I had the guests in stitches on my vehicle yesterday. I tend to be biased towards my gender but being the fairer sex in more than one way I have to throw a story in every now and again for the men - poor dears.

A little flock of redbilled woodhoopoes was enjoying a late afternoon social gathering in an old umbrella thorn cackling away to each other as they do. I told the guests that the zulu's call them Hleka Abafazi which translates into the cackling of the women - so named because they sound like a gathering of old women.

They do make quite a spectacular sight in their black and white plumage with flashes of red beak as they move through the trees looking for insects in the cracks and crevaces of the tree bark.

• 17/10/2009 12:21 - Yes! She is back!!!!!!
• 07/03/2009 08:59 - Another Perfect moment
• 05/03/2009 17:20 - A Magnificent Sight
• 11/12/2008 12:20 - Why I Prefer Trees (part II)
• 03/12/2008 16:12 - raptures for raptors
• 17/11/2008 16:28 - A new one
• 14/11/2008 09:49 - Trapped Indoors Again
• 10/11/2008 09:27 - Crowned eagles and early humans