Michael's Ninth Year

[michael-ibk]

435/N151) Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra) / Schwarzkielralle

 

Etosha, 4/6. Observed at two Etosha waterholes.

 

 

That's it for Etosha.

Edited September 8 by michael-ibk

[Kitsafari]

Congrats on passing 400! Pse take it that I liked all the images ( didn't want to hurt my wrists with RSI as I had so many pages to catch up to)

[Galana]

23 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

since ebird flagged it as rare

Only as good as their Algorithm.

23 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Definitely one of most stupid ebird name changes.

Scope for a game here. "Find the most stupid!"

Brave call with the Violet Wood-Hoopoe. Enjoy.

 

Good to see your trip harvested a good number of 'lifers'. Hope there are more to come as Namibia is a very special place.

Liking your additional comments on habits.

[Zim Girl]

Great bird for your 400, Michael.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @Galana, @Kitsafariand @Zim Girl!

 

On 9/9/2024 at 11:29 AM, Galana said:

Brave call with the Violet Wood-Hoopoe.

 

I understand you might think that from this photo but actually not brave at all:

 

 

Violet enough?

 

On 9/9/2024 at 11:29 AM, Galana said:

Good to see your trip harvested a good number of 'lifers'. Hope there are more to come as Namibia is a very special place.

 

Well, not really, already getting to my endgame here.

 

[michael-ibk]

436/N152) Crested Francolin (Ortygornis sephaena) / Schopffrankolin

 

Mundulea, 5/6. A shy group around camp. Unlike Spurfowls, this species with a rather complex social behaviour has no male advertisement call. Instead, both male and female utter a duet as an indication they occupy a territory.

 

[michael-ibk]

437/N153) Red-billed Spurfowl (Pternistis adspersus) / Rotschnabelfrankolin

 

Mundulea, 5/6. The only Spurfowl of the trip, pretty common.

 

[michael-ibk]

438/N154) Emerald-spotted Wood Dove (Turtur chalcospilos) / Bronzeflecktaube

 

Mundulea, 5/6. Really like this bird's call.

 

[michael-ibk]

439/N155) African Hawk-Eagle (Aquila spilogaster) Akazienadler

 

Mundulea, 5/6. A few sightings. Routinely takes large birds such as francolins, guineafowl and hornbills; also smaller birds, mammals like hares, hyraxes, dikdiks and mongooses, snakes and lizards; juveniles occasionally feed on insects.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

440/N156) Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) / Amethystglanzstar

 

Mundulea, 5/6. An unusual bird for the area at this time. In the South of its extensive range almost entirely a breeding migrant, with virtually no overwintering. This youngster was apparently left back.

 

[michael-ibk]

441/N157) Black-faced Waxbill (Brunhilda erythronotos) / Elfenastrild

 

Mundulea, 5/6. Interesting courtship behaviour apparently. "Courting male holds grass stem by the end in bill, black cheek feathers fluffed, bobs body up and down and sings (displays and sings alone, as well as when a female present), in stem display, feathers raised on nape and cheek and rump, sleeked on crown; in greeting, partners perch upright, head half-turned to mate, anterior black face feathers fluffed, tail angled towards partner, move side to side and nod head."

 

[michael-ibk]

442/N158) Violet-eared Waxbill (Granatina granatina) / Granatastrild

 

Mundulea, 5/6. Their nests are parasitized by Shaft-tailed Whydah, nestlings of which mimic mouth pattern and colours of present species' nestling.

 

[michael-ibk]

443/N159) Southern Cordon-Bleu (ebird taxonomy) aka Blue Waxbill (IOC taxonomy) (Uraeginthus angolensis) / Blauastrild

 

Mundulea, 5/6. Common but still a delightful little bird.

 

[michael-ibk]

444/N160) Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba) / Buntastrild.

 

Mundulea, 5/6. Formerly known as the "Melba Finch". Much more common in the South of its range. Have seen this bird a lot in Southern Africa but never in Eastern Africa.

 

 

 

Also had a lovely sighting of some chick-feeding the last day at River Crossing Lodge:

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

445/N161) Golden-breasted Bunting (Emberiza flaviventris) / Gelbbauchammer

 

Mundulea, 5/6. One of Africa's more conspicuous Buntings. Typically tends to be the most common of the yellow-breasted Buntings in Africa.

 

[michael-ibk]

446/N162) African Green Pigeon (Treron calvus) / Rotnasen-Grüntaube

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Frugivorous, taking a variety of fruits and berries; particularly fond of figs. Took a while to find them - in a fig tree of course! Occasionally eats small pieces of flesh, also observed taking dried blood from a Nyala carcass in Zimbabwe.

 

[michael-ibk]

447/N163) Rufous-crowned (ebird taxonomy) aka Purple Roller (IOC taxonomy) (Coracias naevius) / Strichelracke

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Already discussed this this in a different BY thread - why would anybody think that "Rufous-crowned" is a better name than "Purple"? The heaviest African Roller. Mostly takes large insects, but occassionally also young birds or rodents.

 

[michael-ibk]

448/N164) Lesser Honeyguide (Indicator minor) / Nasensteif-Honiganzeiger

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Never a common bird. Like many other Honeyguides, it feeds mainly on beeswax, but also flycatches for insects and search for food on the barks and foliage of trees. An obligatory brood parasite, the majority of hosts are barbets and woodpeckers, but also parasites bee-eaters, starlings, and swallows.

 

[michael-ibk]

449/N165) Black-backed Puffback (Dryoscopus cubla) / Schwarzmantel-Schneeballwürger

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Surprisingly scarce this trip, only seen here.

 

[michael-ibk]

450/N166) Burnt-neck(ed) Eremomela (Eremomela usticollis) / Rostbanderemomela

 

Mundulea, 6/6. A lifer, but a painful one. Never realized it was a Burnie, was taking shots of other birds like Yellow-bellied Eremomela, a bird I have seen a thousand times. (Slight exxaggeration here admittedly ). This ebc photo was just a lucky by-catch. The best proof I have for ID is Alex's BY - he got a nice clear shot.

 

[michael-ibk]

451/N167) Eastern (ebird taxonomy) aka Long-tailed (IOC taxonomy) Paradise-Whydah / Schmalschwanzwitwe

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Just no fun seeing Paradise-Whydahs in their non-breeding plumage. Brood-parasitic, mainly of Pytilia. Laying female sometimes eats 1–2 eggs from a host's nest.

 

[michael-ibk]

452/N168) Shaft-tailed Whydah (Vidua regia) / Königswitwe

 

Mundulea, 6/6. Brood-parasitic of mainly Violet-eared Waxbill, occasionally Blue and Black-faced Waxbills. Surprised to see one in breeding plumage.

 

[michael-ibk]

-/N169) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) / Stockente

 

Avis Dam, 7/6. My first Mallard in Africa, so I'm including it. Apparently countable in Namibia, so a self-sustaining population seems to be established there. Might just be the angle, but bird looks a bit off for me, so maybe some hybrid stuff involved here.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

453/N170) Maccoa Duck (Oxyura maccoa) / Afrikaruderente

 

Avis Dam, 7/6. A lifer I'm quite happy to finally get. Lots of them (80+) on the dam lake. Recent rapid population declines led to uplisting from Near Threatened to Vulnerable in 2017. Occurs at fairly low density, with total population estimated at only 7300–8500 individuals. "Pollution is the primary concern, as it feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates, and is therefore vulnerable to bio-accumulation of pollutants than other duck species, while habitat loss through drainage and conversion of wetlands for agriculture is also a significant threat, as are rapid changes in water level that result from landscape changes such as deforestation."

 

 

[michael-ibk]

454/N171) Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata) / Kammblässhuhn

 

Avis Dam, 7/6. Even with a red knob it would not excite me much.

 

Edited September 11 by michael-ibk