bee eaters and badgers

One of the most colorful and interesting birds on Phinda for me is surely the little bee eater, they are so tiny yet they labor along and build burrows in banks as deep as 70 cm long and lay their tiny clutch of eggs. A day or two previously my tracker, Dumi Q, had seen one of these nests and was keen to show myself and my guests. On approaching the nest early in the morning and still about 30 meters away Dumi started shaking his head in concern for the little bee eaters, the reason being was there where fresh honey badger tracks heading down the road in the same direction. Our worries where confirmed, the honey badger tracks led right up to the burrow clearly sniffed out the birds and dug straight in to claim his colorful snack. All that was left where a few feathers, tracks and a bigger burrow that something else will surely use as a home in the future.

Posted: Phinda by Seth Vorster, Date: 28 October 2007