The return of the Malachite...

...yes, it is winter, and that means that the Malachite Sunbird has its mating suit on.

A new month has started, and we hope that it will be a good month for everyone. I also have something else to share in the second part of the post below.

It is my first sighting of a malachite again, as they don't appear in any of the other seasons, and it's still early days, due to their matings only starting during the last two weeks of winter. I haven't seen the female yet, but I know that she will also appear soon, and then it will be nest building time.

Here's some more information below about the malachites.

The malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) is a small nectarivorous bird found from the highlands of Ethiopia southwards to South Africa. They pollinate many flowering plants, particularly those with long corolla tubes, in the Fynbos.The breeding male malachite sunbird, which has very long central tail feathers, is 25 cm long, and the shorter-tailed female 15 cm. The adult male is metallic green when breeding, with blackish-green wings with small yellow pectoral patches. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male's upperparts are brown apart from the green wings and tail, the latter retaining the elongated feathers. The underparts in eclipse plumage are yellow, flecked with green.

Source

He was keeping an eye on me constantly, but then he took off. But no matter as I know that I will get him again sometime soon. I like to find their nest, as then I could hopefully get the babies on camera when they are in and out of the nest. The malachite's nesting time coincides with the start of the protea pincushion flowers, as when the flowers bloom, there will be enough nectar for their babies.

And at the same time, here was something else that we saw.

A squirrel checking us out to see if we would be a danger. See how he splays his back legs and hooks his nails on to the tree to carry his weight.

No, he decided that we are harmless, and so, he went for a drink.

Then it was time to go for a snack.

Ah! he looked very happy.

The good news is that we hope to also see the Cape Sugarbirds (Promerops cafer) again, as it's the bird with the longest tail in the sunbird kingdom. They arrive soon after the malachites have nested, and I have posted them during our last winter season. Also, beautiful birds, but very shy, but thankfully not as shy as the mysterious African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) who is more colorful that the malachites and the sugarbirds combined.

That's why I always say that every season, be it summer, autumn, winter, or spring, presents its own distinctive character and beauty. All that one has to do, is to keep a keen eye out to see the wonders in nature, and one will also be able to discover a few surprises depending on the ways of one's search. A quick glance will never do it, and I can guarantee you that if you start to take a closer look at nature it will be bound to surprise you with its beauty.
Such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

Until next time, cheers!