Open Writing

Burchell’s Coucal is a Southern African cuckoo, though he doesn’t usurp the nests of other birds. He is a handsome bird, fairly large, and has the most wonderful call that sounds just like water gurgling down a spout. Local inhabitants say this call is a presage of rain and call it the Rain Bird.

Unfortunately, he has some nasty habits. The Coucal is a predator, a carnivore by nature, only rarely partaking of fruit. He will eat anything meaty: insects, small lizards, snails, mice and other small rodents. His favourite meals, however, are found in the nests of other birds.

A-hunting he will go!
Burchells coucal is a lovely bird,
He’s handsome as can be,
With smart russet wings,
Broad, black tail, creamy chest and glossy black helmet.
His beak is hooked, his brown eyes
Gleaming and scheming...
He’s called the Rain Bird:
When he’s out and about, you’ll hear his call
water gurgling through a spout
Glug-lug-lug-lug-lug-lug-lug,
chuckling, up and down.
He skulks in shrubbery,
Lurks in trees, or,
Caught in the open, he scuttles, head down,
For shelter.
Other feathered friends
Fly and flap in frenzy,
Begin to shriek and caw,
They call each other – ‘Rally ‘round,
The hunter stalks his prey
Guard your nests,
Chase the prowling predator!’

All join the fray
Starlings, glossy-blue, shriek and curse,
A cacophony that rasps the nerves,
They’re in and out of the tree, harrying,
Chasing that ‘lovely’ bird
Yellow-headed weavers chirr and flutter in outrage
And glossy green sunbirds dance in agitation,
Twittering as loud as they can.
Sparrows, brown and grey, shout and dive-bomb the tree,
Again and again…
An hour – or is it two – later,
The beautiful predator finally flees,
Scuttling from tree to tree.
Chased by feathered force,
He sneaks away over the wall,
Under cover of the creeper,
Quietly disappearing..
Silence.
Quiet chirps and chitterings return
And peace reigns in the garden.

Until next time… ‘here comes Treble!’

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By Isabel Bradley Thursday, 02 December 2010