PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Auckland Purchased from International Art Centre, Important Fine Art Auction, 27/03/2003

ILLUSTRATED p. 140 Studies and Sketches of a Bird Painter Raymond Ching and Eric Fuller Landsdowne Editions 1981

A bird that shows some affinity to the storks, but also appears to bear a close relationship to the herons, is the Hammerhead or Hammerkop Scopus umbretta, a unique species with certain primitive features, usually classified within a family of its own. In flight, the bird resembles neithera stork, which flies with the neck extended, nor a heron, which carries its neck drawn right back, but appears instead to adopt a position somewhere in between, with the neck kinked. These birds are regarded with a certain amount of superstitious awe

Many native legends and stories are centred around the species and, fortunately for the Hammerhead, it generally is held to be an omen of bad luck if the birds are killed. Similarly, the nest usually is treated with respect and it is widely believed that Hammerheads enlist the help of other bird species while building. The structure is large is proportion to the size of the bird and may measure over a mere in width and nearly two metres in height. Usually it is situated well clear of the ground in the fork of a tree and often several stout branches may be needed to support its bulk. On this foundation, the nest is constructed from twigs and sticks, which are held together with mud. The exterior is decorated with a variety of materials and an inner chamber is reached via a small, rounded and almost inconspicuous hole in the side. Hammerheads are found throughout much of Africa, south of the Sahara, where they are likely to be seen frequenting waterside places, either singly or in pairs. When feeding, the birds often perform peculiar shuffling movements, probably designed to disturb and flush various little creatures. They feed on all kinds of small aquatic life, hunting with particular vigour during twilight periods. Text Studies and Sketches of a Bird Painter, Raymond Ching and Eric Fuller, Landsdowne Editions 1981