Our tiny Swee's are nesting!

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(Edited)

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This is a male Swee Waxbill and we have a pair of them building their nest over here.

I will show you these little wonders that only appear in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Swee waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), is endemic to South Africa and we are honored to have a pair nesting here.
We try to keep our garden in a similar state as the surrounding nature and it is a protected place for the locals to come and nest.

Look at the red bottom of his beak and the female's is all a black bill.
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The swee waxbill is 9–10 cm long with a grey head and breast, pale yellow belly, olive back and wings, red lower back and rump, and a black tail. The upper mandible is black and the lower red. The male has a black face, but the female's face is grey. Juveniles are much duller than the female and have an all-black bill. Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swee_waxbill

Here, right below my window he collected a grass stalk for the nest.
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Reminded me of an ant, as ants can also lift stalks 4 times their body length.
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Here the swee was eying that tuft of soft white growth on the tree.
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So he grabbed it but his fast movement and the sun blurred the photo.
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After a morning of nest building he was taking a rest here.
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Indeed beautiful little birds and a pleasure to listen to their calls of "swee-swee".
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Swees are seed eaters and Marian has a special place out of the reach of cats where she puts some wild bird seeds down for them. The lady next door also tries to feed them in a hanging bird feeder, but the doves and the squirrels continue to clear her feeder. We keep the squirrels away by feeding them nuts and believe it or not, the doves have also learned how to eat the peanuts by piercing the shell with their beaks and bumping the shell on the paving, until the nut pops out.

And That's All Friends.

Note: All photos are my own and taken with a Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge camera.

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16 comments
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Another very pretty little bird to visit and start building a home in the Cape, at least not as expensive as the locals, it will do to raise the family close to food.

Enjoy your day and keep on spying on all the locals in the neighbourhood 😄

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We have big grass heads growing here below the window Lady Joan.
The wide leaf grass with seeds in the head and that's what the Swees love to eat.
Here's an idea of what the grass looks like.
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It's always fascinating how birds build their nests. Some fly on our balcony when no one is outside and pull threads out of the small carpet.

This is a lovely little bird, Zac, it looks so cool with the bi-colored beak 😀


Cheers with !BEER and !WINE
!invest_vote

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Oh yes, I also love to watch them collecting nesting materials. First the frame material and the amazing places where they collect the soft stuff.
I don't have the time now, as we have to go, but I will find a photo to show you how a little sunbird pulls the soft padding out in a pot plant that is hanging on a wall.

Cheers and thanks!

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I wish you a nice afternoon, my friend 😊


Cheers and !BEER

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