Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Woodpeckers in flight.

 

My obsession this last week or two has been Greater - spotted Woodpeckers, or to be more specific Woodpeckers in flight.  I have been putting out peanuts on a tree stump in a clearing in Haldon Forest.  To get some photographs I constructed a crude cover from tree litter and leaves and from this vantage point waited and watched the woodpeckers coming in to feed.  It took several visits and a couple of hours each day to get to know the birds and to learn about their behaviour and habits.  There are three - perhaps four - birds visiting the free peanuts regularly, an adult male and female with one, but possibly two juveniles. I have seen that all of them would first fly to a nearby dead tree before flying down to the peanuts on a lower stump.  I would suggest that this is a strategy to check for safety and once the coast is clear, then they fly in.  This was perfect for me but the positioning of my makeshift hide was totally wrong if I was to get the perfect flight shot. Drastic action was called for - a total repositioning and rebuild of the hide!  I used stout branches from recent fellings which I gathered from the forest floor.  Then I created a wigwam- like frame structure to support leaves and branches.  Once finished It was a tight squeeze for me and difficult to get in and out of especially with my damaged knee but it concealed me perfectly.  It wasn't long before the birds started to arrive but unfortunately, now the light was very poor with dreary, overcast conditions.  But even so, I took the best in flight photographs that I have taken of this species.  I am looking forward to some sunshine and the chance to get a fast shutter speed and a good depth of field.

 

 

Kingfisher close to home.

This is the 9th year that I have had the absolute privilege to photograph Kingfishers very close to my home on the nearby brook. At the end of the breeding season, young birds take up residence - there is usually a tussle between siblings and the winner gets to claim the territory.  This makes for some very interesting photo opportunities. The first youngster usually shows up around the middle of July.  They breed on the River Exe not too far away and also on the brook further up stream and it's anyone's guess where the youngsters originate from. But what is for sure, the brook is a perfect habitat for the lucky territory holder.  Over the last week I have been keeping watch and waiting for the first bird to show up.  Yesterday evening on my 4th stake-out session of the week, suddenly from up stream a gorgeous jewel like young male flew in and landed on the perch that I had planted, protruding from the bank and spanning the narrow watercourse. Any passing bird would surely stop there and so it proved. I was excited and it proved yet again that there is no substitute for patience.

I went back this evening at around 5 and by 5.40 there he was again in exactly the same place but last night it had been obscured by the thick growth of Himalayan Balsam. I had cleared it away before I sat down today and hid under camouflage netting. I had the chance then to watch, study and photograph the young male over the next hour and a quarter.

A short video, Juvenile greater - spotted Woodpecker.

 

 

Greater - spotted Woodpecker

I haven't posted for a couple of months but it's nice to be back.  While away my blog was selected as one of the top 100 wildlife photography blogs in the world, I suppose I should be impressed but I have been trying to work out what the catch is, there must be one or am I just being cynical.  I just needed to have a break from blogging for a while and also concentrate on a few other things in my life to get some balance back.  These last few days I have been getting out again, looking for Kingfishers and also trying to photograph Woodpeckers that I haven't really concentrated on before.  I really want to get some nice flight shots of Greater-spotted Woodpeckers because they have a really impressive wing pattern when in flight which you hardly see with the naked eye.  I know of a spot in Haldon Forest where there is a dead tree where I have photographed them before.  I have been going there this last few days and putting out some peanuts which they like. It took a while before they discovered the freebies but I was pleased when I could see that the peanuts were disappearing. I went this morning with the camera and set up under some camouflage overlooking the tree and it wasn't long before a young Woodpecker flew in followed by a female, probably it's mother and then a male.  So, not one woodpecker, but three!  

This was a good opportunity to see the difference between the three possible colour variations of this species.  I think I have said it before but this is surely one of the few species where the juvenile is arguably more colourful than it's parents.  The male has a small crimson patch on the nape of the neck, the female has no red on the head at all but the juvenile has a red cap.  Both adults have crimson on the lower belly and under the tail, however, the juveniles have just a hint of red there.  Here are some of the pictures of the juvenile taken this morning.

Our second full day in Extremadura.

Today has been possibly the best days birdwatching and photography in my entire life!  A bold statement but what a day I have had.  It was raining badly at breakfast and it went on and on but in spite of that, we pressed on.  In between the showers we still managed to see Nightingale, Red Backed shrike and a Kingfisher at the nest in a most unusual place, next to a small car park and away from water.....well you learn something because I would never have expected to see a Kingfisher with a nest hole which wasn't above water. I would normally tell you more about that but there was so much else to write about today.  We went to the Truillio Planes the other side of Caceres.  It was going quite well, the rain stopped and we were looking for the usual suspects after already photographing Little Owl....beautifully and of course the European Rollers that are a feature of this special place.  Even photographs of them mating couldn't beat what followed.  Along a track that rain for 3 miles or so it suddenly reached a choice of two directions, I chose one to the right which quickly ended in a dead end.  We started to execute a three point maneuver and then we saw it ..... a massive bird that was  just stood motionless in the field and not far from the fence line. It was a Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) we couldn't believe ore fortune!  It was, in actual fact, next to a carcass that was stripped down to just bones. Wow, what a discovery.   We snapped pictures of it excitedly and then eventually whilst trying to photograph it without an annoying fence in front, it decided that we were not to be trusted and it took to the air.  It was a wildlife spectacle not to be missed.  Our very own find, not a bird artificially baited but a truly free and wild bird of prey feeding on a natural carcass -  just wonderful and brilliant to see Europes largest bird of prey feeding and so close.  Later on in the day and back close to our base camp I went to photograph the bee -eaters that we had discovered yesterday at the nest and I finished with the best ever shots of this magical species.  I was very successful but that's a story that deserves it's own entry.  I have wonderful photographs to post....please check back for my next post to see them and read about how I managed to get the shots.  In the meantime, enjoy the vulture!

One a day, Day 30 Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Off Brixham, Devon

In Madrid and already some great photo opportunities!

I flew over to Spain last evening with the 2 Dave's for - what is now - our annual trip to the Extramadura region for some intense birding and photography.  I must mention the great flight we had on Easy Jet with two smart and bright hostesses Chelsea and Harriet who cared for us and entertained with real professionalism, whit and charm. Nice to meet you both and thank you.  We picked up the hire car with no problems and the Tom Tom took us smoothly to the hotel Barajas close to the airport.  Up at first light and straight to the square, just feet from the hotel, where we got off to the usual brilliant start with Serin, Spotless Starling, nesting White Storks and Monk Parrots and all in the middle of the city.  The sarin for me are particularly attractive and a real feature of this great birding country.  This is a female feeding on dandelion.  it's cold today, most unusual but I am sure that it will soon warm up!

One a Day, Day 29 - Great White Pelican - Pelecanus onocrotalus

Cape Town South Africa 2014.

One a Day, Day 28 Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis

A distant shot from the road of a solitary Spot-billed Pelican - Pelicanus phillipensis in Western Province Sri Lanka.

 

Palm Warbler

My last trip abroad was to the US and specifically Florida. Unfortunately I visited just a week or so before the main spring migration and birding was not as productive as you would imagine. Particularly, warblers were difficult to locate, however in the area that I stay, Palm Warblers are always easy to find and they make good photographic subjects.  On one overcast and dull evening in the local park I had a magical encounter with a small flock, obviously on migration they were feeding constantly on small insects and flies.  There are two sub-species of Palm Warbler, Eastern and Western and both migrate through the Florida peninsular.

 

 

 

One a Day, Day 27 Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

One a Day, day 26 White-chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis

White-chinned Petrel photographed this year on Cape Town pelagic trip.

One a Day - day 25 Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli)

Again, photographed on Cape Town Pelagic trip.

Crossbills, comparing beaks and plumage.

I returned yesterday to try to improve on the photographs of the drinking Crossbills.  I heard a nice comment recently saying that it's one thing to take lots of photographs but it's not as easy to finish up with good pictures, a very good comment if you think about it. You can decide if you think this is good photograph or in fact a good picture?  For what it's worth, I love it.  It is a male and yesterday I photographed not only males, but females and juveniles. This was all very, very interesting.  Crossbills seemingly come in a variety of colours which makes them doubly interesting. Males, females and juveniles are all different and come in different shades of greens, yellows and reds.  They are like designer finches!  Another interesting fact is that their "crossed" beaks don't all cross the same way.  The beak on the one above crosses left over right, in other words the top mandible crosses towards the right eye. How very interesting is this, is there a pattern to the direction of this crossing, do birds carry genes to dictate this crossing. This opens up some real scientific unknowns - or is it unknown - my question is this.  Do all birds in the same family group have beaks that cross in the same way or is it purely random?  Are birds genetically programed as "right" or "left" crossers.  I have studied every bird that I have photographed over the last 48 hours, at least 12 different individuals of both sexes and all ages and on these, all cross left to right but if you look at the picture of a male taken previously then you can see that the beak crosses in the other direction.  Fascinating!! I would love to know the answer to this question.

Here are more photographs from yesterday. For what i'ts worth,  all cross to the right!

Above, a juvenile, crossing to the right!

Above, An adult male.

Above, a sub-adult male showing juvenile un-moulted feathers on the head which are yellow.  When newly fledged crossbills undertake their first mount, regardless of sex they acquire greenish/yellow plumage, and it is not until next moult that males acquire redish plumage.  This bird shows this really well and in addition the edges of the secondary feathers are retained and bleached to show as a wing bar. 

Two different birds here, a female drinking and another male with hints of retained yellow plumage on the head but not such noticeable bleached edges to the secondaries.  Got to love this species. Could be my new obsession! 

Coda:

Here's a pair of Crossbills photographed in 2015, both birds are lefties!

 

One a Day, Day 24 - Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)

Photographed off Cape Town SA.

Common Crossbill

I had the chance to photograph Common Crossbill this afternoon, a lovely and always a very interesting bird. Adult males are red and females are always yellowish, however to make things very confusing young first year males will also have some yellow and when they moult again later in the year they may have both yellow and red plumage. However  and I think I have got this right - any individual with reddish or red feathers is always going to be a male.  In short, females do not show any red at any age or in any state of plumage.  It was interesting today to see birds of all ages and both sexes.  Therefore, this must be a young(ish) male, distinctly reddish or orange.

This one next is a female (below) - or it could be an immature male?  My money would be on female but you can see brown juvenile plumage underlying.

But what sex and age is this next one with obvious wing bars?  I read that this is an indication bleaching and wear but who knows?  Compared to the bird pictured first, it seemed strikingly different to me.

It's more red than yellow to my eyes so this would make it a male but it's probably not an adult and this is proven by the obvious juvenile plumage that you can see on the head just behind the cheek patches and wing coverts..  Like I said, Crossbills are a very interesting species of British finch and comparatively under studied.

Its been very unseasonably dry this last few weeks and standing water is a bit scarce.  Crossbills are mostly, if not exclusively, seed eaters and need to drink regularly.  Therefore standing water, even a muddy puddle will bring them down to drink.  Very useful to the observer and photographer.

One a Day, Day 23 - Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

Cape Town pelagic trip 2014.

One a day, day 22 - Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)

Cory's Shearwater photographed off Cape Town South Africa.

One a Day, Day 21 Great Shearwater (Puffinus gravis)

One a day, Day 20 Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)

One a Day, Day 19 Manx Shearwater - Puffinus puffinus

One a Day, Day 18 Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys)

 

Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys)

Photographde on Cape Town Pelagic 2017.

One a Day, Day 17 Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

One a Day, Day 16 - Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)

This adult 

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)

was one of several seen on a Cape Town Pelagics trip in 2016.

Palm Warbler, Bill Baggs State Park Florida

Warblers have been hard to come by on the trip to Florida so far.  I have seen relatively and comparatively few species so far.  Without doubt and as usual, the most often encountered has been Palm Warbler of both the Eastern and Western sub species. I made a trip out yesterday to Bill Baggs State park which is right on the edge of Key Biscayne and a good site for migrating birds.  I expected to see a variety of species and therefore, add to my tally of North American Warblers but disappointingly, the only warblers seen were Palm and even these were few and far between. In fact apart from Common Ground Doves - a couple of pairs seen - Ibis, Turkey Vultures and a solitary Magnificent Frigate Bird, it was a lifeless and desolate place! I tried just sitting quietly in a few likely spots watching for movement and this did give a really close encounter with the bird above, an Eastern - or brown Palm Warbler- quite a stunner I think and given that this is one of the less attractively marked American Warbler, then you can only imagine how stunning some of them are. I believe this bird to be a female Eastern.

Common Ground Dove perched in a tree for once!

 

One a day, Day - 15 Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

One a day 14 Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus

I have gallery containing 680 different species and for the next 680 days I will be posting 1 image per day in taxonomic order for the next 680 days.  This is Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus photographed in Devon UK, my home county.

Eastern Screech Owl in Florida

I know, this is a stunning bird I absolutely agree.!!  Look at it's piercing eyes that stare down at you so aggressively.  This is an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) and I photographed it yesterday at Green Cay Wetlands in Palm beach County.  My best ever photo opportunity of this tiny owl. The owls were nesting close to the wooden walk way that circumnavigates the wetlands for several miles and this lovely example of the species was sat right next to the wooden boardwalk alongside another old palm tree stump that had a hole near the top - probably the nest hole?  My assumption was that this is a male and he was standing guard over his nest burrow that more than likely contained his incubating mate. 

 I have no idea if that is correct but it seemed to be the likely scenario.  Owls are usually very confident in their own camouflage and don't seem to be particularly worried when humans are nearby, this was certainly the case with this beauty but he certainly knew we were there.  From time to time he scanned the ground and had perhaps sene prey - they eat rodents and large crickets etc but no doubt small reptiles as well -  on other occasions he would look up - keeping a watchful eye out for predators overhead I am sure. Nearby, Blue Jays were mobbing something in the bushes but I couldn't see what, this could have been another owl?

 

 

One a day, Day 13 Red-necked Grebe

Florida Scrub-Jay - Jupiter Beach Florida.

The Florida Scrub-Jay is Florida's only endemic species of bird.  I have tried repeatedly over the years to find one and never had any luck but yesterday, at last I managed it.  I travelled north to Jupiter and specifically the Johnathon Dickinson State park where the habitat is perfect for them and I had been reading reports of sightings there. Within minutes of arriving at the park we walked along a track where apparently - according to the ranger at the park's main gate - they are constantly seen.  He said my chances were around 70% so imagine my excitement when suddenly, after an almost birdless 20 minute walk, there was oen on a high tree next to the road. We then spent a magical few hours with them, I say them because we saw around 5 in total.  This is the most confiding species of bird that you are ever likely to encounter.  A  pish - pish was guaranteed to get one to fly to you and almost land on your shoulders and of course when a a bird is that close its easy to study it in great detail. Some were sporting both plastic and metal rings. But this adult below was not part of the study which I found odd?

Scrub-Jay live in family groups and the birds from previous years cooperate and feed the current fledglings with the original adults being the breeders.  They are a really attractive, smart bird, smart in both meanings of the word.  They were massively interested in the peanuts that I offered, eating some but flying off to cache the rest, always in the same spot.  I have seen European Jays caching peanuts in this way.

I thought at first that I could see that there was some discernible differences between the male and female but apparently there is no sexual dimorphism, however these different birds were probably juveniles.  I have taken note of the exact spot where I saw these elusive, endangered and declining birds and if you want directions then please feel free to email me and I will tell you specifically and exactly where you will be able to see them for yourself. I have to say that I was very, very pleased to at last add Florida Scrub-Jay to my gallery of bird species which now totals getting on for 700 different species.  I have an ambition to photograph 1000 species before I "shuffle off this mortal coil" - thank's Shakespeare - I'm well on the way!

 

One a day, day 12 - Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

A nice bird to see on the River Exe near to my home.

Florida Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura and a massive Iguana

I sat for a couple of hours this morning in the hope that an Osprey would come and dive for fish in the the pool in front of me  but without success.  I have been told that they regularly fish in the spot at Whisky Creek but for the entire time that I sat waiting expectantly, a Turkey Vulture was in the trees opposite preening and sunning itself in the strong morning sunshine.  Eventually it took off to look for something to eat no doubt.  They are magnificent if not a little bit ugly and their plumage is really quite attractive to my eyes, not to mention their spooky looking bare face and strong hook beak.  I have just read that they are no way related to the Old World vultures but just resemble them because they feed and act in the same way.  a prime example of convergent evolution.  I am very fond of that phrase and quite often quote it, now I know of a good example.

In Florida, Warblers and Catbirds.....not to mention Pelicans!

I am not 100% certain of this species but suspect very strongly that it is a Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata), one of Florida's over-wintering warbler species. I would have expected - and hoped for an adult, and far more attractively marked male however - but the head pattern and the existence of a yellow rump does indicate very strongly, this as the ID.  If you can correct me, then please do so by email or through the blogs comments, thanks.  I have photographed this species before in January 2016.  I watched a female Northern parula (Setophaga americana) feeding on the berries of a fruiting tree.  The females of this species are very attractive also, if not as exuberant as the male. This photograph is quite cropped as the bird was feeding right at the top of the tree.

The strikingly smart and handsome, starling sized Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) is a very common species here but not very easy to see and get a shot of - they are skulkers and often heard but not seen - but this one decided to pose for an age right out in the open and I took the opportunity to get my best shot ever photograph of the species.  It belongs to the same family as the Northern Mockingbird.

Another bird that I always enjoy to see is the The Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas).  This species is another skulker and seems to almost invariably stick close to the ground.  I noticed that there was some conflict between this species and the Palm Warblers who probably feed in the same way hence the interaction.  For what it is worth, the Palm Warblesr seem to be dominant over the Yellowthroats but that isn't a scientific assessment, just an observation.

Oh.....and did I mention the Brown Pelicans? No, but how could they not be included, always so photogenic and very easy to photograph as well.

 

 

 

 

One a day, Day 11 Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe, Exe Estuary Devon UK.

One day, day 10.Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis

In Florida and Palm Warblers.

Indistinct from this angle - Eastern or Western race, looks to be western?

I am currently in Southern Florida on my annual visit to family. We are just a little bit early for spring migration but the Palm Warbler is the first to start - but they also over-winter here as well.  At the moment they are very common here and have probably moved north from the Caribbean. Yesterday evening I discovered a small flock of 20 or so feeding avidly on tiny insects and spiders in the low shrubs and undergrowth bordering the lawns of a public park - West Lake which is a favorite place of mine.  It was a real treat to follow them up and down for half an hour or so waiting for a good photo opportunity.  Amongst them was a single male Northern Parula  and one Black and White Warbler. It was just a lovely experience for me, extremely interesting, fascinating and exciting as you never know what is going to put in an appearance. The Palm Warbler is extra interesting because there are two distinct races the one above belongs to the Eastern race. This race has mostly yellow streaked underparts and rump whereas the Western  race has a  yellow throat and rump but still has streaks.  I have photographed both but on this trip I have seen both.  There is a possibility that in the future they will be separated in to two distinct species. 

This shows yellow underparts, almost certainly belonging to the yellow Eastern Race.  The image below is probably a female but which race - who knows?

This image beneath shows the distinct yellow throat of a Western bird or brown Palm Warbler which I photographed the previous evening, quite clearly different. This is to my eyes is a slightly more attractive bird.

This is the same bird from a different angle but you can see the yellow throat and also distinctly yellow spercillium.

Early in my session I discovered one single bird feeding on the edge of the lake.  This was a Western "brown" bird and a nice find.

As dusk was almost upon us and the tiny midges colloquially known as "noseeums" began to bite, suddenly there was a beautiful Black and White Warbler, they are very active, I have seen them before and always love them, they behave almost like Treecreepers and are hard to photograph but I had a tiny bit of success but the light was bad and they are very active and never still. But what a bird!

As I mentioned, amongst the small flock of Palm Warblers was one singly male Northern Parula.  Is this the most beautiful of all the North American Warbler? Possibly but there are a lot to choose from and they are all very pretty and gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

One a Day, Day 9 White-billed Diver - Gavia adamsii

One a Day, Day 9 White-billed Diver - Gavia adamsii photographed in the harbor at Brixham, Devon

 

One a Day, Day 8 Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)

Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)

I am in the middle of a 675 day project uploading one species a day from my PBase galleries. I have a quest to photograph 1000 bird species in my lifetime. 

One a day, day 7, Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata

From my PBase galleries of 675 species, one a day for the next 675 days.

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata

One a day, Day 6 Black - throated diver.

Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)

One a Day, day 5 Southern rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes (chrysocome) chrysocome

Photographed on a magical afternoon when, courtesy of the RAF we hitched a helicopter ride to a remote colony containing the nests of thousands upon thousands of Rockhoppers in all stages of breeding. An experience that I will never ever forget.

One a day, African penguin (Spheniscus demersus)

Photograph taken at Betty's Bay South Africa in 2014.

This is an endangered species but easy to see and there are 3 mainland colonies - 2 in South Africa  are popular tourists attractions.

"One a Day" day 3 Magellanic Penguin - Spheniscus magellanicus

I took this picture of Magellanic Penguin - Spheniscus magellanicus on a visit to the Falklands whilst serving in the Royal Marines. At the time, penguins were able to nest close to the town of Stanley in the cordoned off minefields that had given them security in areas where it was dangerous for humans to venture.

One a Day, Day 2 Cassowary

Iin Queensland Australia I was lucky enough to see this wild Cassowary feeding on waste pineapples on a plantation close to Townsville. A once in a lifetime encounter I am sure.

One a day. Day one - Ostrich.

I have a gallery of 675 species from my travels around the world, my ambition is to achieve at least 1000 before I croak! I find the galleries a very rewarding way to catalogue my photos and then keep them in order. It's a man thing I suppose. It's the only list I keep but if i had listed from the beginnings of my birding way back in the 1950's I would have well over that 1000 for sure.  There are massive numbers missing from my photographic galleries.  For example I have visited the West indies numerous times and Belize, Falklands and the Galapagos and hardly any photos from those trips are worth posting. In the meantime, I am going to post on Twitter one species a day in Taxonomic order  for the next 675 days - of course that will be extended because in the time it takes do that, almost 2 years, I will have added to it considerably. So heres the first species from the galleries and it's Ostritch.

Photographed at Cape Point Park, South Africa. A truly wild ostrich if you are wondering although there is a suggestion that the South African ostriches are probably feral having escaped from ostrich farms in the not too distant past.
 

White breasted Dipper

 

 

I have been watching these Dippers regularly since my recent return from Cape Town. This species is always an early nester and it's a good species to watch at this time of the year.  I am not giving the location away because for sure, there would be some disturbance and thats just what they don't need.  In fact, they are very easily distracted from their breeding activities at this stage and if there is any hint of human activity near to their chosen nest site they will depart the area for several hours and could potentially decide to move the location. Consequently I have been very, very careful to hide my presence from them. I attached my Panasonic Lumix camera to my Swarovski Scope - this is colloquially called digiscoping - and from 30 yards away and hidden by trees and undergrowth I could get frame filling images.  The weather was bad and the light was really dim, there was even a light drizzle. It was far too dull for conventional photography but setting the ISO to 5000 - yes I said 5000 - I was getting about a 1/30 second shutter speed. 4k movie at this speed was a bit hazy but well worth recording and now you know the distance involved, it's a pretty good result. Heres a screen shot.

 

Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross

I have recently returned from Cape Town, South Africa which is a wonderful place for a holiday and a really special country to visit if you are a bird photographer and wildlife enthusiast like me.  For the second time I enjoyed an amazing Pelagic Trip 20 miles out past Cape Point to look for pelagic seabirds.  I had booked with Cape Town pelagics (just do a google search).   It was, as previously a very rough and uncomfortable trip with lots of sea sickness - fortunately not me, but almost -  but extremely fruitful and rewarding.  I managed 3 "lifer species", Spectacled Petrel being the highlight if you don't count the 4 species of Albatross!   A truly awesome adventure. The ideal scenario is to try and find a trawler hauling nets and if you are lucky then there will be thousands of birds and a feeding frenzy.  We managed this and it lived up to expectations.  With literally dozens and dozens of albatross amongst the other myriad of birds it was almost impossible to get good photographs what with very rough roll of the boat and strong winds but then there are so many opportunities and out of the hundreds of shots taken a small percentage of successful photographs will give you a few keepers for the day.

One of the Albatross species that was present  in reasonable numbers were Indian Yellow Nosed which I saw and photographed on my previous trip but this time there seemed to be more adults present.  Suddenly the guide called out that there was an Atlantic Yellow Nose which is a much scarcer bird in South African waters apparently and a really good bird to see.  It was pointed out to us but I have to say that I found it hard to tell the difference and had decided when I looked through my photographs that I hadn't managed to get a shot of this species. Now that I have had the time I have studied my pictures really carefully and have come the conclusion that I did have some success after all but you can see how difficult it is to separate the two birds which some ornithologists still consider to be the same species any way I think!  All very confusing.  Apparently, Atlantic is a slightly larger bird and it has a slightly more shadowy grayish head and a dark patch - present in both species incidentally,  but larger in Atlantic - in front of the eye.  To be honest, in the light and conditions, any grayish on the head was missed by me and apparently because the grey is absent in juveniles and young adults individuals don't necessarily show this anyway. I have read an interesting article about separating the two which indicates that the best way to definitively  separate them is the beak. Here is a quote from the article.

"The differences in bill pattern and structure between Indian Yellow- nosed Thalassarche c.carteri and Atlantic Yellow-nosedAlbatrosses T.c. chlororhynchos is the shape of the culminicorn, in particular above the nostrils This  is a diagnostic feature that allows the two forms to be separated reliably. In Atlantic Yellow-nosed, the culminicorn broadens above the nostrils, but it begins to narrow at this point in Indian Yellow-nosed."  

The crucial phrase here is " a diagnostic feature that allows the two forms to be separated reliably"  

So now, if you compare some photographs below, you will see that there is definite differences in the images below.

This is a believed Atlantic Yellow nosed but it doesn't show the yellow culminicorn as clearly as the next image.

And if you compare this to the next image of an Indian you can clearly see the difference in shape.

It needs some careful study but the yellow ends in a sharp point in the Indian above and is more rounded in what I perceive to be Atlantic in the first 2 photographs.  Quite a hard quandary to sort out.

I may have got this all wrong and if you don't agree with me then please feel free to either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on here.

South Africa 2017

Southern Double Collared Sunbird 

I have been in South Africa for the last week, the last 7 days have sped by and as normal, I haven't had even a second to spare to write the Blog.  The adventure started on the car journey from the International Airport when the first birds seen were Greater Flamingo and amongst them, Stilt on the Black River just before you get in to the metropolitan area. If any bird could give you an indication of what is awaiting you, then surely it is the sight of 200 pink exotic birds, seemingly out of context on a muddy, sadly litter strewn waterway with ramshackle huts  nearby and the distant backdrop of high rise buildings giving you your first contradiction - South Africa is full of contradictions. I was to see Flamingo several times in the next few days, but at the time it was a frustration, and it always is - I have seen them there every time we pass by - to know that I hadn't, as yet, taken good photographs of this iconic bird.

 

Over the weekend we enjoyed the sights, sounds and food and of course wine  but birds are a pretty backdrop to every banquet, sometimes the mundane masquerades as a rarity,  Cape Town has endemics to get the juices flowing and any first time visitor to the area will add numerous ticks to his or her life list. Even the local Wagtail is an endemic and the Hartlaubs Gull flocks in pest like proportions at every beach and waterfront restaurant in spite of its rarity in world terms.  The waterfront building where one buys Robben Island tickets is far  more interesting to birders than a mere temple to Nelson Mandela and African bureaucratic petulance,  it's the home to a large colony of Swift Tern. Drinking coffee whilst sat  at a waterfront cafe could give you 3 endemics, Swift Tern and Fur Seal, not a bad way to spend 30 minutes. Travel just a few miles north up the road that hugs the shore line towards the Western  Cape National Park and now you will open up a veritable Pandora's box of delights. On the journey, more flamingo, African Sacred Ibis, Cattle Egret are constantly seen and at the first wetland area, still with Table a Mountain as a backdrop there are flocks of White Pelican, again stills, various ducks and geese and of course Cape Gull, the South African sub species of Kelp a Gull.  On the long straight road towards the town of Langebaan we enjoyed the spectacle of Yellow Billed Kite on there roadside fence perches, not one but one every mile or so, sometimes three or four just a hundred or so yards apart.  The Western Cape National Park is where I eventually got close views of Greater Flamingo, but I also added  lifetime ticks with 3 banded Plover and photos of Kilitz Plover particularly rewarding. I had missed out on this species previously in Gambia.  I also photographed Cardinal Woodpecker, African Paradise Flycatcher and a very accommodating Rock Kestrel sat obligingly on the restaurant roof during our coffee break.  

Green Point Park is home to the World Cup Stadium and also a very attractive park with water that adjoins an 18 hole golf course.  It’s very close to our accommodation and a great place to see all the common birds. Malachite and Pied Kingfisher, Cape Weaver and Levielant’s Cisticola are easily seen on most visits. 

Also within the City are the Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens, a dream venue for horticulturalists and birders alike. Sunbirds are easily spotted and photographed here and this is a place that I visit as often as I can.

More to follow!

Birds around and about Alphington

Jenny and I went shopping to Sainsbury's at noon today after our usual Sunday morning breakfast outing. We always like to walk, even though I was struggling with my bad arthritic knee - a nightmare by the way. We just happened to walk past a dozen or so birders who were waiting, with the usual array of optics - long lenses, binos and scopes etc. by the carpark  This could only mean one thing - Waxwings! I don't know what it is about Waxwings and Alphington but we always seem to get them here when they are in Devon. Anyway, it seems that I was just a little bit late as they had already polished off the berries from a small clump of shrubs and moved on to look for more somewhere else - later 9 were seen feeding at nearby Topsham, more than likely the same ones - so I missed them but hopefully all my fellow birders managed to see them if they haven't before. Yesterday I had been to my Kingfisher stakeout and sat in the cold for a couple of hours but, for the firsts time in  least 20 visits since November, I didn't get a visit.  However I did get a visit from a Water Rail for the first time which moved very quickly across the brook and then 30 minutes later it scurried back in the opposite direction, a real frustration that I didn't get a photo of it, a lovely species! The lack of Kingfisher may well have been due to a walker who lingered for ages taking photos of the brook and the surrounds without realising that I was tucked away under cover, always good to know that my camouflage is effective but frustrating that there is disturbance.  Towards the end of the session, just when the cold had started to win and my feet were freezing, in flew the resident Heron which is pretty much a daily visitor at the brook here.  It must find something to eat at this spot but I have never seen it catch anything, but it keeps on returning.  I saw a female Sparrowhawk twice on this visit so another reason why the Kingfishers were keeping a low profile.  I daydreamed about the possible photo opportunities of a Sparrowhawk with Kingfisher, I wouldn't like it to happen but if it did i would like to get the picture!

Goldeneye

I had the best opportunity to photograph Goldeneye today.  This is a common winter resident on the River Exe and regularly swims up the river as far as Topsham.  At points the river here is comparatively narrow and with patience I was able to get the closest that I have been able to before. I sat quietly and waited for them to swim closer to me - three in total, although I had been told that there had also been a drake around as well.  Goldeneye are a nice addition to our winter species and I have wanted to get a decent photo for several years. I could do better with luck and even more patience of course.  The male is even more attractive but but both sexes have the same distinctive eye that gives the species the name.