Cape Town Guinea Fowl

[Gill-b]

These next four are of an unnamed Guinea...

 

[Gill-b]

Two-toes doing zoomies.

Huh? Two-toes looks like he is running backwards while moving forwards?

Weird optical illusion.

 

[Gill-b]

A pair of Egyptian Geese have been spending time in the play-park at the end of our road. I am guessing that they are resting up after their migratory flight. I have been spotting more and more Egyptian Geese as they arrive down South for our summer months here.
Now the Guinea Fowl and the geese have been having "yelling" competitions in the mornings. Normally the Guineas are not that vocal. I don't know who sets who off?

...but on a whole they seem to get on fine.

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[Gill-b]

Silly boys!

They only do this in the "silly" season.

 

[R2elk]

Silly boys!

They only do this in the "silly" season.

Fighting their reflections.

 

[Gill-b]

Hop-a-long, so special to me.
He is such a good caregiver in his family unit.

 

[fowltemptress]

Hop-a-long, so special to me.
He is such a good caregiver in his family unit.

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They look so long and streamlined compared to our domestic guinea fowl over here.

 

[Gill-b]

For the first 25 days after my last post on this thread (which was made 44 days ago), the Guinea Fowl visited me on intermittent days, mainly in separate pairs or on rare occasions in very small groups which were at most never more than five Guineas.

Then on the 4th of October, I broke my hand in an accident, and in the days leading up to today, I have been using the time to heal and therefore have not been up-and-about early enough in the morning to greet any Guineas should they have been here visiting.

This morning I awoke in time to hear them outside, and when I went to look I was greeted by a family unit with at least nine adults... and with keets... five of them!

Above: Two-toes is in the foreground (the closest Guinea), doing his duty as protector. If you zoom in on the image, you might see his distinctive white toes. In the background, I placed a white arrow, pointing at Hop-a-long.

Above: Grazing in the long grass.

Above: A neighbour, climbing into her car, is off to work. The white arrow is once again pointing at Hop-a-long.

Above: The Guineas getting ready to cross the street. The males leading and on the flanks, but notice how Hop-a-long stays with the keets. I love this about him and the dynamic of this family unit!

Above: Safely across the road and into the street-close where there is less morning traffic. Right after this photograph was taken, a pair of Pied crows flew over low in hunting mode.


I can only guess at how old the five keets are? They may have been here before in the days since my accident, but this is the first time I am seeing them. They look strong and healthy. I hope they visit again tomorrow.

 

[Gill-b]

I was up early this morning to catch the arrival of the Guineas, but I was met with utter chaos!

Members of the family unit were high speed running around the block trying to find each other, while the bully chased or crashed into them. Members would find one another and then split apart again in all different directions. A keet screaming, not knowing who to follow; and I have no idea where the other four keets were as I could only see the one. That same one keet flew up onto the wall to avoid been trampled on. I tried calling Hop-a-long to come through my gate to the safety of my garden, but he was torn between coming towards me and finding all the keets. Meanwhile, neighbours impatiently leaving for work in their cars, and careless teenagers walking to school, and Guineas freaking out trying to avoid all of them, while neighbourhood dogs barked in the background.

Eventually I closed my gate, went inside and went back to bed.

Above: A Guinea and the keet looking down from the wall on the chaos below.

 

[Gill-b]

...then later this morning...

I heard the familiar gentle calling which the Guineas use to get my attention, and when I went outside I found Hop-a-long and Two-toes standing calmly at my gate. The rest of the family unit came closer when they saw I had come out to greet them. The bully was nowhere to be seen.

Above: I can only identify the female, Uno. She is from last year's brood and is the one below the stop sigh with the keet hiding behind her.

Above: I like this little guy seen here, in the centre of the picture, standing straight up. Definitely not sure of this strange new person.

Above: The little guy is like, "Mom, is it okay to go closer?"

Above: Mom is like, "Go ahead Junior. Go to the other keets. I'm right behind you."

Above: I personally absolutely love this picture, purely for the Guineas that are in it! Hop-a-long is on the left, always the keet caretaker; a keet from this year's brood is in the middle; and TTJ (Two-toes Junior) from last year's brood is on the right.

Above: Two-toes (the original one) with one of this year's keets.

I think the keets are around four to five weeks old?