Dancing Owls

Barn Owl

The Rebel and I went to the Spier Wine Estate, not to do the, by now, oh so boring, wine tasting thing. We are more adventurous than that. We had an appointment with the guy from Eagle Encounters, Andre. He and another young man, Jaco run the show, and with a passion that is wonderful to see.

We were shown around and found the place to be exceptionally well kept, the birds that have been there a while in top condition. The one poor little Barn Owl was still in recovery, he has a story to tell!  His name is Houdini and he was in the news! He was found tied to the dashboard of a Cape Town Taxi, his poor little wing feathers were not cut, they had been brutally snapped off.  Jaco spread them so we could see….. ah shit, I have no love for my fellow human being at moments like this.

The good news is:

Houdini is now hanging out with his two new pals and the three of them love to dance! I have seen a lot in my life but as far as funny, this takes the cake. Jaco took his cell phone and played a bit of music near them. They were all sleeping, as owls do during the day. The moment they heard the music, eyes popped open and they start bopping and wiggling their tails, up the tempo of the music and the respond accordingly. Switch the music off? Instantly close their eyes and sleep.

We saw so many other things that I could write pages, but no, you have to go to Eagle Encounters and see for yourself.  That ludicrously priced glass of wine money you save will be well worth spent here.

The Winelands are not JUST about wine, and the Rebel and I will continue to explore the far less obvious venues in this beautiful place.

See the Rebels take and more photos on the place HERE.

Tags: Africa, birds, Cape Town, Eagle, Nature conservation, Owl, Raptor, Spier, The Mexican Horse Thief, The Rebel, The Rebel and The Mexican, Wine Estate