Alaska Goes to Africa: Southern Masked Weaver, Etosha National Park, Namibia – Image 2661

My website usually only shows images of Alaska. But for next couple of months, I plan to show images of Africa that I took last October while visiting South Africa and Namibia. Besides being a very colorful bird, the southern masked weaver male has a very busy life. He has to attract a mate by first weaving a beautiful nest. Once he has made the home, he finds a suitable babe, and she has to check out the home he just made. If she does not like it, he finds another possible mate or has to build another nest. As hard as it is to believe, an average male will build on average 20 or more nests before successfully winning over his future mate. Once he gains the approval of his mate, he weaves her in the nest where she lays the eggs and raises the young weavers. Once she is encased, the male bird then has to spend his time feeding his mate. Enjoy the photos and thanks for visiting. Camera body: Nikon D300, Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm, digital © Mark Kelley