Family’s Bond with Two Dikkops Nesting in Their Backyard Will Make You Smile!

Photo Credit: Desmond Wells

When Hansie and Grietjie took up residence in the Wells’ yard, they became a part of the family!

Cape Town, South Africa (10 September 2025) – For two years, Hansie and Grietjie lived across the road. The dikkop pair (also known as thick-knees) had made the open field opposite Desmond and Leané Wells’ home their base.

They tried raising chicks twice, but unfortunately, none survived against the neighbourhood cats.

Then, in September last year, they did something different. They crossed the road and set up their nest right in the Wells’ front garden.

From that day on, their story has been shared by Desmond, a Cape Town musician, in a social media saga that has fully melted our hearts.

Desmond did what many of us would do. He made the two birds a part of the family, starting with names. Hansie en Grietjie. And then he asked the internet for help.

“I’ve made it my mission to ensure that from now on their chicks survive every time, because it nearly broke our hearts when they used to just disappear without a trace by the next morning,” Desmond shared.

At first, he reached out to Tweet Tweet Rescue and Rehab for guidance. They advised him to provide food so that the parents wouldn’t have to leave the nest unattended.

So began a daily ritual of serving them scrambled egg, dried mealworms, and fresh water. Hansie and Grietjie approved. Even if they sometimes gave him a hard stare for being late.

With the extra help, something beautiful happened. For the first time, the chicks survived. Adam and Eva grew strong and eventually left to find their own homes. Then came Gizmo, recognisable by the little tuft on his head.

Along the way, there have been some difficult goodbyes and scares. The first chicks bid farewell and then little Gizmo was clipped by a neighbour’s car. Thankfully, under the Wells’ care, he made a miraculous recovery.

For a year now, Desmond has kept a running commentary on their antics. The fiercely protective Hansie and Grietjie even earned the titles of ‘watch birds’.

“I could probably cancel our security because nobody dares to step into our yard with these watch birds of mine,” Desmond joked.

Since September 2024, Hansie and Grietjie’s backyard nursery has produced more than three chicks, a record for the couple. And the story isn’t over yet. Just a week ago the soft-spoken, kind-hearted Desmond shared the news of two more little dikkops on the way.