"birding" fun

[Kevin WS]

Well, here is the first couple of the birds from the trip.

Habitat is very dry arid sandy grassland, with thorn trees and bushes, with the odd small forest clump.

Photo 1- A Grey hornbill. Not so common, but not endangered yet. Quite a big bird.

You can just see the three bars on the beak that are a feature of this bird. Hornbills also have strange feathers on their body that remember hair more than feathers - look closely at the head and you will see what I mean.

Photo 2 - A little Red Backed Shrike.

Photo 3 - Not great, but I took it so you can see that it really does have red back!

This little bird migrates all the way from Eastern Europe and Western Asia to Southern Africa.

[Don Boose]

Fascinating birds that I will probably never see in the wild in my lifetime.

Many thanks for the images and info, Kevin.

Don

[Kevin WS]

Thanks, Don.

We saw 70 species in 5 days, but I only have photos of a few.

As I have time I will resize them and put up a few at a time.

(PS - Come on holiday!)

[birder]

I've always liked the red backed shrike in pictures, love to see your photographs
The paintings by Fuertes of African birds shows the Hornbill 's hair like feathers really well
Loose looking large feathers too on wings and tail...cool

[Kevin WS]

Glen - strangely enough, it was only recently when I blew I up a picture to look at something that I noticed this! I then paid attention in the field, and have been wondering ever since why I had not noticed it earlier.

[birder]

Kevin I think it's great to get to see your pics of the birds from such a birding hotspot ...cool benefit of a worldwide forum to see pics from all over where folks live, some guys from Australia, Asia, Europe would be cool to see what lives in their neighborhoods...very cool

[Kevin WS]

Glen, interestingly enough here, there has been in recent years lots of changes in bird distribution (climate change etc). So often there is the change of something new.

Right up north bordering Zimbabwe there is a bird I always wanted to see - primarily because when we there my wife saw it a few times, but I could never make out.

One day I drove out the house here and on the pavement by the gate - you've guessed it!

[Kevin WS]

I mentioned above that the habitat is very dry arid sandy grassland, with thorn trees and bushes.

Here is what I was referring to - the typical country around where I took the photos.

But the birds are there! And animals (I'll post some animals in the other thread in due course).

Note the bushes are green(ish) which means that the animals, birds and insects have some nourishment and water (indirectly). Dew, when it occurs, is also an important moisture source for smaller creatures.

[Kevin WS]

Here are a couple more birds.

Photo 1- Another hornbill - this time the Yellow-Billed Horn Bill. Fairly common up north, and often quite a friendly bird. They look cumbersome but are very delicate with their big beaks.

When the eggs hatch, the female seals the nest from inside, leaving just a slit for food provided by the male. The nest also has often a "pipe" - a bolt hole for the birds of they need it.

And again the feathers like hair - even more hairlike on the Yellow Bills!

Photo 2 - A Burchells Starling. Often uses old woodpecker nests. feeds on the ground - insects and mice, also berries and fruit. The 'has the black face and green back.

More to come.

[Don Boose]

Great images, Kevin. Your starling is beautifuller than ours, which were imported from Europe and swarm in great flocks.

Nothing so exciting here, although the first robin showed up about a week ago - along with the bluebirds, a sign of impending spring.

Don