Simon Barnes Author and Journalist

Sports and Wild Blog

Simon Barnes
  • Home
  • Biog
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Pictures
  • Contact
  • Twitter

How I inveigled this really nice bird into my bathroom…

5 November 2018 by Simon Barnes 4 Comments

Sacred Combe Safari III

Day 6

How I love my hut. On these trips I get to spend four nights in the same small hut out in the middle of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia and it’s never long before I feel a sense of ownership. True, it offers frail protection from the bush, and on occasions the wildlife drops in for a visit. That of course is why I love it.

There comes a point on these trips when my beard gets unacceptably bushy, and it was time to run a mower over the virile stubble. I unpacked the electric trimmer and took it into the bathroom. It was quite a bathroom: en suite, and with everything you could wish for – shower, flush lav, mirror – except a roof.

So you take your plein air shower and trim your beard in the same bracingly outdoor fashion. I switched on, filled the air with the machine’s busy buzzing and peered at my strangely brown face in the mirror. A couple of seconds later there was a whirr just behind my right ear and there in the mirrors, as clear as I could see myself and nearly as close, a chunky black and white bird. It was a tropical boubou: a shrike relative, with a bright yellow eye, about the size of a blackbird.

It had heard the sound, and being a smart and curious bird, it came to investigate: from natural scientific curiosity and the longshot possibility that there might be food involved. The bird inspected me gravely for about 30 seconds before deciding that I was interesting but inedible. Off it flew with another whirr. I completed the task and then, once again neat-bearded, I retreated to my bed and my book… until I was aware of another presence inside the flimsy walls of the hut.

A bird, a size smaller than a sparrow, was moving with buoyant pogo hops across the floor. It caught the light and glowed like a little living coal… Jameson’s firefinch: a common bird of the Valley, relaxed and content around humans: and bold enough to share my living quarters. 

firefinch

in my grass hut – 

please don’t set the walls alight!

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted in Wildblog

Comments

  1. Jolyon Barton says

    5 November 2018 at 10:01 pm

    Magical. Are you sure you hadn’t had too many Malawi Shandys though Simon?!

    Reply
  2. Anthony Bird says

    6 November 2018 at 10:21 am

    Well, a really interesting title there, Simon, followed by a very interesting description of wildlife that I will never see in its natural habitat, I will now look that up and hopefully get my enjoyment that way,
    Thanks once again,
    Regards, Anthony

    Reply
  3. Mike Davis says

    7 November 2018 at 6:04 am

    Lovely story. Like the idea that your shaver attracted the bird in. Reminds me of my visit to Luangwa in July. I was at Tena Tena camp and we were having supper at the bar when the nightwatchman arrived to say a young hyena had got into one of the guest’s bathrooms. Luckily it was discovered before she returned to her room !!

    Reply
  4. Elaine Johnson says

    12 November 2018 at 11:44 pm

    Got to stick up for you there, Simon. Years ago my late dad and I kept small finches and the firefinch was a fearless tiny chap who came on to dad’s hand to collect feathers for his nest. I prefer to support all birds in the wild now but our small aviaries were at least better than cages.

    Reply

Please leave a comment Cancel reply

Receive Blog Updates By Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,417 other subscribers.

Recent Comments

  • Penny Woollams on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Rob Howell on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Jolyon Barton on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Michael Clark on Cousin Caterpillar… one day he’ll wake with wings
  • Alan P on Swift as a bow from an arrow…

Categories

  • Myblog (7)
  • Sportsblog (7)
  • Wildblog (215)

Archives

  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014

© Simon Barnes · info@simonbarnesauthor.co.uk
Home page photograph © David Bebber · Bird drawings © foxillustration.com
Created by Purple Hippo

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.