Michael's Ninth Year

[Zim Girl]

A great batch of really interesting birds (apart from the Dunnock ).  I am hoping for one or two of the mountain specialists next month in Scotland.

Have a great time in Namibia!

[TonyQ]

A beautiful Firecrest and a wonderful selection of mountain birds.

Have a great time in Namibia @michael-ibk

[BRACQUENE]

Great collection Michael and some birds I am trying to find for the moment not in the least the Golden Oriole 

[PeterHG]

A beautiful collection of alpine species and many great photos. Have a wonderful trip in Namibia!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @xelas, @Galana, @TonyQ, @Peter Connan @Zim Girl, @BRACQUENEand @PeterHG!

 

Fred, they are saying they have to keep the population down to a certain level.  Just a lot of bull imo. Not much risk of a few more Black Grouse banding together and trying to rule the world or something. On a more serious note, the population is low anyway. And i cannot see which harm they could do to habitat or other species. Hunters love Black Grouse trophies, that's all it is. 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, michael-ibk said:

Just a lot of bull imo.

Absolutely! I don't see Austria being over run with Black Grouse any time soon. Hunters say that about anything but their own kind. We could do with thinning them out a fair bit. A few years back a Brown Bear strayed into Bavaria where despite it being the 'national animal' the Mayor of Munich took it upon himself to shoot it as 'it was a danger to children'.

Very convenient that he had a gun was it not?

Obviously Munich is so backward they have never heard of tranquiliser darts.

[michael-ibk]

Oh my, this thread has been dormant for more than three months now, time to get going with my birds from Namibia. Not many surprises coming up, you have seen (almost) all of these in Alex's thread already.

 

288/N1) Black-fronted (ebird taxonomy) aka African Red-eyed Bulbul (IOC taxonomy) (Pycnonotus nigricans) / Feueraugenbülbül

 

River Crossing Lodge, 18/5. Fitting that this was the very first bird I photographed. Very, very common. Much prefer the (old) IOC name, with eyerings like those "black-fronted" is really not the first distinguishing feature coming to mind.

 

[michael-ibk]

289/N1) Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis) / Dorntschagra

 

River Crossing Lodge, 18/5. Already plummeting into ebc depths. Only two sightings, and failed getting a decent photo on both occasions.

 

[michael-ibk]

290/N3) Short-toed Rock Thrush (Monticola brevipes) / Kurzrzehenrötel

 

River Crossing Lodge, 18/5. A fairly common bird in Namiba. Lifer.

 

 

And a female, same place, end of the trip:

 

[michael-ibk]

291/N4) Bradfield's Swift (Apus bradfieldi) / Damarasegler

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Next lifer. Only seen here (twice) and at the Swakopmund Salt Pans.

 

[michael-ibk]

292/N5) White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) / Weißbürzelsegler

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Only my third sighting of this bird. Where I recognized it, that is, always difficult with Swifts unless you get a photo.

 

[michael-ibk]

293/N6) Long-tailed (ebird taxonomy) aka Reed (IOC taxonomy) Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus) / Riedscharbe

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Water is a very scarce commodity in Namiba, especially for the last few terribly dry years, so this was not a trip for water birds. Avis Dam was quite crucial in boosting the numbers with some sweetwater species.

 

[michael-ibk]

294/N7) Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) / Hammerkopf

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. An unusual bird for Namibia away from the Caprivi strip.

 

[michael-ibk]

295/N8) Black-chested Prinia (Prinia flavicans) / Brustbandprinie

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. The default Prinia in most of the country, replacing its more widespread Tawny-flanked cousin here.

 

[michael-ibk]

296/N9) Chestnut-vented Warbler (Curruca subcoerulea) / Meisengrasmücke

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. This used to be a "Tit-Babbler" but both taxonomies have changed the name (since the bird is neither related to Tits nor Babblers). Not uncommon.

 

[michael-ibk]

297/N10) Kalahari Scrub-Robin (or Scrub Robin, IOC) (Cercotrichas paena) / Kalahariheckensänger

 

Avis Dam, 19/5.Eight sightings throughout the trip.

 

 

One from Etosha:

 

[michael-ibk]

298/N11) Familiar Chat (Oenanthe familiaris) / Rostschwanz-Steinschmätzer

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Good name for this bird in Namibia at least, very common and bold.

 

[michael-ibk]

299/N12) Marico Sunbird (Cinnyris mariquensis) / Bindennektarvogel

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Namiba is not exactly Sunbird country but still got a few species. Male here at Avis.

 

 

Female much later at Mundulea:

 

[michael-ibk]

300/N13) Red-headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephala) / Rotkopfastrild

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Nothing super-special for the century but still quite a nice bird.

 

[michael-ibk]

301/N14) Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) / Blutschnabelweber

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Common of course but nowhere in big numbers.

 

[michael-ibk]

302/N15) Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix) / Oryxweber

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Not very pretty in its non-breeding look.

 

[michael-ibk]

303/N16) Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala) / Senegalamarant

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Virtually absent from most of Namibia but a small population lives around Windhoek. Not quite sure if they go back to escapees but they are considered countable here.

 

 

The male did not cooperate:

 

[michael-ibk]

304/N17) Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis) / Kapstelze

 

Avis Dam, 19/5. Common wherever there was at least a bit of water.

 

[michael-ibk]

305/N18) Rock Martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula) / Steinschwalbe

 

River Crossing Lodge, 19/5. Hold on, have  I not posted Rock Martin already in Oman? Well, I did, but IOC at least treats that bird as a different species, Pale Crag Martin, so I've edited that entry and can now claim an additional one for the numbers. Love different taxonomies.

 

 

One from Rock Painting Lodge:

 

Edited August 25 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

306/N19) Pygmy Falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) / Halsband-Zwergfalke

 

D1261, Hardap Region, 19/5. Always a cool bird to see. The only sighting, a bit nervous unfortunately so only a distant photo.