In Touch With Nature – The African Spoonbill #Africanbirds #InTouchWithNature #poetry

Today, I am sharing about the African Spoonbill bird, which is found across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe using the format of a rensaku tanka poem. A rensaku is a series of tanka poems (syllabic poems using the form of 5/7/5/7/7) to tell a story.

I have included some of my photographs and videos to embellish the story.

African Spoonbill

Long tapering legs

Atop a pure white body

African Spoonbill

Red legs match its red eye mask

No crest adorns its sleek head

***

African Spoonbill

Named for its spatulate bill

Long and coloured grey

From side-to-side its bill swings

Open to catch tasty food

***

Living in marshes

With open shallow waters

African Spoonbill

Hunts water loving creatures

Including fish and molluscs

***

African Spoonbill

Builds its nest in colonies

In trees or reedbeds

From sticks and reeds lined with leaves

And breeds during winter months

***

To woo a female

Males develop bright plumage

She then lays five eggs

African Spoonbill males help

With incubation and care

***

Unable to fly

African Spoonbill youngsters

Are dependent for

A twenty-day period

Before leaving their parents

My YouTube video of an African Spoonbill hunting for food with the typical swaying motion:

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

___________________________________________

Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

__________________________________________

This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare.

In Touch With Nature: Halloween special – Elephant graveyard: fact or fiction #InTouchWithNature #Elephants

What is an elephants’ graveyard?

According to legend, an elephants’ graveyard is a place where old elephants instinctively go when they reach a certain age. In essence, it is a place where old elephants are believed to go to die.

Fact or fiction?

The concept of an elephant’s graveyard is a myth. However, elephant remains are often found in specific areas due to their favourable geographics. Injured or older elephants often settle in areas with easy access to water and food leading to concentrations of carcasses in those areas. In addition, group killings by hunters have also led to the discovery of numerous bones in one spot. In these cases, the tusks of the elephants are missing.

The concept of an elephant graveyard first appeared in The Ivory Child by Sir Rider Haggard (the 12th of the 18 Allan Quatermain adventures). This is a short extract of Haggard’s description of the elephant graveyard:

“Ten minutes or so more brought us to the eastern head of the lake, where the reeds whispered in the breath of the night wind like things alive. As I expected, it proved to be a bare, open space where nothing seemed to grow. Yes, and all about me were the decaying remains of elephants, hundreds of them, some with their bones covered in moss, that may have lain here for generations, and others more newly dead. They were all old beasts as I could tell by the tusks, whether male or female. Indeed about me within a radius of a quarter of a mile lay enough ivory to make a man very rich for life, since although discoloured, much of it seemed to have kept quite sound, like human teeth in a mummy case. The sight gave me a new zest for life. If only I could manage to survive and carry off that ivory! I would. In this way or in that I swore that I would! Who could possibly die with so much ivory to be had for the taking? Not that old hunter, Allan Quatermain.

Then I forgot about the ivory, for there in front of me, just where it should be, just as I had seen it in the dream-picture, was the bull elephant dying, a thin and ancient brute that had lived its long life to the last hour. It searched about as though to find a convenient resting-place, and when this was discovered, stood over it, swaying to and fro for a full minute. Then it lifted its trunk and trumpeted shrilly thrice, singing its swan-song, after which it sank slowly to its knees, its trunk outstretched and the points of its worn tusks resting on the ground. Evidently it was dead.”

You can read The Ivory Child for free on Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2841/2841-h/2841-h.htm.

The concept of an elephants’ graveyard was then popularized in some films, including Disney’s The Lion King.

Do elephants mourn their dead?

Yes, elephants do mourn their dead. They also mourn any elephant bones they come across during their long marches. They gather around and touch the dead or bones with their sensitive trunks for long periods of time.

Elephant mothers have been known to lift the bodies of their dead calves up with their trunks and put them in a place where the body is then covered with twigs, sticks, and dirt. The other female members of the herd assist in this ritual.

On a happier note, here are a few pictures of elephant calves that I saw during my recent trip to Madikwe Game Reserve:

The above painting is in Michael and my new children’s book called Sesi says goodbye to Granny. The ebook is available for preorder from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/goodbye-Granny-Southern-African-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0DKCD2Y7X

I created this ebook in landscape orientation because that better suited the pictures. It was a difficult process and the cover doesn’t show on Amazon. This is the cover:

I am now battling with the Zone over the print book. Watch this space.

Extract from Amahle’s Demon

I love elephants and they fascinate me. So much so, that my short story in Midnight Garden is also about an elephant. I wasn’t able to prepare a post for the recent tour due to my aunt’s lengthily illness (she is much better now), so I’m sharing a short extract here.

“The crunch of steps on the gravel path outside the elephant enclosure caused Amahle to look up. A young man was approaching, his stride long and loose. His broad smile displayed a set of large, straight teeth that shone whitely against the dark skin of his round face. He wore the khaki uniform of an elephant carer.

“Amahle,” the familiar voice greeted her. “I’ve brought you a treat.

Out of the corner of her left eye, Amahle saw an apple moving towards her on the outstretched palm of Themba, her primary carer.

Taking the apple, Amahle crunched it with relish, apple juice squeezing out from between her large, flat molar teeth. The man’s arm reached out again to stroke her soft trunk.

“Hello, Amahle,” Themba said. “I see you’ve been enjoying …”

Through blurry eyes, Amahle saw a snake approaching. Backing away from the potential threat, she flapped her ears in distress. Her left foot rocked up and down, kicking up a cloud of red dust.

The snake disappeared. Not knowing where it had gone, Amahle raised her trunk and trumpeted loudly.”

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

___________________________________________

Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

__________________________________________

This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare.

https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology

In Touch With Nature: The rare and beautiful brown hyena #brownhyena #Intouchwithnature

During my recent trip to Madikwe Game Reserve, I was truly privileged to see a brown hyena. Brown hyena are rare, their status is near threatened and their population is decreasing. They are also secretive and solitary scavengers who are nocturnal. Generally, the only sign I see of brown hyena activity is their footprints in the morning dew.

Brown hyenas have pointed ears and striped legs with a dark brown to black shaggy coat. The shoulders and neck are lighter in colour. Brown hyenas are smaller than spotted or laughing hyenas, standing at 0.8 metres at the shoulders and weighing approximately 40 kilograms. They have a long cream-coloured mane which extends from the back of their necks to their shoulder blades. Their legs have brown and grey bars.

The brown hyena is a carnivore but is mainly a scavenger, feeding on the carcasses of large herbivores killed by other animals. It supplements its diet with insects, birds’ eggs, and will fruits and will occasionally kill small animals. Brown hyenas have powerful jaws and young hyenas can crack the leg bones of an small antelope in five minutes. Their teeth and jaws deteriorate with age and dental wear.

Brown hyenas live in small clans ranging from a breeding pair and their young to groups of several mature males and females. The clan defends its territory as a group but they do not forage as a group. Brown hyenas live in thick bushes, deserted Aardvark burrows or caves.

Brown hyenas mark their territory by ‘pasting’, a process whereby the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland on vegetation and boulders. The anal gland is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste. I have seen this pasting in various places during safaris in the game reserve.

This is not my video but it is interesting. A brown hyena chases a leopard up a tree.

I wrote a song parady recently about the brown hyena and the fact they do not laugh like the spotted hyena. You can read it here: https://roberta-writes.com/2024/09/06/roberta-writes-thursday-doors-and-dverse-just-for-laughs-madikwe-brownhyenas-songparody/

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

___________________________________________

Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “In Touch With Nature” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.

__________________________________________

This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories and WordCrafter Press.

20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

On sale now for only $4.99

June 15 – August 31,2024

In Touch With Nature – African killer bees, friend or foe? #intouchwithnature #Africankillerbees

African honeybees, and their relatives Africanised honeybees, have gained the nickname “killer bees” due to their aggressive behaviour. A BBC article entitled Flying threat: Why are killer bees so dangerous? (by Jon Kelly) stated the following:

“They surround you in their multitudes – hundreds, maybe thousands of them, swooping and stinging and injecting venom into your flesh.

They might go for your eyes. Or fill up your mouth, nostrils and ears. You will have to run hundreds of yards to escape, if you can see where you are going.

And the air fills with the pheromone that tells the bees to protect their colony. Apparently, it smells like bananas.”

This article referred to Africanised honeybees which came about as a result of human intervention resulting in the mating of Brazilian honeybees with Southern African honeybees.”

Having witnessed an attack by African honeybees on my family’s dogs, I can vouch for the truth of these comments. This incident occurred when I was a teenager and both dogs had to have blood transfusions. They only survived because they jumped into the swimming pool. It was a traumatic event for me, and I’ve written a few poems, paragraphs and a short story about killer bees.

African honeybees are a lot more hostile than other bees due to their natural environment having far more predators looking to destroy their hives for honey. Some of these predators are ants, anteaters, armadillos, honey badgers, and bee eater birds. African honeybees attack in far greater numbers than Europeans bees which makes them dangerous to humans. When disturbed, they will also chase humans far further than European bees and remain agitated for much longer. However, it should be noted that the venom of African honeybees is no more toxic than European bees.

African honeybees occur in the natural veld of South African and Central Africa and is an important pollinator of flowering plants, including many thorn trees such as acacia trees (the favourite food of giraffes). Without African honeybees, southern Africa would not have many of the fruit and vegetables that grow in this region.

South African cultural stories about African honeybees

In the Xhosa culture (Madiba clan), visitation by a swarm of bees is presumed to be a message from the ancestors who would like the family to do something for them (e.g. the brewing of traditional African beer (umqombothi) and/or the slaughtering of a goat). If the bees produced honey while they were visiting, all honey combs will be removed by a member of the family and placed on small branches before being consumed. But most importantly, words of respect will be said to the bees as they are being persuaded to leave.

In the Pedi culture, a swarm of bees in the yard is always taken as a symbol of the ancestors bringing luck to the family. One needs to then prepare some kind of African beer, but it should not ferment like umqombothi. It is called mashifa, and the sorghum should still be strong and prevalent in the water. You then summon the ancestors accordingly and acknowledge their presence and let them know that you anticipate the good wishes or blessings. The bees are never chased away or killed, and are left in peace to leave of their own accord.

Also in the Pedi culture, the queen bee is used in traditional strengthening. The queen bee is alive when she reaches the traditional healer, but is then respectfully killed and mixed in with a concoction that is applied to the face daily or weekly. This is to subdue your enemies and command respect from those around you – just like the queen bee does in the colony.

This information is from the South African National Biodiversity Institute here: https://www.sanbi.org/animal-of-the-week/african-honeybee/

BBC Earth Youtube video of an African killer bee hive:

Invasion

The colonization of much of the western hemisphere by the African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) in the last 60 years is one of the most rapid and impressive biological invasions in recent history (Schneider et al 2004). Originally, African honey bees were thought to displace European honey bee subspecies through hybridization and to give rise to “Africanized honey bees” in Latin America. However the incredible success of African bees that have invaded European populations, has led to much of the European characteristics to be lost and existing honey bee populations to remain essentially African in their nesting behavior (McNally and Schneider 1992), swarming and absconding behavior (Otis et al 2002; Rubink et al 1996; Schneider 1995; Schneider and McNally 1992 and 1994; Sousa et al 2002), foraging and diet selection (Fewell and Bertran 2002; Schneider and Hall 1997; Schneider and McNally 1993), and  maternal DNA characteristics (Clarke et al 2001 and 2002; Hall 1999; Segura 1989).

This information is extracted from this article: https://bee-health.extension.org/africanized-bees-better-understanding-better-prepared/

I’m closing with this extract that should serve as a lesson to humankind about interfering with nature. But it won’t!

Below is a poem duo I wrote about African bees. The poems are extracted from my book, Lion Scream.

Searching for a Home

An overcrowded hive
Results in a split
The old queen and her maids prepare for a move
Some drones are invited
To join their party
***
Scouts take off in a group
Searching high and low
For a safe and secure place to make their own
The swarm waits patiently
In a nearby tree
***
Under a wooden floor
The best place is found
The scouts return and perform their waggle dance
Giving clear directions
To the nesting site

Eviction

Prepped for occupation
The bees move in fast
Much to the chagrin of the resident dogs
Who attempt to drive off
The enemy force
***
The warriors line up
Ready for action
Their gold and black attire carefully designed
To strike fear into hearts
Ensuring respect
***
Unified bombardment
By the deadly cloud
Sends the dogs running, desperate to escape
Useless resistance
Swiftly overcome

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “In Touch With Nature” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.

__________________________________________

This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories and WordCrafter Press.

20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

On sale now for only $4.99

June 15 – August 31,2024

https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost