Hoopoe in my Backyard!

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/4968271-md.jpg

My boys and I spread some bird seed in the garden beds over the weekend. I like to do this for a few reasons:

• the birds deposit manure right where I want them to
• the birds scratch up the dirt mixing in the manure
• while they are searching for seeds they will occasionally find a pest to eat
• the accidentally bury some of the seeds which will later sprout and either provide them food for later or I snip it out leaving the roots to provide additional organic matter to the beds
• and finally it is just fun to bird watch!

About an hour after the seeds were cast, I walked by the sliding glass doors and saw a bird I had not seen since I was touring through southern Africa. It was the amazingly beautiful Hoopoe. It saw me immediately and took to wing. Unfortunately I didn't have time to get the boys or my wife or a camera, but just getting to glimpse such a creature reminds me, yet again, why having a garden is such a worthwhile effort.

Another Hoopoe with the feathers of its head (crown) down.

http://www.birdsofeden.co.za/userfiles/article/birdpics/hoopoe02.jpg

Here is a distrubution map for the Hoopoe, for all you bird nerds like me out there.

Green: resident population

Orange: breeding summer visitor

Blue: wintering

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Upupa_distribution.png