Barry Maitland-Stuart and his daughter spent their lockdown bird watching thanks to a fun activity book – the quality time together helped them spot 46 incredible birds too!
Johannesburg, South Africa (30 September 2020) – Barry Maitland-Stuart found out that Johannesburg has an incredible population of birds in every colour, shape and size. His awareness of the varieties of species started when his daughter got the Faansie Peacock bird book for kids.
Barry and his daughter live close to Delta Park in Randburg which is filled with birdlife. Delta Park is known as the green lung of northern Johannesburg and the park is home to the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary.
The sanctuary covers an area of 7.5hectars and is home to over 250 species of bird. The sanctuary has dams and hides and is a great escape to go bird watching for the day. The park was once considered unsafe but through new funding and community involvement, it is being restored to its former glory as one of the city’s oldest sanctuaries.
As Barry and his daughter live so close, they were able to identify 46 species of bird in their garden. Barry shared a thread on Twitter about all the birds spotted in his garden and now we can’t wait to get our bird books and binos out to see if we can beat his score!
Take a look at all his sightings below.
1. Cape Turtle Dove
2. Red-eyed Dove
3. Laughing Dove
4. Speckled Pigeon pic.twitter.com/3EvhyUBdqQ— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
8. Cape Sparrow
9. Lesser Masked Weaver
10. Southern Masked Weaver
11. Thick Billed Weaver pic.twitter.com/Ezehoatlkb— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
16. Cape Glossy Starling
17. Indian Mynah
18. Hadeda Ibis
19. Sacred IbisThe Hadeda and Myna tend to elicit mixed feelings but I think they’re both underappreciated. The Hadeda is a free lawn tine and the Myna is phenomenally smart (and canters when it runs, which is cool). pic.twitter.com/NIuvFItE4H
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
23. Blacksmith Lapwing
24. Crowned Lapwing
25. Spotted Thick-knee
26. Dark Capped BulbulConfession, I saw the Thick Knee over the fence but I’m claiming it. pic.twitter.com/vEcxnWYzZ8
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
31. African Hoopoe
32. Green Wood Hoopoe
33. Grey Turaco (Go-away bird)Three birds I’m always cheered to see in the garden. Turacos are thugs but I love them and I love the Wood Hoopoe’s gang noise. It’s Zulu name, iNhlekabafazi, couldn’t be any more accurate. pic.twitter.com/8CnLHtmi2E
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
38. Paradise Flycatcher
39. Burchell’s Coucal
40. White Bellied Sunbird
41. Morocco SunbirdThe Paradise Flycatcher was a real surprise when I spotted his vivid orange tail hanging below one of the branches. pic.twitter.com/AGf7YvYoOr
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
And finally, number 46, the honourable Pied Crow. The saviour of nestlings and one of my favourites (I’ve always been a sucker for a bird with brains).
And then a nod to the Black Headed Oriole, who we’ve heard but haven’t spotted yet. pic.twitter.com/kJ7cBK6AwA
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020
Learning about birds via my enthusiastic daughter (whose passion can be directly attributed to someone giving her a copy of @birdnerdfaansie‘s kids guide) was my highlight of lockdown. We often fantasise about escaping to nature without realising it’s visiting us every day.
— Barry Maitland-Stuart (@OrchestralGnu) September 29, 2020