Nature on your doorstep

Nature on your doorstep Clive Stewart capturing the beauty of everyday nature. https://natureonyourdoorstep.com - Wall art with a difference.

African Darter (Anhinga rufa)Commonly known as the Snakebird, it earns its nickname by swimming with its body submerged,...
06/08/2026

African Darter (Anhinga rufa)
Commonly known as the Snakebird, it earns its nickname by swimming with its body submerged, leaving only its long, twisting neck above the water. Success underwater depends on three things: camouflage, patience and precision. Rather than chasing fish, it stalks them almost invisibly beneath the surface before launching a lightning-fast strike. Its greatest hunting asset isn't speed—it's restraint.

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African Hoopoe (Upupa africana)With courtship rituals the male approaches with his crest fully raised, lowered body and ...
30/07/2026

African Hoopoe (Upupa africana)
With courtship rituals the male approaches with his crest fully raised, lowered body and partially spread wings while giving soft "hoop-hoop-hoop" calls. He repeatedly offers the female food—usually large insects or grubs—as a demonstration of his ability to provide for both her and their future brood.
Females may assess several offerings before accepting a mate - fussy! 😅

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Raptors can be among the most challenging birds to identify. Comparing a Common Buzzard with a juvenile Yellow-billed Ki...
22/07/2026

Raptors can be among the most challenging birds to identify. Comparing a Common Buzzard with a juvenile Yellow-billed Kite (which I believe this bird to be), the similarities can be remarkable.
For me, the deciding factors were the bird's overall size and its dark eye. If anyone sees something I've missed or has a better way to separate the two from this image, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.🙂

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Greater StripedTogether with its close relative, the Lesser Striped Swallow, the Greater Striped Swallow builds one of t...
17/07/2026

Greater Striped
Together with its close relative, the Lesser Striped Swallow, the Greater Striped Swallow builds one of the most sophisticated mud nests found among African swallows. Each fully enclosed, flask-shaped nest is painstakingly constructed from between 700 and well over 1,400 individual mud pellets, bonded together with saliva to form a remarkably strong structure. The long entrance tunnel helps reduce access by larger predators and nest parasites. Rather than starting from scratch each breeding season, many pairs simply repair and reuse the same nest for years.

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Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)- The word kite comes from the Old English cȳta, a name believed to imitate the bird...
10/07/2026

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)- The word kite comes from the Old English cȳta, a name believed to imitate the bird's shrill, whistling call. Centuries later, when the paper flying toy from China became popular in England during the 1600s, it inherited the same name because its effortless gliding, hovering, and swooping in the wind so closely resembled the graceful flight of the bird.

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Dove or Pigeon?Scientifically, there is no real difference. Both belong to the family Columbidae, which includes more th...
02/07/2026

Dove or Pigeon?
Scientifically, there is no real difference. Both belong to the family Columbidae, which includes more than 350 species worldwide.
In general, doves—like the Red-eyed Dove photographed here—are smaller and more slender, while pigeons tend to be larger and stockier. Even the wild ancestor of our city pigeons is officially named the Rock Dove (Columba livia), despite being widely known as the Rock Pigeon.
The distinction is purely historical: dove comes from the Old English dūfe, while pigeon entered English from the Old French pijon, ultimately derived from the Latin pipio, meaning "a chirping bird."

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Female Southern Double-collared Sunbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds are best distinguished by their overall colouratio...
28/06/2026

Female Southern Double-collared Sunbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds are best distinguished by their overall colouration. The Southern Double-collared female has cooler tones, with grey upper parts and whitish-grey to pale yellow underparts, while the Orange-breasted female has warmer tones, with olive-green upper parts and olive-yellow underparts.🙂

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Orange-breasted Sunbird family picFor the past five years, "The Don" has ruled my garden as his territory. During that t...
24/06/2026

Orange-breasted Sunbird family pic
For the past five years, "The Don" has ruled my garden as his territory. During that time, I've had the privilege of watching generations of his offspring grow up, and in the process, have formed a remarkable bond with him. He allows me to approach him and his family at close quarters, offering a rare glimpse into their lives.
Not all of his young have survived the challenges of nature, but this fledgling was one of the fortunate ones.🙂

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The Cape Bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis), endemic to southern Africa, belongs to an ancient lineage. While the species itse...
21/06/2026

The Cape Bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis), endemic to southern Africa, belongs to an ancient lineage.
While the species itself is much younger, the broader Pycnonotus group began diversifying around 10–12 million years ago during the Miocene, as a changing climate and expanding African savannah's drove the evolution of many passerine birds.
The ancestors of today’s bulbuls were already well established millions of years before modern humans appeared.🙂

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A huge flock of Speckled Pigeons arrive at the house each morning and often see them circling overhead before heading of...
18/06/2026

A huge flock of Speckled Pigeons arrive at the house each morning and often see them circling overhead before heading off for the day.🙂

Scientists theorize that when pigeons circle immediately after take-off, they may be calibrating an internal navigation system. Tiny iron-based particles in the head may respond to changes in the Earth's magnetic field, while light-sensitive structures in the eye could help detect directional cues we cannot perceive.
It's not a single GPS system, but a layered map built from magnetism, the sun's position, wind, smell and visual memory all working together.

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