A wonderful, unexpected discovery.
Just look at that, a baby running on our auto gate track.
I have never seen a Spotted Thick Knee baby (Burhinus capensis).
We heard the parents' loud call outside, and we knew immediately what kind of birds they were. I featured both of the parents here in my blog maybe a year or two ago, and they have fascinating ways and habits.
Now, I humbly ask of you to go to the Wikipedia source link below in order to hear the sound of the Thick Knees.
The spotted thick-knee is nocturnal and squats on the ground during the daytime, making it difficult to spot. It hunts exclusively on the ground, feeding on insects, small mammals and lizards.
The spotted thick-knee is native to the grasslands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Its range extends from Senegal, Mali and Mauritania in the west to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa in the east and south respectively, as well as in south Yemen in West Asia.
The baby must have fallen between the track guides, and the mom was calling for it.
Yay! The baby got out, and it ran down the road to join the mom.
The spotted thick-knee (Burhinus capensis), also known as the spotted dikkop or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Burhinidae. It is native to tropical regions of central and southern Africa.
The mom had some sort of an insect for the baby and look how the cute little thing was eating the bug.
Amazing that this few-days old baby knew how the mom and the dad sit, as the knees have expanded joints.
And there was another one.
That must be the dad with it, and sorry that the photo is a bit blurry as they are constantly on the move.
I was not prepared to take night shots and struggled with the settings on the camera in the dim light of the streetlamp. But still, I don't think the shots came out too badly, as it was a quick response. We heard them again tonight, but they were down between the bushes on the riverbanks, impossible to find. Not only are they nocturnal, but their colors also blend with their surroundings, and it is even difficult during daylight to see them. And so, you can imagine how chuffed we were to see the babies, as it was a very special occasion.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Thank you kindly for supporting this post.
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Thank you Mick.
Wow! I wasn't familiar with this bird species. How interesting what you've told us!
I'm glad you were able to see this little chick without hurting it with the door so it could reunite with its mother.
Thank you for sharing! Hugs!
I took and posted this shot of the thick knee parents a few years ago, and this is what the parents look like.
Oh yes, we are careful not to hurt the little ones, and I knew that the mother was waiting for it.
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I hadn't seen that work. What wonderful birds!
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BEERKING.Oh such a cutieee poor bird..
A cutie indeed, and it all ended well as it ran to its mother.
Ohhh that’s cute to hear.. atleast she’s safe now.
!ALIVE
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BEER.Hello Zac. I appreciate your photos as it's not easy to capture these little creatures, but unfortunately the majority of the photos are blurry. I'd appreciate if you would filter out these next time as are not in line with what this community is working towards. Thank you.
Hi Erica, I understand and thank you for the heads up. I was so taken with the incident that I didn't think it through.
No worries and happy blogging.
We know them by the other term "dik kops" because they nest on the ground. Never known their real name before.
Yes, we also know them as Dik kops, but the official name is Spotted Thick-knee. Glad that you also know them, and it's my first time to get them with two babies, as I have never seen their babies before. Real cute little things.