Cape Town Guinea Fowl

[Gill-b]

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

These following pictures are not very sharp, but with having twisted my ankle six days ago, and still recovering from a broken hand, my photography has not been at my best lately. However, I would like to show what this season's keets look like at the moment. The blue on their heads is almost iridescent in the sunlight...

I am trying to calculate roughly how old they are now...

...mmmmmh about three and a half months? Maybe a few days older?

 

[Gill-b]

Oh yes... in these pictures (previous post) you will see that some keets have their beaks open. This is not because they are calling out or making any kind of vocal sounds. It is because it is 37 degrees Celsius here today. That is about 99 degrees Fahrenheit. So their beaks are open to help cool themselves down.

 

[Gill-b]

I found this "lost" photo of Hop-a-long which I took at the end of November last year.
I really like it. Me thinks I have a very romantic view of this Guinea?

 

[Gill-b]

The heatwave, with record temperatures, finally broke on Monday, and the cooler weather of autumn has begun. The family units have joined together to form flocks and my neighbourhood Guineas have been visiting regularly in a flock of 16 individuals.

Yesterday morning (overcast with the promise of rain), this flock chased off another smaller flock, doing zoomies all over the road and around the block, before coming back and settling down for a visit with me. As per what has become normal, Hop-a-long stayed with me inside my yard and "chatted" with my dog, Jasper, and to me, while the others chased and feather pulled outside the gate.

Above pic: a Guinea flying up onto my neighbour's gate. See how the two Guineas on the ground turn themselves sideways, and lift their wings, to the cat in order to make themselves appear larger to it. [I still have a huge! cat problem here with eight cats living in houses close around me, using my garden as a toilet and a playground.]

Above pic: safer up here.