It seems the human race is becoming more and more hard of hearing as it evolves. New cinema complexes install sound systems that blast the message across at excessive decibel levels, with too much treble. I noticed this in London and now a new local complex in Cape Town is following suite. Nature provides a more balanced sound mix, unchanged for millions of years. As the summer cycle reaches its peak the bird life in Cape Town thrives. Last evening we saw a flock of Cape sugar birds hopping from tree to tree making its way south to Cape Point. These beautiful creatures have long tail feathers, with the males reaching up to 40cm, and make a complex range of calls labeled as 'grating, chirping, chipping and twanging' by Roberts Book of Birds. They are endemic to the the Western Cape, thriving in the local flora known as fynbos. We have fynbos Proteas in our garden which provide nectar for their long beaks. Also knocking around is the common migratory barn swallow with the swept back wings. It summers in South Africa, often as far south as Cape Town and is known to come from places like Wales in the UK, a journey of 6000 miles, completed over two months, feeding on insects in the air and beating its little wings 5-7 times a second. The QSL is from The Magic 756 in Wales, using 1 kW and heard in Kent on AM in 1996.
No comments:
Post a Comment