Dove and bushbuck forage in a forest
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Duration: 03:24Ambient
Commentary
Filesize: About 111 MB
Resolution: 1280x720
Ambient
Commentary
Filesize: About 55 MB
Resolution: 854x480
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06 Mar, 2008
A red-eyed dove feeds quietly on the forest floor, while a vigilant bushbuck browses on a variety of vegetation.
Today is our fifth day in the Hawaan Coastal Forest in KwaZulu-Natal, and it seems to be one of those still days when one has a feeling of not being fully connected to the forest, as if somehow lagging behind the movement and rhythm.
And then forest life slowly begins to reveal itself, starting with a male red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) foraging on the forest floor.
We have seen him a few times in the same area, which confirms that these birds are territorial, returning to the same nesting site year after year.
We have not seen a female as yet. If this dove has a mate, she could well be nesting at this time, because in this warm KwaZulu-Natal environment, these birds nest all year round.
The male forages on the forest floor… quietly going about his business. Doves are gentle creatures that make hardly any noise and almost blend into the forest background.
This dove species’ diet consists of a variety of grass seeds, fallen dried fruit and nuts from various forest trees, and the tiny bulbs of nut grass that are plentiful at this time of year.
Hearing a noise and movement upwind, we sit quietly and are rewarded when a young female bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) enters the glade. She is immediately suspicious of our presence despite being unsure of our exact position.
A beautiful and solitary animal, this antelope is well worth seeing as it browses its way through the forest, feeding on various leaves, buds, shoots and flowers.
The female is usually paler in hue than the dark brown male and both have a few white stripes on the back and white spots on flanks and thighs. A white patch high on the throat and a white band at the base of the neck are other distinctive markings.
Bushbuck are often seen in the company of resident primates, as they eat bits of fruit that the primates drop while feeding high in the forest canopy.
– by Paul Myburgh, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch
More about this clip
Country: South Africa
Habitat: Deciduous or Evergreen Forest
Location: Hawaan Forest, KwaZulu-Natal
Tags: Hawaan Forest, Bushbuck, Red-eyed dove, Forest, Forage, Solitary, Primate, Territorial, Seed, Nut, Expedition footage, Red-eyed dove, Birds, Vertebrates, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa, Deciduous or Evergreen Forest
