Not a name you probably are familiar with but this is a bird.
So, as I’ve mentioned before, I live in beautiful Johannesburg and Johannesburg is said to be the largest man made forest in the world. It does have a lot of trees and consequently a whole lot of birds. You could sit on your patio and spot the prettiest birds whilst sipping a cocktail.
The hadeda is one of those birds. However, it is not a pretty bird. It is noisy and annoying. It has such a distinct call that sounds like ‘KAA KAA’ jerking you out of whatever good mood you might have been in.
In addition to being very loud, it poops on every nice surface you have available. They graze in your garden for whatever all day long, taking time out to poo on whatever flat surface is nearest – most likely your lovely entertainment outdoor space – and at night, they nest very nicely in all the trees we have around us. Just waiting for 4.30am to wake you up very rudely. (As i write this I can see two of them on my flat roof relieving themselves without wiping their butts. You can tell I’m not a fan.)
In a house I lived before, they were such a menace. I spent weeks searching for humane ways to get rid of them. They would walk up very calmly to the sliding doors and do their business on the patio. I understand that the nitrogen content is so high in their deposits that it was so hard to get their poop off the concrete and tiles.
At the conclusion of my research, I walked into a toy store and bought 3 plastic snakes. I placed them on the patio and watched. I also changed the their positions two to three times a day. It was almost a full time job and the results were well worth it. No birds and no crapping on the patio anymore.
Well, until I got complacent and forgot to switch the snakes and the pesky birds caught on to me. They would step over the snakes and promptly do their business. I moved out of that house soon after, thank goodness. ( Oh, I forgot to tell you they used to bully and eat Linus’ (my dog) food too so, he spent a fair amount of time chasing them. He’s a small dog and they are big birds. No, he didn’t win.)
Now I live somewhere, where they just do it on the roof and higher up flat surfaces. You see what I mean in this image. (Me in my study, it perched in a floodlight)
I’m resigned to their horrid calls but I will fight for my patio; all the time.
P.S. Apologies if you are a lover. (Not really :))
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