Show us your little gems- pittas, kingfishers, trogons, broadbills, barbets etc.

[kittykat23uk]

I thought it would be nice to have a thread for those gems of the forest that can be hard to spot! Here's a black crowned pitta from Borneo, Olympus E-5 50-200 lens with 1.4 converter.

 

P3274476 adj Black-crowned Pitta by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

 

This bird is difficult to spot but can be detected by it's plaintive single note whistle. I got quite good at imitating this call and was able to get this bird to respond, giving it's position away.

[kittykat23uk]

You could be forgiven for thinking this bird is a pitta too, but this gem is from Madagascar and is the aptly-named pitta-like ground roller. It behaves similar to a pitta, skulking in tropical rainforest - ranomafana in this case. Taken with Olympus E-620 50-200 and flash:

 

Pitta -like Ground Roller by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

[marg]

the best use for a plunge pool is attracting birds....a Crested Barbet at Zarafa 2010

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@kittykat23uk

 

This is a forum whose time has come!

Great idea!

Since joining Safaritalk I've thought that avian equivalents for the various mammal specialty forums would enable the posting of bird images.

Having never seen pittas beyond field guides, your images are highly appreciated!

Thank you so much.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

the best use for a plunge pool is attracting birds....a Crested Barbet at Zarafa 2010

 

~ @@marg

 

I like that!

That's just the kind of quote which brings a smile of recognition at the inherent truth.

Great image of a barbet species which I've never seen before.

You accomplished much with a single posting, as you also motivated me to learn about Zarafa, which was an unfamiliar name to me.

Many thanks!

Tom K.

[kittykat23uk]

Great shot @@marg crested babet is one of my favourite African birds.

 

Here's another from Borneo, a black and red broadbill - an accommodating bird seen along the kinabatangan river.

 

13742358355_0d88431929_k by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[Treepol]

Great idea to showcase some of these flashy birds @@kittykat23uk

 

This ant pitta was seen at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador in 2012

 

 

Ring-necked Kingfisher, Barranco Alto, Southern Pantanal 2010

 

 

Pygmy Kingfisher, Northern Pantanal 2010

 

 

Pied KIngfishers, Caprivi Region, Namibia, September 2014

 

 

 

 

Female Blue Crowned Trogon, Northern Pantanal August 2013

 

 

Black-collared barbet, Olifants Rest Camp, Kruger, August 2012

 

 

Crested Barbet, Satara, Kruger, August 2012

 

 

White-bellied sunbird, Skukuza, Kruger, August 2012

 

 

Collared sunbird, St Lucia, RSA, August 2012

 

 

Malachite sunbird, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town August 2012

 

 

Speckled hummingbird, Manu August 2013

 

 

Reddish Hermit, Manu, August 2013

 

 

Andean emerald, Tandayapa, August 2010

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

@@Treepol

What a great selection!

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Treepol

 

SWEET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's my idea of an ideal sunbird shot.

I'm a sunbird admirer, so your terrific image delights me!

Many Thanks!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@kittykat23uk

 

Sensational focus on the bill!

The subject stands out with textbook clarity.

This is what nature photographers aspire to achieving.

Colors, clarity, composition all superb!

Many thanks!

Tom K.

[kittykat23uk]

Thank you @@Tom Kellie . Some birds are not so accommodating, sadly, like this one. This is a blue headed pitta found in the Danum Valley in Borneo. A real skulker of the forest floor. we found this one below the canopy walkway at Borneo Rainforest lodge, but I also saw one female in the forest at the Danum Valley Field Centre.

 

P3274510 adj Blue-heaeded pitta by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

[Tom Kellie]

Thank you @@Tom Kellie . Some birds are not so accommodating, sadly, like this one. This is a blue headed pitta found in the Danum Valley in Borneo. A real skulker of the forest floor. we found this one below the canopy walkway at Borneo Rainforest lodge, but I also saw one female in the forest at the Danum Valley Field Centre.

 

~ @@kittykat23uk

 

Now THAT is my kind of bird!

I'm quite partial to shades of blue in any organism or in minerals.

Blue wildflowers, delphiniums in gardens, blue hummingbird plumage, blue pansy butterflies in Kenya.

Your photo shows two shades of blue, no less.

What really struck me when it first appeared on my computer screen was how vibrant the plumage was despite the image having been made in lower-than-usual lighting conditions.

Below the canopy walkway is about as far from bright daylight as one might imagine, yet both shades of blue are saturated.

It's a great photo, considering the conditions. Having yet to see my first pitta of any species, I'm especially pleased to see your image.

Thank you so much for this sapphire skulker of the Borneo forest floor.

Tom K.

[offshorebirder]

@@marg - you can see the crest on that Crested Barbet. And on @@Treepol's as well.

 

@@Treepol - great stuff! Methinks I notice an Antpitta worm feeding station - those are such great inventions for seeing/photographing those formerly impossible little skulkers.

[offshorebirder]

Sorry for the dimly lit shots - I have an aversion to using flash when it might temporarily blind/dazzle the subject.

 

This is a female Black-and-white Warbler in a dark Hackberry / Mulberry forest:

 

This montage shows four Warblers - clockwise from upper left: Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula:

 

Edited June 3, 2015 by offshorebirder

[mvecht]

Hi

Here are a few taken on Tobago in November 2008.

Blue Grey Tanager

Blue Crowned Motmot

Copper Rumped Hummingbird

White Tailed Sabrewing

Rufous Tailed Jacamar

 

[kittykat23uk]

Beautiful shots!

[Treepol]

@@offshorebirder I believe Tandayapa Bird Lodge may have introduced an antpitta station after this photo was taken. When I arrived at the lodge I was surprised to see this bird hopping around the garden as I had only heard of the famous Maria at a nearby lodge. The Tandayapa Lodge people were surprised and delighted when this bird wandered in the week before we arrived.

 

They had people out looking for worms every day in the hope that a regular supply of food would keep her returning to the lodge grounds. I have read reports since that she continued to visit, but have heard nothing recently.

[Tom Kellie]

Sorry for the dimly lit shots - I have an aversion to using flash when it might temporarily blind/dazzle the subject.

 

~ @@offshorebirder

 

Very nice shots!

Any dimness enhances the authenticity, which I admire.

My camera has no flash, and I've never purchased one.

Although low light is challenging, it's not worth disorienting the subject with a sudden burst of photons.

I haven't seen warblers in decades — really appreciate your sharing these.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Black and White in Color

Photographed at 5:26 9m on 9 February, 2014 on Lake Baringo, Kenya, using an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super-telephoto lens.

ISO 800, 1/1250 sec., f/5.6, 400mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.

*****************************************************************************************************

Drifting through flooded lakeshore around Lake Baringo took us past the remains of trees and bushes protruding from the lake surface.

A Pied Kingfisher was chittering on a thorny branch as we passed by. Intent on its business, it appeared to be heedless of our presence, no more than a momentary distraction.

 

[offshorebirder]

This female American Redstart (a warbler species) was taking a "leaf bath" outside my mother's kitchen window a couple of summers ago. If you look closely, you can see her whiskers.

 

Edited June 12, 2015 by offshorebirder

[offshorebirder]

This female American Redstart (a warbler species) was taking a "leaf bath" outside my mother's kitchen window a couple of summers ago. If you look closely, you can see her whiskers.

 

 

-- Actually, I should not have called them 'whiskers' which is not technically correct. I should have referred to them as rictal bristles.

[Bush dog]

Pictures taken in Samburu

 

Red-and-yellow barbet

 

 

Grey-headed kingfisher

 

[offshorebirder]

Prairie Warbler at Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, South Carolina, USA.

 

[Bush dog]

Giant Kingfisher (scan of a slide) taken in Krüger in 2002.

 

[Tom Kellie]

Giant Kingfisher (scan of a slide) taken in Krüger in 2002.

 

~ @@Bush dog

 

That's one of the most compelling bird images I've seen in Safaritalk.

Upon seeing it, one might despair of ever again posting any bird images of lower quality...or...one might take a deep breath and resolve to devote greater care to bird photography when next on safari.

As fine of an image on all counts as I've seen, as it tells a story with admirable clarity.

Thank you for posting it.

Tom K.