THE TALE OF TOKO AND KATE
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:32 pm
As from Tuesday I will be absent from the forum for a while so will complete this tale in two or three postings.
This remarkable story unfolded during August 2012 in an average suburb in Pretoria. The events following the next few months made me feel like a rich woman and a wealthy suburb and gave new meaning to my all too routine life.
After arriving home from a shopping expedition one Saturday morning I was walking towards my car to collect my parcels, when I stopped in my tracks. At first I could not believe my eyes for what I saw was something I only had the privilege to see in KNP. Slowly, as not to scare away my visitor, I walked back to the house, and once inside I grabbed my camera. Fortunately for me, my visitor still sat undisturbed where I left him a few minutes ago. After I took a few pictures, the thought came to mind that my visitor might have a partner. Although I carefully scanned the trees, telephone poles and sky I could not locate another bird.
I went inside the house and on my computer I Googled “African Grey Hornbill”.
I now had a new mission. I would get up earlier than usual and sit on my porch, waiting for his early morning call (pee-o pee-o pee-o) from high up in the Mulberry tree, straining my ears for a response. I would rush home from work in the afternoons . . . waiting and listening. With time he moved closer and sat on the concrete wall of my driveway for long periods, continuously calling. I duly named him - Toko.
Two weeks after we had first met I returned from shopping and Toko was once again sitting on the concrete wall. I grabbed my cell phone and took some pictures.
As I slowly approached he turned around and faced me
My eyes automatically scanned the area for an identical figure and surely high up on a branch in Toko’s favourite Mulberry tree, I saw her. I knew it was a she because, according to Google, the male has a black bill, this one had red on its mandibles, indicating that it is a female.
Kate was a bit camera shy and moved deeper into the foliage
I brought the car to such a sudden stop that it frightened Toko who flew up from the concrete wall into the Mulberry tree.
After a while Toko looked up to where Kate was and after calling a few times she spread her wings and came too sit next to him. In my haste to take a picture I accidentally revved the car and to my dismay both of them flew away and disappeared from my field of vision. Daresay I soundly cursed myself.
The cooking and general housekeeping suffered under my new mission. Coffee and rusks have become my new staple food and I had to look deeper into my wardrobe for clean clothes every day while the laundry basket threatened to run over.
Although I often heard their calls and frequently saw both of them, I never got the opportunity again to take a picture of them sitting next to each other such as on the day I accidentally revved the car and blew it all. I knew something was “cooking” between them and although I do not know where they spent their honeymoon, I was ecstatic when I heard their calls once again after a few days of absence.
As days went by I watched them as they carried building material and small sticks to a hollow high up in the Palm tree in my backyard.
According to Google the female lays 3 – 5 eggs at 1 – 7 day intervals, taking about 6 – 10 days to complete the clutch.
One afternoon on returning home I was greatly disappointed when I noticed that the nest entrance had been closed. This is done with cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp until only a narrow aperture remains, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the female as incubating is done solely by the her.
This remarkable story unfolded during August 2012 in an average suburb in Pretoria. The events following the next few months made me feel like a rich woman and a wealthy suburb and gave new meaning to my all too routine life.
After arriving home from a shopping expedition one Saturday morning I was walking towards my car to collect my parcels, when I stopped in my tracks. At first I could not believe my eyes for what I saw was something I only had the privilege to see in KNP. Slowly, as not to scare away my visitor, I walked back to the house, and once inside I grabbed my camera. Fortunately for me, my visitor still sat undisturbed where I left him a few minutes ago. After I took a few pictures, the thought came to mind that my visitor might have a partner. Although I carefully scanned the trees, telephone poles and sky I could not locate another bird.
I went inside the house and on my computer I Googled “African Grey Hornbill”.
I now had a new mission. I would get up earlier than usual and sit on my porch, waiting for his early morning call (pee-o pee-o pee-o) from high up in the Mulberry tree, straining my ears for a response. I would rush home from work in the afternoons . . . waiting and listening. With time he moved closer and sat on the concrete wall of my driveway for long periods, continuously calling. I duly named him - Toko.
Two weeks after we had first met I returned from shopping and Toko was once again sitting on the concrete wall. I grabbed my cell phone and took some pictures.
As I slowly approached he turned around and faced me
My eyes automatically scanned the area for an identical figure and surely high up on a branch in Toko’s favourite Mulberry tree, I saw her. I knew it was a she because, according to Google, the male has a black bill, this one had red on its mandibles, indicating that it is a female.
Kate was a bit camera shy and moved deeper into the foliage
I brought the car to such a sudden stop that it frightened Toko who flew up from the concrete wall into the Mulberry tree.
After a while Toko looked up to where Kate was and after calling a few times she spread her wings and came too sit next to him. In my haste to take a picture I accidentally revved the car and to my dismay both of them flew away and disappeared from my field of vision. Daresay I soundly cursed myself.
The cooking and general housekeeping suffered under my new mission. Coffee and rusks have become my new staple food and I had to look deeper into my wardrobe for clean clothes every day while the laundry basket threatened to run over.
Although I often heard their calls and frequently saw both of them, I never got the opportunity again to take a picture of them sitting next to each other such as on the day I accidentally revved the car and blew it all. I knew something was “cooking” between them and although I do not know where they spent their honeymoon, I was ecstatic when I heard their calls once again after a few days of absence.
As days went by I watched them as they carried building material and small sticks to a hollow high up in the Palm tree in my backyard.
According to Google the female lays 3 – 5 eggs at 1 – 7 day intervals, taking about 6 – 10 days to complete the clutch.
One afternoon on returning home I was greatly disappointed when I noticed that the nest entrance had been closed. This is done with cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp until only a narrow aperture remains, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the female as incubating is done solely by the her.
Will we see Tokolinos 
my laptop at home bombed-out yesterday (all my hard work down the drain) 
and I can't post pictures from my work-PC 
Sorry, I will have LT fixed as soon as I'm back at home and finish this asap!