I have been eating so many figs the last three days, I have made so much jam. But the birds have been the time of their lives as well. Whilst I have harvested probably close to three kilograms of figs, there are still plenty on the tree to feed the many hungry birds that return each year.
The Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens) chits and chats whilst it flies from one fig to the other. I do not think they are strong enough to break open the figs, so they fly from one broken fig to another. The tough skins on some of the figs are most likely broken by one of the friends I will show below.
But in their wake, they left a scene of destruction. Broken figs, half-eaten fruits. But this is a wonderful scene, one of rejoicing: The birds are here and happy and alive, and they are also celebrating nature's abundance.
We can so easily think of this as a negative situation, in which we become mad at the birds that eat our fruit. We can try and keep them out and harvest all the fruit for ourselves, but that is not how nature works; nature is about sharing and taking just enough so that others might also rejoice in the beauty of abundance.
Because next year, there will be again fruit, and the birds will most likely return again, and the cycle repeats itself year after year.
And who are we to take away the figs from these lovely friends, just see how they are enjoying it!
The Cape white-eye in particular loves the figs. They come in droves, they chit and chat whilst I take photographs of them. They have grown accustomed to the shuttering of my camera.
Triumphantly, he sits there with his beak full of fruit! It is mine, it shouts, all mine!
Soon, the southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) arrives on the wafts of the sugary smell that hangs in the air for miles on end. The tree is basically a massive signpost: Come eat me!
Their shrill shouting attracts many other friends, they have announced to the world that there are unlimited figs! Come friends from far away, come!
The white-backed mousebird (Colius colius) comes in a swift move, silently picking open the fruits. They are so shy, I cannot get to them. Only glimpses. But they leave most of the figs open, the cape white-eye is thankful for them, as they break open the tough skins of the fruit.
Like a thief, the fruits disappear as they hungrily consume the flesh. They fly in big flocks, they swoop in, they call me as they know I will not be fast enough, mockingly. And then they fly away.
In the end, they leave destruction, but they feed the soil with their droppings, with hopefully new fig plants sprouting and growing into new fig trees for future birds. The cycle continues.
I hope you enjoyed the showcasing of birds in my fig tree! All of the photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and 300mm zoom lens. The musings are also my own. Happy birding, and stay safe!
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @ladytitan ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Nice post beautiful photos!
I think figs belong more to birds than to us, as a human race I mean.
They at least contribute to the cycle of life while we men are doing everything to exterminate nature.
Thanks for sharing, I loved your post!
Thank you so much for the comment and visit! That is so true. We humans are always on the destructive pathway. I do not know why we should be like this. But we can have a fig or two to treat ourselves!
Yes we can and it would be a fantastic gift... there would be figs for the birds to peck and figs for us... that would be great!
Balance is key. I went away for a while and all the figs on the tree became the birds' figs! It must have been a feast because all that is left is a big mess haha