it is when they arrive that all of the figs dissappear!
Funny thing, the little white-eyes are used to me so they pose for me and allow me to come real close. It is the mouse-birds that evade my camera. I cannot even move then they fly away. It doesn't help that I have an older camera so the autofocus is a bit slow. When they fly away their chirping sounds like an evil laugh taunting me for they know I want to take photographs! But luckily I got lucky with these.
Thanks again! Let us hope they share some of their figs.
Actually saw about five different starlings over the last couple of months, some a surprise and not regulars.
White-eye here is shy, as are the Mousebirds always on the move managed to capture one or two photographs before they were gone.
Enjoy the figs when/if you get to them.
Same here. Or only two. The common one, or European one with all the white spots, and then the one that has that blue shine, or if I am correct, the Cape Starling.
You are lucky! I only managed to capture on photograph the mousebird two times. The white eyes always come in flocks at different times of the day. So if I scare one flock, I can capture the others.
Sorry for the late reply! All the fig watching you know 🤣
Never witnessed flocks of white eye, do have small flocks at sunset low flying but too fast to capture, so not sure what they are.
Back to the figs keep watching perhaps you will get a few to eat!
I ate the first ones! But it was something like 35 C today so I had to cool them off 🤣 so unfortunately not from tree-to-mouth but close enough.
We have big trees in the area so they flock together here. And I have a tree that makes lovely berries for them so they flock to that one. I just need to have my camera ready. And funny enough, they love the big palm trees. There are various worms they feast on. I will attach a photograph I uploaded on here a while ago:
Bird melts into the green, nice capture with evidence of enjoying worms. Birds are hyperactive in the heat at the moment, enjoy some chilled figs or get up very early 😆
It's the way you described them for me 😂. What a show...
I am glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much. 🤗
Wow! Nice
Thank you so much!
I m glad you caught your Villain in camera only tho..😂😂
Yes! Only in the camera! 😅😅
I guess they aren't yours... until 7 days have transpired? 😝 Wait! That's Hive. I have been on here to long! lol! 🤣
Great one! 🤣🤣 How I wished that was true. It has been a couple of months now and no fig-payouts yet. Let us hope for this week!
I love figs! A little part of my soul would die if someone (even if they were small and cute) took mine away from me... But I live in a house with 3 girls so I'm pretty much out of luck... unless I hide my figs!
Good luck hiding your fig trees @fermentedphil! 😅
Good luck with that too!! I cannot even think about it. When my brother visits, I need to hide away the fruit though.
Hahahaha! So he is worse than the birds and not nearly as cute?! I would be hiding my fruit too! 🤣
Exactly that!! I always hide the fruit but he somehow sniffs it out. I guess we have sensitive noses for a reasons 🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣