White-browed Sparrow-weaver
By Charlie • November 17, 2006 • 1 commentWhite-browed Sparrow-weaver Plocepasser mahali
Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya, November 2006
A large, chunky and aptly-named sparrow-like weaver, the White-browed Sparrow-weaver is an African endemic found in dry, acacia habitat from Somalia to South Africa. The birds usually occur in noisy groups, building very ragged, untidy roosting and breeding nests that typically look like they’ve been half-destroyed in a storm!
Much has been written about the nests of this sociable species, and the following is an online abstract taken from Condor, Vol. 91, No. 1 (Feb., 1989): “Group-living White-browed Sparrow-Weavers build their roost and breeding nests on one side of nest trees. The placement of nests correlates with the direction of the local prevailing wind. Birds gain a 35% increase in the useful life of a nest built on the leeward side of a nest tree, compared with a nest built on the windward side. Solar radiation, humidity, and thermal effects appear unimportant in influencing nest placement. Foliage density and other nearby cover does not affect nest placement. Hence, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver nest placement appears to be an adaptation for having large numbers of intact nests available for breeding and for roosting throughout the year.”
All photos copyright Charlie Moores
Hello,
I wrote to you earlier about the proposed solar farm that is in the works for Panoche Valley but I referenced my other email address that I share with my family so I didn’t know if you’d recognize it pkckdk@aol.com. I’m the person who wrote to you about my friends at the Douglas Ranch and Claravale Dairy. At any rate, they’re trying to raise awareness about Solargen’s Panoche Solar Farm that is in the works which will have a tremendous impact on the birdlife and other wildlife in the valley not to mention the quality of life for those who live there and visit there. I spoke with the CFO of Solargen today and he confirmed that the scope of the project is huge and that they’re trying to purchase possibly up to 30K acres although he assured me a fair amount would be set aside for open space for environmental reasons. I didn’t let him know whether I was for or against the project but that I was just inquiring as we are getting differing stories as to the facts surrounding the project. If you’d be interested in helping to preserve the beautiful Panoche Valley as it is one of the last areas of its’ kind in California, please contact Rani Douglas to get more information about the project. She can be reached at 831-628-3800. Also, you can contact Collette Cassidy of Claravale Dairy (raw dairy) Claravaledairy.com and Kim Williams of Your Family Farm (managed intensive grazing - chicken farmer of organic eggs)831-628-3693.
Thanks so much, Christie Kissinger 831-479-1114