Along with the many reasons why so many of us love this time of year, one of the main reasons for me is that the landscaping around the camps consists of a great variety of indigenous aloes. In the harsh landscape of winter, these unique plants create beautiful scenes with flowers in all vibrant shades of red, orange, and golden yellow. The colours attract the attention of not only the staff and our guests but also some very special and equally beautiful visitors: the sunbirds.
A beautiful Scarlet-chested Sunbird.
For me, sunbirds are some of the most beautiful birds in Southern Africa, with very fascinating beaks that inject right into the flower of the aloe in search of their daily dose of nectar, it can be very fascinating taking some time of your day to just stop and watch them go about their business.
Two Collared Sunbirds feeding on a winter aloe. The iridescent green throat and upper parts, yellow belly, and bluish-purple breast make this little bird extremely striking.
At Londolozi we see four different species of Sunbird on a common basis:
- Collared Sunbird,
- Marico Sunbird,
- Scarlet Chested Sunbird
- White Bellied Sunbird.
One not so common but geographically does range into the area is the Amethyst Sunbird making it possible to see five of them in around Londolozi.
Along with the Collared Sunbirds, White-bellied Sunbirds are abundant and relaxed sometimes even flying right past us in order to get their fill of nectar from some nearby aloes.
During the peak of winter, the aloe flowering is in full force and the hive of activity around them is palpable. A number of sunbirds weave in and out of the aloes, hopping from one to the next in search of the delicious nectar. Accompanying them are a host of bees and other insects and birds. As a spectacle, it is something magnificent to witness. However, we know bird photography in general, can be a challenge as the little critters hardly sit still for long enough before fluttering on elsewhere. One needs to do things in a certain way in order to get the most out of the sunbirds, as they can be relatively shy, flying off into the thicker vegetation at any slight disturbance.
How to get the most out of time with the Sunbirds?
- The best time is the early morning as the sun is up enough to warm things slightly but still soft to cast its golden light and activity is at its highest.
- A larger lens helps (option to hire from the photographic studio)- allowing you to sit slightly further away and wait for them to return.
- A tripod or monopod comes in handy to help keep the larger lens stable for sharper images and the prevention of fatigue from holding it up.
- The correct settings- A shallow depth of field helps to accentuate the sunbirds and aloes against a blurred background. Fast enough shutter speed so that the images are sharp.
- Patience- either choosing to focus on one aloe with the hopes that the birds land on that aloe, or attempting to follow the birds around (frustrating, I tell you).
Enjoy a few pictures of some of our resident Sunbirds:
Probably the least common and most sort after Sunbird we get here at Londolozi, the Marico Sunbird. Identified by its Maroon breast band, this bird is more commonly found in the thornveld terrain, however on the odd occasion, in and around the gardens of the Londolozi camps it is sometimes found hovering for nectar.
The beautifully striking Scarlet-chested Sunbird. To me, one of the most beautiful birds around. With its plain black back, it can be easily overlooked, however as it turns and catches one’s eye the scarlet breast and lower throat will amaze you with its beauty, especially through binoculars. Image by Tony Goldman.
A male white-bellied sunbird uses its long, decurved bill to probe deeply into an aloe flower in order to extract the nectar. The White Bellied Sunbird has a very distinctive call. “zwe-ick, zwe-ick ” notes leading into a fast metallic trill will catch your attention in and around the aloes.
Collared Sunbirds are not only the most abundant here but are also some of the more relaxed sunbirds and willingly return to the aloes shortly after realising we are not a threat.
Juvenile Scarlet-chested Sunbirds have not yet developed the stunning adult plumage, however are amazing to capture against the bright backdrop of the colourful ales.
It’s not only the colours of the birds that make these images stand out but also the aloes adding such vibrance.
Image by Tony Goldman
Sunbirds thrive in the winter feeding on the copious amounts of nectar available from the aloes. Turn the clock to the summer when the aloes are no longer flowering, the sunbirds then rely on a number of different insects and spiders as the predominant food source, while feeding on the nectar of the odd flower that’s available.
Such stunning birds definitely do brighten up the dull winter landscape and are by far my favourite. Make sure to look out for them while walking on the camp paths this winter season.
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Fantastic blog Dan. The aloes were just blooming when I was there in April but unfortunately I never spotted a sunbird. We don’t see these birds in Northern California in my area, just Annas Hummingbirds, Scrub jays and Crows and they’re not too interested in the flowers I have in the yard-maybe it’s time to plant some aloes. Your selection of photos are fantastic!
Hi Dan, this explosion of colours is a therapy! Nature at her best
Dan, Thanks for the education on these gorgeous birds! The info is great and the images are spectacular! We added a couple to our favorites!
Lovely!!! Thank you Dan.
Beautiful birds, captured with great patience . Thanks for sharing one of Londolozi’s easily overlooked species. The plumage is spectacular.
Wonderful , birds are so much trickier than large mammals to photograph
Beautiful Dan all the sunbird in their stunning Ray of colors. Each and everyone is unique in it’s own way. They always look so happy and very busy. Aloes are also so beautiful with the colors of yellow, reds and orange.
Quite a panoply. Thank you . . . exquisite
Beautiful photos Dan. The sunbirds are exquisite ‼️💓💓
Wow, that are colours. Fantastic. Tried it this year also, but I see I have to learn a lot. Thanks for that blog.
Amazing photos of these colorful and pretty birds.
Nature really is full of wonders, the colors of these birds are just stunning
Thanks for the bit about sunbirds. They are some of my favorite birds in South Africa. And I’ve always appreciated aloes. Such spectacular colors. But…..my favorites are the proteas. Especially the king proteas. If you drive toward the Cullinan fishing lodge there is a whole hillside covered in proteas.
What a great article! Such magnificent little birds! I could look at them all day. Such striking plumages – brilliant!
Thanks for a really nice blog Dan on the sunbirds and aloe flowers. I love birds and these birds are exquisite, as are the aloe flowers. The one pic showing the bird with its beak in the flower is amazing, but all are lovely. Thanks for doing your blog on birds – thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks, Leonie that was my photo .
Thanks ,Dan for the beautiful blog about the Sunbirds. Sunbirds have always been a special favorite of mine and have planned some previous trips in May when the Aloes are flowering and the Sunbirds are plentiful. I am also honoured that you chose 2 of my photos to use for this blog which I presume you got from the Londolozi archives. They are the male Scarlet Chested Sunbird up close in the middle of the photos and the White bellied male which was the last one. I took them in May 2014.
Stunning photos, Dan!
Interesting post with lovely photos. I had recently read article on sunbirds that discusses how their iridescent feathers heat up more in the sun than other types of feathers, so they will dart from the flowers into more shady areas. So sunbirds don’t spend too much of their time in the hot sun!