Hawaiian bird orchestra, led by the shrieking francolin.
Usually I write about life that lives in the ocean. Today, birds.
These beautiful Hawaiian islands are filled with birds, and the birds are filled with song. The resulting orchestra keeps changing instruments depending on the time of day, how far above sea level you are, and even the season (yes, we have seasons !)
I live right by the ocean, in an area always quite warm, always quite dry. It's a tiny geographical niche, and some birds choose it above anywhere else.
The francolins are a case in point. A local kind of quail, with the most outlandish loud squack you can imagine. This little tan bird scuttles unassumingly around on the ground, loves dustbaths, can fly but prefers the scuttling around way of getting places. Where it really stands out is the squack. It stands still, takes in a big breath so its chest puffs up, leans back its tiny head and then pushes the head forward really fast as it sounds forth with this Amazing Piercing Call. Sometimes I swear one of them is going to tumble over giving this performance. A second shriek requires all the above steps get repeated.
At dawn, all kinds of birds seem to wait for just one single francolin yell to happen. Within a second, the air is filled with the full orchestra of all kinds of birds at full blast. After a few minutes of this, they settle down for the day.Then for the rest of the day you can differentiate one bird from another, one kind of call from another. But dawn is quite the community event.
Then there's midnight. Sometimes a car will drive along this country- road-by-the-sea in the middle of the night, and that's when I realize how many tiny birds nest in the one big flowered tree between my lanai (porch where I sleep outdoors) and the road. I guess the car noise is a disturbance to all these sleeping beauties in the silence of their tree, because there is an instant all-together-now hue and cry, and then twenty seconds later, they are all-at-once instantly still once again.
I find it deeply energizing, to work at my computer amid the song of birds. Quieting, focusing, energizing all at once.
Big big mahalo (Hawaiian thanks) to the birds.
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Recent Comments
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Mahalo Diane. Your description allowed me to see, feel, hear, and experience a beautiful vignette in the life of Diane of Hawaii. I looked up francolins and see that there are different varieties, all part of the pheasant family. We have pheasant here, though it's rare to see them since the area has become over inhabited. What we do see a lot is wild turkeys. The female of the species is very sweet and friendly, but the male is outrageously gorgeous: magnificent plumage in browns and purple and greens. Wow! We had a visitation of barn swallows this spring. They are determined to nest in our carriage house, which we don't want and are trying to discourage them. How has nature programmed these birds? They are fiercely determined. I'm beginning to understand them a little bit. They swope down and whiz through our hair, but they seem to like us too. They come to visit and are not afraid of us. The intelligence is amazing. Thank you for your beautifully written description of the francolins.
The instant hue and cry followed by stillness. I don't have francolins in my bird orchestra, but I have experienced that burst-then-quiet often...living in a semi-rural area as I do. I don't know why, but I find it comforting. A reminder that hey, we're all just trying to get a little sleep around here. :-) You're an excellent and observant writer, Diane. Thanks for this latest. (Saving it to read to my kids when we're all down at Myrtle Beach in the upcoming week.) ~ Maureen
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There are several types of Francolins, the Grey Francolin being the one you are talking about, not grey (gray) at all, some one must have been color blind when naming or named Grey. I used to raise about 100 of these a year and also raised Black Francolins but only about a dozen if I was lucky.
Nene Geese and Laysan duck (more like a teal) are some of my favorites and you have those also... you are certainly blessed! Thanks for the post.