Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

A pair of European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)

 

Male Stonechat

This is a male Stonechat, one of a pair that I saw today feeding as the daylight faded.  The male when  in breeding condition has a smart black head and a more intense brick red breast. But in the winter their plumage is like a washed-out version but there is always a white wing bar and a splash of white on the neck.. This is a species that I am very familiar with especially in the spring and summer out on Dartmoor where they set up breeding territories.  It will not be long now before the male above starts to develop his breeding plumage, we are very nearly in to February now and spring is on the way. The female, even in breeding condition is a much more sombre clad individual lacking the black head and white markings.

 

 

Female Stonechat

Both male and female share the same pattern of markings on the back but the female never has a black head nor white collar

 

Karoo Prinia or Spotted Prinia (Prinia maculosa)

Karoo Prinia feeding on an arachnid which it has gleaned from amongst the dead petals of  a "Red Hot Poker"  Kniphofia sp.

I am still sorting through my photographs from South Africa.  I knew that I had this little series of photographs because I can remember in vivid detail this particular bird.  I had spent the afternoon at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and a glorious hour late in the afternoon photographing sunbirds that were absolutely stunningly gorgeous. (Check back on the blog to see some photos of them). As the day turned to evening, the light became absolutely perfect.  We had made our way  towards the exit and to be honest my wife was just about starting to become long suffering although she never said, bless her!  I was dawdling and she was hurrying,  it was just the perfect time of day and the birds were everywhere.  I caught sight of a small bird which was obviously a newly fledged chick and managed to get a nice photograph. See below.

After a short while one of the parents showed itself and I watched  it search for food as the youngster reamained nearby, probably close to the nest as I suspected that it had only just fledged.

The parent continued it's search for food and in the great light it really showed well being more concerned with finding food than me being nearby.  After a second or two it flew over the tarmac path and perched on the dead head of the  "Red Hot Poker" .  I wasn't aware of it but it grabbed a spider or perhaps a small weavell of some kind but quickly rejected it, perhaps it was poisonous?

 

 

Some South African Birds to Identify

Hello everyone.  I am posting this in the hopw that Ajay, a friend that I met  in South Africa may be able to identify the birds below.  Can you send me an email Ajay.  [email protected]

 

Photo 1. Female Orange breasted Sunbird., Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens 12 January 2012.

Photo 2. Male Double-collared Sunbird coming in to breeding plumag.,  Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens 12 January 2012.

Photo  3. Unknown Buteo hawk is Forest Buzzard

Photo 4. Unknown canary/finch is a Male Cape Canary.

 Thank you Ajay and the other two  gentlemen who helped me to identify these birds.  The first one, the Orange breasted Sunbird female is a surprise, I hadn't guessed that at all. The second is what I always thought and the third is not in the least bit a surprise.  I had always known that this was a Buzzard and I may have even said Buteo buteo which is the European Common Buzzard and a bird that I am very, very familiar with. I now know that it is a Forest Buzzard with the scientific name  Buteo trizonatus, very closely related to Buteo buteo  which means incidentaly "Buzard, the buzard" and is the Buzzard from which all others worldwide are named. Apparently Forest Buzzard breed in the Cape Town area so I guess it is the common Buzzard of the district.  It was certainly behaving in exactly the same manner as a Common Buzzard, soaring higher and higher on the thermals.

Number 4, the Cape Canary was perhaps a bird I would have come up with for myself. The photograph shows how hard it is to get a good image when the sun is so intensly strong as it was when the photograph was taken.  Again thanks for the ID's.

A perfect Nuthatch

This is a typical Nuthatch pose.  At my hide this last week or so, they have been constant visitors, presenting me with some great photo opportunities and I just wanted to publish this one for you all to see.  At the hide this last few days a few things have been starting to change.  For example, Woodpeckers have been drumming away and answering each other which hasn't happened until now.  The Great Tits are calling constantly and yesterday I heard a Green Woodpecker very close to the hide.  All of this is sign that spring is just around the corner and the birds are starting to pair up. The Buzzard has been noteable by its absence, I hope that'snot the last I see of it.

White-backed Mousebird - Colius colius

Seeing a pair of  the very unusual and distinctive White-backed Mousebirds was one of the highlights of my recent  trip to South Africa.  This is a family of birds that I have ofteen read about and had been hoping to see so when I spotted one, and then suddenly two late one evening at Langebaan, it was a real thrill.  At first they disappeared and I didn't think I would see them again but  then,  after scouring the area for twenty minutes or so, I caught sight of them again as one climbed to to the top of a thorn bush followed by it's mate.  

By now the sun was  starting to set and the low light was bathing the birds in a golden glow.  It's assumed that Mousebirds are so named because they creep about the branches like rodents but also because they have very unusual plumage which is almost like fluffy fur. They have an untidy  crest and a long tail as well as coral-red coloured legs and feet. The way they are perching in the pictures is typical. They are fruit eaters and can be considered a pest by farmers who apparently trap and destroy them, this of course is very unfortunate. But thankfully, also because of agricultural practices and irrigation they also benefit and are thought to be on the increase which is good.

Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

I was very pleased today when I discovered that I had photographed a couple of Grey-headed Gulls  during my stay in South Africa recently.  I have mentioned before that I always like to photograph different species of gulls when I am away and I did notice at the time that there was something a bit different about one or two  birds amongst a large flock of Hartlaub's Gull that were bathing in a fresh water pool.  As I sorted through my images I could immediately see that this bird was different.  It lacked a red eye ring and also the beak was a subtly different shape and colour.   You can make some comparisons in these two photos. 

 

Hartlaub's Gull

A Grey Headed Gull, this one without any hint of grey on the head but you can significantly see a difference in the wing pattern.

 

A few Nuthatch photographs.

I had a pleasant but coldcouple of hours  today waiting for the Buzzard to come and watching and photographing the small birds as they constantly came in to the feed.  I have said all there is to say about Nuthatches except just to point out that this one (above) is probably a male. This can be told by the darker markings on the flanks. This one below is probably a female, there is a noticeable difference.

Female?

Female

I have been seeing this bird at my feeders since last September and taken numerous photographs.  I have no idea what has caused the feather problems.  You would imagine that it is hard for this bird to keep warm durin the colder nights but so far it is surviving OK.

....and of course, a Blue Tit.

Jay in the snow..... well almost.

We are probably the only city in the UK without any real snow at the moment.  All around us there is thick heavy snow but have we got settled snow, hardly.  I really want some nice thick snow because of the photo opportunities but it looks as though that's not going to happen.  I went to the hide where there was just a light dusting and frankly nothing to speak of except for just a tiny little covering on the logs around the hide. A Jay came down and t last I had a snow scene to photograph.

Pelagic birding trip off Cape Point South Africa 13 January

This  photo of an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri) gives a real flavour of the Pelagic Boat trip that I  was lucky enough to take during my recent visit to South Africa.  It was a real adventure made all the more exciting by the near extreme conditions.  which admitedly  abated a little as the day went on and this was taken when the weather had eased.  however with some experience of the sea and an understanding of the dangers, I was somewhat surprised when we cruised out of Simons Town Harbour and the swell was large and frankly scary!  We were given a  short safety brief which was basically, if we're sinking this is how you put your life jacket on.  Having done sea survival training in the Royal Marines and 10 years plus of sea time as well  as owning my own boat and also having  some experience of  ocean going sailing as well, I was surprised that we were not clipped on and wearing life jackets, particularly when  I knew that some of the passengers were at sea for the first time. Thankfully no one fell overboard but if they had we would have been talking of different things!

 

Thats Cape Point in the distance and a high swell of 20 foot or more. No life Jacket, was I mad?

 

As far as birds were concerned, it was extremely exciting when we cleared Cape Point and started to head out to sea and a Shearwater hoved in to sight. There was discussion as to whether it was a Manx but it circled around and showed itself more clearly as a Cory's, not my first, but the first time I have managed a photograph of. Such a handsome bird.

Cory's Shearwater

 

I had decided right from the start that the 500 lens was going to be useless because of the huge swell and thankfully I had a smaller lens with me but the birds were close enough to easily photograph with it.  This is about as close to a Cory's Shearwater that you can get, wow!  

As we moved further south, more birds started to appear.  The next was a lone Giant Petrel sitting on the surface. I had seen them before in the Falklands and also I remember them following us when at sea on the Royal Yacht Britannia...... I served on there for 10 years...... so I was familiar with this species as well. Unfortunately it's hard to get an impression of size but for comparrison, imagine a bird twice the size of a Great Black-backed Gull, huge in other words. Also, notice the tube-nose, salt is excreted through this "tube".

 

Giant Petrel

Other birds included a raft of  Cory's and a Sooty Shearwater which again was a first for me although I may have seen them previously without putting a name to them.

 

 

Sooty Shearwater

 

We continued south and crossed the tanker lane and the skipper spotted some long-liners.  When we reached them there was a real buzz and by now the weather was quite pleasant. There were birds everywhere, but no Albatross yet. I impressed myself when I caught sight of a Storm Petrel, I called out "Wilson's" and I was proved right, no idea why I was so accurate, but never the less it pleased me.

 

Wilson's Petrel.

It was extremely difficult to get anything like a decent photo of this species, they are tiny, smaller than a Blackbird or Thrush and they never land on the surface but dance and skip around amongst the waves. If you look really carefully at the bird you can see the feet protruding beyond the tail which is diagnostic of this species.

 

Eventually we had our first Albatross, exciting to say the least. It was a Shy Albatross, at this time of the year, the one species you are most likely to encounter I believe.  We finished up having great views of this species and I managed some almost acceptable photographs, particularly when they  came down to settle on the surface.

 

Shy Albatross

 

 

Shy Albatross

I may have the ID of this incorrect, is it a juvenile "Shy" or a juvenile "Indian Yellow Nosed"?  Perhaps the Cape Pelagic team can let me know?  But for comparison, the one below is a Yellow Nosed, the beak is darker and longer so it makes me  think my ID is correct.

 

 

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross.

 

Here's  an Indian Yellow-nosed with the diagnostic yellow beak markings showing reasonably well.

 

Yellow-nosed Albatross, I include this because it shows the "yellow-nose" beak markings.

 

All in all it was a great trip and I really enjoyed it.  It was exciting not to know what you would see next, we saw three species of Albatross with a fleeting view of a Black Browed Albatross a real bonus.

 

Black-browed Albatross, sperated from the other two species by the bill colour which in this species is yellow with a black tip.

 

It was a surprise to see Cape Fur Seals this far out at sea, about 20 miles, they were feeding on the fish hanging from the long lines and it must have been annoying for the fishermen to see their catch being plundered by the seals who obviously made a habbit of robbing the lines.

White-chinned  Petrels are a large species, they  were very commonly seen and I managed some nice shots of this species.

 

Whit-chinned Petrel

 

It was a shame to miss out on a few species that were apparently seen including Manx Shearwater, Arctic Tern and and two species of Jaegers, cant think why they were not pointed out to me and my only criticsm of the trip but never the less this was 5 species that I can't add to me trip list which is a mystery to me.

The Great Shearwater was a species that I did see and photograph, a bird that from pictures, I have always liked so it was  great to see one.  It lived up to my expectations as a beautifully marked bird.

 

Great Shearwater

Great Shearwater chases a Black-chinned Petrel in a fight of a sardine which the skipper had been "chumming"  to try to entice Albatross to our boat.

We were lucky to see Sabine's Gull the first time that I have seen adults of this species a nice little gull as you can see.

 

Adult Sabines Gull (record shot)

Sandwhich Tern

 

On the way back in to Simons Town we passed a colony of Bank Cormorants and fleetingly I had the chance to get some pictures.  We should have lingered longer because this was quite a spectacle as the photo proves. I actuallu used my 500 lens to get this shot.

 

Bank Cormorants

 

Photography.

As  far as photography was concerned it was quite a challenge to get any photographs at all.  I chose a my Pentax 200 lens which allowed me to focus quickly but I could have done with a 300 (I don't own one after being robbed last year in Spain).  I relied in the fact that we were close,very close to most birds and waited for the opportunity to shoot when they were at their nearest.  It was bright as you would expect at sea but this is not always a help because of the harsh lighting. Using apperture priority I set the camera at a f9 knowing that it was going to be hard to lock on to the subject and this extra depth of field would help me get some sharp images.  I adjusted the ISO constantly, sometimes even up to 1600  to ensure that I was achieving at least 1/2000 of a second, usually it was faster. I constantly changed between under-stopping or over-stopping depending whether the subject was on the surface or in the sky.  This worked reasonably well most of the time with my best pictures being  taken at the start of the trip rather than at the end when the light was very harsh as always in very bright sunlight. 

Oh, and I was sunburnt to a frazzle inspite of suncream and a hat!

Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris)

The  Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris) is a species of shrike and one of the most noticeable mall birds on my recent trip to South Africa.  I saw them repeatedly and got to know them quite well.  This one is a young male who landed just in front of me on a perch placed for Malachite Kingfisher at  the Intaka Island reserve. The light was perfect and so was the opportunity.

Cape Spurfowl - Pternistis capensis

I lay on the ground with the sun behind me and  starting to get lower in the sky. I had seen these Spurfowl earlier in the afternoon and I wanted to photograph them because they were a new species to me.  There was a small group of 5 or 6 and they were quite confiding, apparently this is usual for this species.  As they walked towards me, feeding as they wentl, they were giving me interesting photoes at this low perspective. I became aware of their beutifully marked plumage which wasn't really noticeable until the sun picked out the detail.  Suddenly one of the birds, and as it happened, the one that I was photographing at the time, shook out it's feathers.  The effect was stunning and the finished image was amazing.

Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa)

This is a Malachite Sunbird in non-breeding male plumage. It was a thrill to see and photograph this species tempered with the disappointment of not seeing one in full irridescent breeding plumage when they are a glossy combination of bright shiny greens. You can just about see a few green feathers on the breast amongst the yellow.  This one was hawking insects from the side of a building which was interesting to watch. If I spent more time in South Sfrica I would concentrate my attentions on the Sunbirds, they are a stunning family of birds.

Reed and Crowned Cormorants.

I find cormorants an interesting family of birds. So far I have photographed 12 different species, (they can be seen in my galleries  here .) In South Africa last week I managed to photograph 5 new ones. Possibly the most attractive species  seen was the Reed Cormorant (above), they are also known as Long-tailed Cormorants and found commonly  all over Africa.  I was sat waiting for a Malachite kingfisher to perch in front of the hide at Intaka Island when suddenly this magnificent little cormorant flew in to land on the perch and then after a few minutes went down in to the water to fish.

One of the attractive and distinguishing features of cormorants is the eye which are usually brightly coloured and a big help to seperating the species. The Reed Cormorant is a mostly fresh water species whereas the next species was photographed on the coast.  This one is a Crowned Cormorant another small cormorant. This one is in a heavy moult and not in full colour.  I found this one drying it's plumage on a jetty.  This drying of the plumage is essential because cormorants alow their plumage to get soaked.  This enables them to dive and swim with more ease without the feathers being too buoyant.

 

Hartlaub's Gull

When I am abroad it always interests me to see how the local and sometimes exotic gulls are taken for granted by people who just refer to them as "seagulls" without realising their rarity or significance.  Even local birders and photographers usually ignore them.  This is Hartlaub's Gull Larus Hartlaubii (named after the German ornithologist who first recorded it scientifically).  They are a constant sight in Cape Town but infact their existence is precarius with half of the worlds population of 30000 concentrated around the Cape. This bird was about the tamest that I have ever seen allowing me to be just inches away. In fact it was perched on a post that I was leaning on and I photographed its head with my close-up 90mm macro lens without it flinching apart from showing great interest inmy wifes ice cream.  When you get close to gulls they always have a very pretty orbital fleshy eye ring, in this species, red.

A variety of Cape Town wildlife.

A young Cape Fur Seal.  This is an interesting species of seal which is very similar to a Sea Lion. Aparently they are in the same family known as Otariidae. They have eared flaps and they can walk on their front flippers.

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea).  I photographed this bird at Intaka Island wildlife reserve while I waited for a Malachite Kingfisher to show up.  As it happens I haven't been able to get a decent photo of one before so it was quite a good opportunity.

This bird was feeding on small fish in a pool in front of a hide which I visited at dawn on the last day of my Cape Town trip.

This is a young Fiscal Shrike.  I had been watching it for a couple of hours feeding on the opposite side of the pool to the hide.  I did ask myself why it wasn't feeding on my side of the pool and then, as is is usual if you use a bit of patience, it came to my side of the pool and perched on the pool very close to me.

European or Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus

We landed back in to Heathrow this morning after an over-night flight from Cape Town. We had a wonderful stay.  Two weeks was never enough and we just scratched the surface.  My strategy when I am away is always to concentrate on easily seen species and to try and get the best photos that I can and not chase around after rarities or just "ticks" for a list. Havind said that I photographed numerous "endemic" species, species that are found only in the Cape. I am yet  to compile a list, that will come later.  These endemics  were obviously new species for me and I am going to be able to add 50 or so new species to  my galleries. There will be more photos and posts about South Africa during the next few weeks but in the meanwhile I need to show the photos that I took on Salisbury Plain this afternoon.

I have only managed one quite poor photo of a  Brown Hare before but I am always on the look out so image in how pleased I was to see three this afternoon in a field on Salisbury Plain.

We were driving back home to Exeter, admiring the snow scenes from the A303, snow, in itself a rarity in the UK.  Whenever I drive through Salisbury Plain I look out for Hares, they seem to be common in that part of the UK even though they are not in the least bit common anywhere else in the UK.  Anyway as luck would have it, I noticed a couple of Hare in a field very near to Stonehenge on the A30 and near a lay-by.  We pulled in for a coffee break and I took the camera to the fence where I could see them now starting to chase around and "box".  Brown Hares are shyish creatures but in the spring they are seen out in the open during the daylight. The boxing and fighting is part of the mating ritual. It was a surprise to see Hares "courting" weeks and weeks before spring and in a snowstorm.  But it was the contrast of brown animals on white background which made them noticeable in the first instance.

 

In this image the male is the animal on the left, the female is rejecting him and runs to ram him in the side and is just about to make contact.....must be painful!  All the time a Carrion Crow looks on,this gives us a good idea of the size of the hares.

Contact is made and the male is driven off his feet.

The female continues to chase him away.

The lowered ears seamed to be a deffensive posture.

Now he starts to fight back.

Peace breaks out and they start to feed.

 

Still in Cape Town

We are coming to the end of our brilliant stay here in Cape Town and the Western Cape Province. The last 5 days have been a whirl-wind.  It's  almost impossible to keep up with photography as well as blogging on a daily basis. I have had some incredible experiences this last few days and seen some of the most exotic of birds, many on my wish list of species to see.  Almost every bird seen is a "lifer" meaning that I am seeing it for the first time in my life. Monday was another good day after the  off-shore pelagic trip when I had seen  Albatross and Shearwater and taken great photos to add to my galleries.  Late in the afternoon I travelled out to Intaka Island which is a wildlife reserve very close to the city. It is in actual fact, reclaimed land and was part of the planning conditions and  regulations when the giant shopping centre was built nearby. This is one of the best places  apparently, to photograph Malachite Kingfisher, a species that I have been keen to photograph since I arrived.  As luck would have it, the day I chose to visit there had been some work carried out and the reeds had been cut down which had created a great deal of disturbance as you would expect.  This is Murphy's Law unfortunately but it did spoil my visit....... almost!  I sat in a hide overlooking some conveniently placed perches where Malachites are regularly seenn perched.  I was told by a companion in the hide with me, a local man called Ajay, that you can almost guarantee them on these perches but the chopping down today would have disturbed them for sure. This was an immense disappointment!  I waited patiently for 2 hours with a no show because had they made an appearance I would have taken classic pictures, the perches were so close to the hide.  The local man, told me that they were not in the least bit put off by the proximity of  birders and photographers close by and this inspite of noisy talk coming from the hide .  It seemed too good to be true and so it proved.  I left the reserve with Ajay and as we chatted I suddenly heard a Kingfisher flying towards on the canal that we were crossing.  Now I know that Malachite Kingfishers call like Common Kingfisher because there it was just in front of us in reeds by this canal.  A result which was unexpected to say the least.

 

Malachite Kingfisher. These little Kingfishers are smaller than our own Kingfishers and even more brightly coloured with a bright coral red beak being the first and obvious difference (black in the male Common Kingfisher).  The back has an irridescent quality with almost purple wing coverts.  The head is strongly edged with white.

It's Thursday today and tomorrow, Friday our final day and at dawn I am going back to the hide to try for more shots 

Tuesday saw us in the car heading north towards the Western Cape National Park. and an over-night stay at Langebaan.  We stayed in a villa next to the golf course, always an oasis for birds and so it proved.  It was exotic with wild Greater Flamingos making use of the pools  on the fairways, weaver birds close to their nests and a  Fiscal Shrike on almost every fairway marker. 

 

Fiscal Shrike, this one is a very young bird still brown and with fleshy gapes around the mouth. At first light on Wednesday I had great fun trying to photograph this one in flight as it carried its food back to a favourite perch.

 

South African Birds

Is been hard to keep up with Blogging this last 3 days, I have been so busy seeing and photographing birds in all sorts of habitats.  On Saturday the Cape Pelagic trip was postponed due to really windy weather but fortunately by Sunday it cleared up. With a spare day I visited the Kistenboch Botanical gardens, well known not only for it's gardens but also for its birds.  This is a Garden Of Eden by another name, a gorgeous, sumptious green oasis of more than a thousand acres nesting at the foot of the mountains that are such a feature of Cape Town. I managed some of the best photos of the trip with Orange-breasted Sunbird, Anthobaphes violacea being a real treat and I was so excited to see it and even more so to get a good collection of pictures.

 

A stunning Orange-breasted Sunbird, Anthobaphes violacea

Orange-breasted Sunbird, Anthobaphes violacea....again.

Karoo Prinia or Spotted Prinia (Prinia maculosa)

This lovely little bird was still feeding youngsters, one was nearby.  Here, the bird dropped a spider or weevle that it had found amongst the dead head of a flower.

I have hundreds of other photos of both Karoo Prinia and lots of others of Sunbirds including other species, but at present there is just not enough time to post or write about them.  

Sunday was brilliant, the height of my birding career.  On the ocean going trip I saw and photographed Shearwaters, Albatross as well as Petrels, a fabulous, if not a dangerous experience in a boat far too small for the conditions really. But never the less exciting and rewarding.  Heres a taster or two.

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)

Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

Friday birdwatching

 

Kelp Gull bathing in a fresh pool. The Kelp Gull is ac ommon species in the Southern Atlantic. It is a very large black backed gull.

I got out of bed very early this morning and went for a walk in the local park which is about the only place I can get to without transport. Its good there because common birds in foreign countries are rare birds if you are seeing them for the first time. Unfortunately it was a bit windy and wild today and the birds were keeping low so I didn't see as many as normal. On top of that, I have not been on top of my game and had a dodgy spell earlier on which cleared up by late afternoon fortunately and by evening I was back tp top form.  I photographed some Kelp Gulls  they were bathing in afresh water pool.

 

Tomorrow I was booked on to a pelagic trip out to the edge of the continental shelf to photograph Albatross and dolphins. It is now been  put back 24 hours because of severe strong winds.  There is only a small chance that the Sunday trip will take place as well because of the forcast which is for more strong winds and choppy seas. .  This will be a big disappointment if it does not take place. 

Levaillant's Cisticola - Cisticola tinniens

 

Levaillant's Cisticola or Tinkling Cisticola -  Cisticola tinniens

This morning's walk was very fruitful and interesting (as always).  I have been finding it hard to put a name to all the birds seen on this trip and I am hopeful that I have been accurate. I have a digital field guide on my iPad that is supposed to be the best guide around but I am not finding it as easy to use as I hoped to. For example, the first bird seen this morning at 7.15 was a Fiscal Shrike, a female.  The chestnut flanks aided my identification.  It was perched on low bushes in the nearby Green Point Park situated next to the Cape Town Soccer Stadium.  It was hunting in typical shrike fashion.

 

The  next little bird turned out to be easier to name, it's a Levaillant's Cisticola or Tinkling Cisticola, Cisticola tinniens.   I have been doing my home work so when this little bird showed itself I was able to,  at least  look in the proper section of the field-guide and then come up with the right name.  At first I saw one feeding next to water and then a few minutes later my attention was drawn to some scratchy singing and there, perched on the top of a flowering shrub and posing  beautifully was first a male and then another bird, likely the female. (see above).

 

Levaillant's Cisticola - Cisticola tinniens

There were other very interesting birds seen today and I will put them in my galleries on my return and perhaps blog about them as well. There just isn't enough time when you are away, to keep up with attending to your family duties, photographing birds and blogging as well as, of course enjoying the other aspects of being in a foreign country.  Heres a nother couple of great photos though.

Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis)  very closely related to our Pied Wagtail at home , Motacilla Aba yarellii and also Motacilla cinerea, the Grey Wagtail.  Very interesting to see them because at first glance most non-birders would think them just familiar wagtails from the UK.  They act in exactly the same way.

The next one is a bird only found here in the Cape, a  Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis).

Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis (female)

 

Cape Spotted Eagle Owl

 

Cape Spotted Eagle Owl

Yesterday morning we left Cape Town for the picturesque district of Franschhoek, an unimaginably  beautiful wine growing valley, as the crow flies, a hundred or so kilometres away from base. We detoured via the coastal road around false bay, Gordon's Bay and the  small coastal community of Rooi Els on a big loop back to the farmlands of Franschoek. It was quite a day, spent with the family rather than a birding trip but it turned in to one of course.  What is great about this trip is the abundance of brand new species that I am seeing, at times , without hardly looking. This morning was just like that.  Normally when away, I get up at dawn and have a wander with the camera and there is always something  to see. Today,  I was just so tired and enjoying my (expensive) bed in a luxury white thatched villa, so much that when dawn broke, I decided to stay tucked up.   I now regret that so much.  The grounds of the hotel were planted beautifully, mostly to lawn and shrub accented with sumptuous agapanthus  and after 9, Jenny and I went for a meander. There was a small pond, empty of anything and a path leading to tennis courts and lawns.

 

 

Cape Spotted Eagle Owl

 

Someone was peering up in to the darkness of a thick old tree and when I joined them, immediately I saw an awesome sight, 2 immense fluffy owlets and an adult, all three peering back, seemingly with the same degree of wonder. The photo opportunity to photograph Spotted Eagle Owl was immense except that all three birds, sleepily and resolutely refused to open their big eyes in the bright light. Behind, in another massive tree was the silhouette  of the male bird, watching carefully with literally one eye open. I was joined at that point by the hotel maintenance man and a lady groundsman, both refreshingly enthused by the presence of the birds and also by my interest. They gave me a detailed account of the birds life so far, telling me that they had bred in a hole in the adjacent old English oak.  The eggs had hatched in October and they had fledged in the last week.  Yesterday one of the immense volley ball sized chicks had been on the lawn beneath the tree where the adult female had fed it a live mouse in front of the enthralled hotel guests.  Imagine!

 

Cape Spotted Eagle Owl

 

After a session of wine tasting, a joyful experience which also included a chocolate tasting session, surreal but equally as enjoyable, we made our way, still in the farmlands to another winery where we saw Black Kite and I photographed young Cape Canaries, several youngsters and a  Flycatcher species that I haven't been able name yet.  All of this without any focus on bird photography whatsoever, quite amazing. 

The Wester Cape is a beautiful place with a climate to match and scenery that is hard to match anywhere in the world.

Immature Flycatcher (species to follow).

Cape Canary (juvenile).

African Penguins

African...... (formerly called Jackass) Penguin colony at Boulders Bay Western Cape.

The colony is now hundreds strong growing from just two birds that chose to breed there as late as 1982.  The colony is visited regularly by thousands and thousands of people who can view these truly wild birds from just inches away in some cases.  At first when I arrived I was somewhat put off by the potential crouds and entrance fee to the boardwalk that winds its way through the colony of hole nesting birds.  They were stood by the sides of their nest burrows in their dozens with their partners faces sometimes showing at  the hole entrance where they were sat incubating eggs or brooding chicks. On other ocassions they were above the nest in pairs with their backs to each other, facing the opposite way to give themselves an all round view for any predators, an inbuilt natural reaction not needed here in this closeted environment.  I pretty soon got imersed in the birds and photography not worrying too much about the other people who had started to leave now anyway as it was way past 5 when we arrived.

It was hard to actually get photos of their eyes because they spent so much time snoozing in the sun but from time to time they would preen and I could see them.

A few pairs were away from the nest burrows and sunning themselves instead on the boulders that gives the beach it's name. On the beach itself there were a hundred or so other bird s who would from time to time enter the water.

I watched one pair crossing beaks and entwining their necks before the male mounted his female and copulated for several minutes giving me the chance to witness this lovely moment.

Then, when he had finished he seemed to tenderly stroke her back with his flipper and gaze in to her eyes. Probably just coincidence but thats the way it looks.

He wandered away to the beach for a swim.

I also saw and photographed other interesing birds today as well as Baboons, here's a taster below the story and more pictures  to follow tomorrow.

Monday morning Signal Hill

I was up at 7 this morning for a walk up the road to the foot of Signal Hill which looked like an interesting place to spend an hour.  I was hopeful of some new species and, as always when you are abroad, you never know what you may seen. This morning as I expected, it was rather quiet and frustrating but I did photograph  Telophorus zeylonus Bokmakierie.  A cape endemic and yet another new species for me of course.  

Sunbirds and Fur Seals

I would be pleased with myself if I could put a name to this immature Sunbird that I photographed this evening.  Having checked with the images on the field guide that I have with me there is nothing to compare. If you know please let me know. There will be more words added to this post tomorrow.

 

Sunbird species (as yet) unknown.

Its been another great day with lots of birds seen and photographed but also some real excitement as we watched Cape Fur Seals in the harbour at Hout Bay.

 

 

Cape Fur Seal

 

This was followed by yet another endemic and of course a first for me, a Cape Cormorant.

 

Cape Shag - or Cape Cormorant  (Phalacrocorax capensis) 

Hartlaubs Gull (again)

Kelp Gull - Larus dominicanus

Swift Tern, a species that I also photographed off Nogombo, Sri Lanka in November. Good to see tham again. This time flying to drink from a fresh water pool adjacent to the sea.

 

An incredible day, I photograph Cape endemics.

Red- nobbed Coot

I am here in Cape Town after our arrival at lunchtime yesterday. We endured a Virgin Atlantic flight which lasted for 12 hours.  My  seat partner  was a rotund lady from Switzerland who couldn't fit all of her massive self in her own seat and consequently "spilled over" to mine.  It was the worse flight of my life by far and I have done a few over the years, even the stewards were unhelpful and by preferance I would never ever, ever fly Virgin Atlantic again.

It was all well worth it though because Cape Town is fabulous, what an astounding place. The air is clear, clean and bright.  The sky is cloudless and blue and the temperature is warm and dry.   The common birds here, just yards from our beautiful apartment in the Green Point area are just amazing.  So many superlatives already, but very deserved.  I have already seen and photographed two Cape endemics, (that's birds are found only here in the Cape). These were Cape White Eye and Namaque Warbler though the latter is open to debate because it was in an area and habitat that is not usual for the species. This morning from the verandah of the appartment which over looks the bay with a distand view of Robin Island, I saw yet another Cape White Eye, obviously common here and amazingly, a Great Grey Shrike, this was perched on the corner of the house opposite.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. 

Green Point Park is just a walk from our accommodation.  This green oasis nestled next to the Cape Town football stadium built for the recent Worl Cup, includes lakes and biodiversity habitat displays and is alive with birds of all shapes, sizes and species.  I am sure that what I have seen in the last 18 hours is just the minute tipe of a gigantic birding iceberg so this is going to be some kind of special trip. Here are a few photos from the first day.

Cape White-Eye,  a Cape endemic.

Namaque Warbler (but could be a Prinia)

Blacksmith Lapwing

Cape Sparrow - Passer melanurus (male)

Cape Sparrow -  Passer melanurus (female)

Hartlaub's Gull - Chroicephalus hartlaubii

My list day one.

Cape Sparrow

Harlaub's Gull

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Red-winged Starling

Kelp Gull

Great Grey Shrike

Cape Dove

Hadeda Ibis

Glossy Ibis

African Sacred Ibis

Yellow Billed Duck

Blacksmith Lapwing (plover)

Namaque Warbler

Red- knobbed Coots

All of the above Life time firsts.

and...

Egyptian Goose

Moorhen

 

 

 

Blackcaps in the garden again.

Blackcap Warblers have visited my garden every winter for the last 5 years at least. I place apple pieces on exposed branches in clear view of my kitchen so that I can observe and photograph the birds through the glass. In my experience the birds that visit my garden always come to feed on apple pieces exclusively  and not fat balls. In fact, I have not once seen the Blackcaps in my garden, feeding on anything but apple which they seem to seek it out.  This picture was taken "handheld" through the window which is slightly tinted with Pilkington K glass so it's remarkable that  I could get a result.  One of the interesting features of the female Blackcap is the slight hint of peach on the cheek patches which is hardly noticeable until you look really closely.

I really like to travel and in November I visited Sri Lanka for almost two weeks.   Tomorrow my wife and I will be flying to South Africa to stay with her brother  in Cape Town.  We will be away for two weeks.  I will be blogging as often as possible with regular updates of my sightings with as many photos as possible. I have a few things planned already including a Pelagic Trip on the 12 or 13 when I hope to get pictures of Albatross, Petrels and Terns with a good strong chance of Dolphins and even perhaps a Whale.  As well as birds I am hoping to photograph Baboons (a certainty I am told) and small antelope species would be good.

Related articles

Back home in the UK

Short-nosed Indian fruit bat - (Cynopterus sphinx)

Blackcaps return to the garden.

Final day inSri Lanka

Waxwings and Oystercatchers.

 

An annoying branch ruined this photograph.

Now that I am back in Devon before my trip to Cape Town on Friday, I thought I ought to go and see if I could go and photograph the Waxwings that had conveniently decided to call Exeter Services (on the M5), home for the last few days.  It was, as I expected a thrilling experience to see them fly from their perch high in a nearby tree,  down to the low bushes to feed on the berries.  I stayed for almost two hours waiting for the right moment. I watched to see which berries and which bus they seemed to prefer and then positioned in the hope that I would be able to get a good shot. The light wasn't really good for any stunning shots but I did quite well considering the conditions.

 

One of four Waxwings just about to feed on the berries.

 

From the M5 I shot off down to Exmouth beach in the hope of seeing and photographing an Iceland Gull that has been seen in the last few days.  When I got there I was quite convinced that I wasn't going to be successful, it was far too busy with people enjoying the mild weather and the last of their holidays I made my way to the rocks by the Lifeboat Station for a look.  The sun was just about to set and in the few minutes before it dipped behind the hills above Teignmouth in the distance across the bay, the sun cast a bright golden light on a small group of Oystercatchers.

 

An Oystercatcher on Exmouth Beach Devon.