Birds of a Feather Eat Figs Together

A selection of figs from the garden

On Sunday morning the excited twitter of the Cape White-eyes in the new fig tree drew my attention to the orchard. I found the figs ripe and a couple already full of holes where the White-eyes had enjoyed the sweetness of the figs for their breakfast.

The Olive Thrush in the fig tree

I decided to investigate the ripeness of the figs in two other fig trees. There were some ripe purple figs that were untouched by my feathered friends, but the fig tree near the kitchen was a commotion of birds feasting on the White Genoa figs. There were Mouse-birds, White-eyes, Sparrows and an Olive Thrush all enjoying the bounty of the garden. The fruit resembled succulent-like flowers left on short stems with most of the flesh eaten away.

The Olive Thrush's mate being very hot sitting on the nest

My first instinct was to chase them away but remembering the Olive Thrush’s mate suffering in the heat on their nest in the oak tree I decided to let them be and rescue the figs that could still be eaten.

I noticed the whole Bulbul family in the tree with the parents feeding the two hungry chicks that were clumsily hopping from branch to branch. Whenever they saw their parents the chicks would start vibrating their wings and open their beaks. The parents looked exhausted and must have been glad that they could still fly away without the chicks following them.

Purple fig

White Genoa fig

I headed back to the kitchen with my harvest of figs leaving the half eaten figs on the tree for the feathered folk to finish.

Walking past the butternut vine in the orchard I noticed some healthy mature butternuts and decided that I might as well pick them while I was busy rescuing fruit.