Rarely will you see this.
The black and the white of things. Three Hadeda Ibis birds at the top and three Sacred Ibis birds at the bottom.
Now in nature these birds are not friends and although the Hadedas and the Sacreds don't fight, they simply ignore each other.
In this case though they were flying together and it was a first time for me to see this.
The black birds are actually of a grey color and they are called Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hadedash)
The white birds are called African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
In my imagination I saw them making a V shape in flight, but no they stuck to their own as they traveled together.
The signal tower mountain made a perfect backdrop in this photo.
But these guys were going elsewhere as here they headed for the top of a cloud below the mountain.
And then the birds disappeared into the bottom cloud.
12 is a good number as I took this circle of birds shot on our way home.
Do you know why they are called Sacred Ibis birds?
Sacred ibises once occurred throughout Egypt, where they were sacrificed as an offering to the moon deity Thoth. Thoth was known as the god of wisdom, reason, truth, and knowledge. He was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis. The sacred ibis was regarded as the living embodiment of Thoth in the earthly realm. Mummified birds were believed to have a path to the afterlife.
Source
The ancient Romans and Greeks also revered the Sacred Ibis.
The ibis was one of the symbols associated with the goddess Isis who was also worshipped in Ancient Rome and Greece.
The sacred ibis was depicted in several artworks in old buildings in the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Source
And here you have it, as the Sacred Ibis birds certainly have an interesting history, but the latest talk is that their populations are decreasing due to mankind's mismanaging of nature, or should I say, destroying nature.
And That's All Friends!
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved
Camera: Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge.
We hope that you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
