Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Dark-backed Weaver
The riches of Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve explained by Glenwood resident and chair of the Friends of Pigeon Valley.
This is the 20th in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be on the Dark-backed Weaver.
Visitors to Pigeon Valley may wonder at the loud, ‘creaking gate’ call that sounds in the forest area. That description may not seem attractive, but the call of the Dark-backed Weaver is evocative and musical, especially when three or four of the birds are calling together.
When they call together, it seems that they encourage other birds to join in, giving a forest symphony, as on the following video clip:
Here you can hear as a group is joined by the chattering of Terrestrial Brownbuls and by the calls of the Square-tailed Drongo, Spectacled Weaver and Black-headed Oriole.
ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Slender Mongoose
It is also a beautiful bird with its deep orange chest, moving through the dead branches and exploring crevices for insects, often less than a metre from a relaxed observer. Of all the weavers, this is the species most attuned to the forest – its previous name was in fact Forest Weaver. It builds its nest strategically at the bottom of a dangling strand that often looks completely insecure. That is the point – monkeys will not want to chance a precipitous drop to the floor when they get near the nest, as they realise that their weight will snap the strand.
Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.
The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.
Do you want to receive news alerts on this and many other stories relevant to the Durban area via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
