Little Big Year hits 750!!

Now that we are here in Scotland, I have managed to break the 750 barrier for the year, and now stands at 753 for the year. The 750th bird was the semi-rare Slavonian Grebe at Loch Kinellan. I travelled by myself, leaving Jeanne and |Gordon to explore Alness, the birth place of Gordons father. Just in case you were wondering, #751 was the Sedge Warbler, #752 is the Red Kite, and #753 was the beautiful Reed Bunting.

All of next week we will be going past Loch Ness, and taking a quick look for "Nessy", the off to Loch Lomond for a "Highland Games" and then north thru the north highlands to travel the acclaimed and appropriately named, North Coast 500. We are going to try to fit in a quick trip over to the isle of Skye, if the timing and the weather all work out. Stay tuned, and lets see how many more I can find!!

Here is that Slovian Grebe!

A couple of great surprises

Sitting on the back deck, right at day light a few days ago, got me a huge surprise, but then a second one came along as well. When I first spotted the Chin-spot Battis, I was excited for the new bird and a decent photo. Looking thru the binoculars, a small bit of flash caught my eye. A banded Bird, and just not a banded bird, but an African banded bird. Less than an hour later, this Ashy Flycatcher flew in, sporting a little bling as well. TWO BANDS in one day. I am not sure if I have ever done that.

 

Here is that Chin-spot Battis, If you look closely at the leg on the left you will see the band. Sorry about the grainy photo, it was taken before the sun had come up

 

Here is the Ashy Flycatcher, and the band on the same leg.

Three Banded Plover

This time of year, there are not many species of shorebirds in the park. The one that has been a round every so often has been the three-ringed Plover.

 

 

I see red.....

When it comes to red birds, there have been a few that have become my favorite. The Red-billed Firefinch, The Common Waxbill, and the Jameson’s Firefinch are all red colored birds, pretty much ground feeders, and just beautiful.

 

Here is the Red-billed Firefinch

 

 

The Common Waxbill

 

 

And the Jameson's Firefinch

 

Tiny little owls!

Being mostly nocturnal, getting to see owls in the day time takes a lot of searching the thick tree limbs that they roosting, and a whole lot of luck. Jeanne spotted this very small Pearl-spotted Owlet while we had stopped to look at a huge Kudo bull. This bird is about 10 inches tall, so it was a huge find for us. The interesting thing about this little owl, is that it appears to have eyes on the back of its head. There are two black spots right on the back of its head where the eyes would go.

 

Here is the front

And here is the view from the back

 

 

Magpie Shrike

When I started studying the local birds prior to arriving here in South Africa, it just seemed like there were a lot of birds with very long tails. That is very exciting stuff, as that makes for some incredible photos. Unfortunately, most of that species all lose that long beautiful tail after the breeding season. There are a few exceptions to that, with the Green Wood Hoopoe, the Scimitarbird, and this bird, the Magpie Shrike. Residents of the open grassy areas, they alight on the top of small dead trees, stumps and open branches, in order to hunt from there for flying or crawling bugs.

 

 

Blue Waxbill



There just have not been that many birds with any real blue on them, but these Blue Waxbills seem to be quite common. I have seen them in the park as well as around the house.

Black-collared Barbet

This thick billed bird is the Black-collared Barbet. While it is very hard to see in this picture, the top bill actually has something of a tooth formed in it, that allows it to cut thru some of the thick casings on the African seed pods.

 

 

Bearded Scrub-robin

The house that has so generously given to us for the time we are here, is four bedrooms, four bath with a huge second level deck all the way around 3 sides of the house. It is a great place to sit and watch the wildlife that wanders thru.  Several evenings and a couple of mornings I have spent time just sitting there listening to the calls, and getting to see Zebra, Impala, Duiker, Warthogs, Kudu and Vervet Monkeys all wander by. There are also quite a few birds that have shown up, including this Bearded Scrub-robin, that was putting on quite a show.

 

 

Burchell's Coucal

My very first Kruger NP bird would be the Burchell’s Coucal. It appears to be something of a cross between a small hawk and a shrike. It sits on the top of a tree or dead tree, and dives on its prey, or sometimes it just wanders around in the deep grass looking for something to eat.

 

 

Eastern Nicator

One of the more bashful birds that I have run across is the Eastern Nicator. The first one I got to see, ever so briefly was near the house. Since then I have managed to spot a few here and there, but almost always skulking around in the bushes. Too bad, as they are a lovely bird.

Kori Bustard

There are several birds that while they are capable of flying, pretty much choose not to. Secretarybirds, bustard and Korhaans are a good example. They wander thru the grass and brush, looking for bugs, lizards, and small rodents. The first one that I got to see was the Kori Bustard, wandering close to the road early one morning.

 

 

White-crowned Tchaga

This interesting bird, with the funny name has such a beautiful voice. It sits along the side of the road, at the tip of a small bush or tree and just sings its heart out. A couple of times we have stopped the car to just sit and watch and listen.

 

 

 

 

The local Vultures

I have been able to photograph three different Vultures, the Cape Griffon, the White-backed Vulture, and the Hooded Vulture. Many of these birds are still nesting, whether it is building their nests are just sitting on them.

 

Here is the Cape Vulture

 

 

Here in the White-backed

 

And this is the Hooded Vulture

African Cleaning stations

As the furry mammals wander the park, they pick up all sorts of fleas, ticks and other creepy crawlies. The best way for them to be ridded of such pests comes in the form of the Red-billed Oxpeckers. They fly from Giraffe, to Impala, to Rino, to Cape Buffalo, doing a cleaning service for whoever needs it. They are not bashful, climbing in to any orifice that might contain a bug of some form. Ears, noses, and even backsides all get thoroughly checked.

 

 

African Fish Eagle

Here in Kruger National Park, South Africa, there have a large eagle called the Fish Eagle. I have been fortunate enough to photograph several, but this is my favorite shot. This bird was coming to a water hole to drink, just before dark.

 

 

African Hornbills

When we first got to Kruger, I was really looking forward to seeing my first Hornbill. I had hoped to maybe see at least three of the different species, but I have been lucky enough to get to see 5! The first, and most common was the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill. Then came the Red Billed, and the Gray, followed by what I thought might be the least likely to be found, with the Ground Hornbill. Just a few days ago, I was lucky enough to see three Crowned Hornbills, right here near the house that we are staying at.

Here is the Yellow-billed

Here is the Red-billed

This is the Ground Hornbill

The Crowned Hornbill

And here is the Gray Hornbill

As beautiful at a bird gets

South Africa has some very beautiful birds, of that there can be no denying. In my mind, the leader of that pack just has to be the Lilac-breasted Roller. There are few works that work to describe this bird, so here it, see for yourself.

Playing catch up again

As you might know by now, especially those of you following my stories at 10000 Birds.com, we are now in South Africa, and are exploring Kruger National Park. We will be here in this area a total of 20 days, before heading down to Cape Town, for a week. So far, Kruger has been so amazing I am truly running out of words! By the time this gets on the blog, I will have photographed nearly 150 species of birds, as well as Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Zebras, Rhinos, Giraffes, Baboons, Monkeys, Impalas, Njalas, and Kudu. As soon as we leave here, we will go to Cape Town for a week, where I hope to get a couple more Penguins! On our very first day in South Africa, the very first bird was the iconic Ostrich!

 

I will be posting a whole bunch of new stories, so make sure you drop back in!

Black Crake

When you live in and around a desert, whether it is Africa or Mexico, water is a very important thing. So, concentrating my searches around those water holes, or Pans as they are referred to here, as well as the two main rivers. The Sabie River and the Crocodile River are the two closest to us, with the later actually running about 100 yards from our house, but inside the park. I have spent quite a bit of time on both sides, scanning the bushes as well as the water, looking to see what they may hold. There is a form of water lily here that the African Jacanas like to walk around on, feeding as they going. The other bird that frequents these areas, but is much harder to find, is the African Black Crake. Here is a shot of one with a juvenile, alongside learning the ropes.