Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Our Ground Hornbill Residents…

We have been proud of this fact for a few years now, and it became a hot topic of discussion just the other day when we spotted our family of Ground Hornbills, at the bottom of our property, milling around in the tall winter grass.

Rorke’s Drift Lodge has been home to a family of Ground Hornbills that has over the years now grown to a family of 8 members.

The family consists of mom and dad of course, with 5 juveniles that have split from mom and dad, and then a brand new addition to the family.

The interesting thing about this is that Ground Hornbills are extremely territorial but these parents are still sharing their territory with the younger members that are fast maturing. The juvi’s seem to have taken over the duties of looking after the newest addition of the family which is spectacular to witness.

It’s an amazing site to see these larger than life feathered beauties, hearing them call with their distinct call that you will only hear in Africa. We look forward to be graced with their frequent presence this winter season!