Pedro´s Rookie Year

[Dave Williams]

The owls on a post are really good. Just enough light to reveal some detail but not too much to put the Owls to flight. Excellent work!

[pedro maia]

It´s becoming harder to progress on the count, however yesterday I got 2 good new species, not really rarities but also not too common and only found in specific places, I was trying to spot them for quite a while:

 

#152, 7/8, Blue Rock Thrush, Sortelha

 

 

 

#153, 7/8, Hawfinch, Sortelha

 

 

[pedro maia]

Yesterday I added one to my count that I was trying to find for quite a while, not an easy one that can be found mostly in the Alentejo plains, I didn´t find it  in any of my attempts there, then I knew that recently a few were seen a couple of times in the Lezíria close to Lisbon, and I finally found them:

 

#154, 11/8, Little Bustard, Lezíria Vila Franca de Xira

 

 

It was a group of about 10, at least 3 were males, it was very difficult to get pictures with a minimum of details, the sun had set already for a while and the light was fading fast, they aren´t big birds, weren´t close to the road an blend perfectly with the vegetation, anyway I was quite glad with the sighting.

 

Fist pictures with the DLSR, now a few with the bridge:

 

 

 

 

[Dave Williams]

You are not the only one slowing down with additions to your BY but the two you just added would be very welcome on mine! I have never seen a Little Bustard and you have 10!!

[pedro maia]

On ‎8‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 7:07 PM, Dave Williams said:

You are not the only one slowing down with additions to your BY but the two you just added would be very welcome on mine! I have never seen a Little Bustard and you have 10!!

 

You just have to catch a plane, the Little Bustards are still in the same area, well camouflaged, though.

 

[pedro maia]

Now something in between a WIW (Where is Wally) and an EBC:

 

 

#155, 13/8, Little Stint, Salinas do Brito

 

 

[pedro maia]

And tonight I´m off to a very short (timewise) trip to Mashatu, not a birding trip but this time I´ll shoot at everything that has feathers, also during the drive from Joburg to Pont Drift border post, there will be new colourful additions to my count, let´s just see how many.

[Galana]

Have a good trip and come back safe with lots of colourful birds for us to envy.

[PeterHG]

Have a good time in Mashatu! Looking forward to birds from there.

[michael-ibk]

Have a great trip Pedro, looking forward to your African additions!

[pedro maia]

I´m back (since last wednesday), it has been a great trip, we really like Mashatu and we had great sightings and now I´m at the Algarve for some beach vacations and I´ll try to get some new species for the BY as well, in the meantime I have loads of pictures to process, I already made some ID´s, took some pictures I really like, many bad pictures and a few EBC´s, hope to be able to start soon asking for some ID´s in the proper forum, and it will take me some time to catch up with the BY additions from all you guys.

[Galana]

Welcome back. Looking forward to seeing what you 'caught'.

[pedro maia]

Although there are still a couple of birds left to ID in the thread i opened for that purpose I´m going to start posting the birds seen in South Africa (few, on the drive to and form Mashatu and in the border, on the South African side of the Limpopo.

 

Please feel free to correct the ID´s, because it´s very possible that some aren´t right.

[pedro maia]

#156/SA 1, 17/8, Blue Waxbill, Polokwane

 

There was a small group on the side walk when we stopped at a traffic light, we saw another one another day at Mashatu.

[pedro maia]

#157/SA 2, 17/8, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Road R521

 

Allways a pleasure to see Zazu.

Edited August 28, 2019 by pedro maia

[pedro maia]

#158/SA 3, 17/8, White-crowned Robin Chat, Pont Drift Border Post

 

Under a car and didn´t give any chance for another picture, so it´s the first EBC of the trip.

 

[pedro maia]

#159/SA 4, 17/8, Lesser-masked Weaver, Pont Drift Border Post

[pedro maia]

#160/BT 1, 17/8, Ostrich, Mashatu

 

We saw this male on the transfer drive from the border to the camp, only saw another one during the 3 days we stayed there.

[pedro maia]

#161/BT 2, 17/8, Yellow-fronted Canary, Mashatu

Edited August 28, 2019 by pedro maia

[pedro maia]

#162/BT 3, 17/8, Fork-tailed Drongo, Mashatu

 

Very common but never got the chance to take a closer picture.

[pedro maia]

#163/BT 4, 17/8, White-browed Sparrow Weaver, Mashatu

 

[pedro maia]

#164/BT 5, 17/8, Pied Kingfisher, Mashatu

 

It was a bit distant so I wasn´t able to take a sharper picture and we didn´t see another one.

[pedro maia]

#165/BT 6, 17/8, Saddle-billed Stork, Mashatu

 

 

We hadn´t seen this stork in our previous trips to Africa.

[Galana]

Good to see a start being made and a nice collection so far. Don 't call me 'picky' but I always define the bird's full title as you get more than one bite at the cherry that way. Thus  #157 would be "Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill" as you may gt lucky and see its Northern/Eastern Cousin later.

[pedro maia]

27 minutes ago, Galana said:

Good to see a start being made and a nice collection so far. Don 't call me 'picky' but I always define the bird's full title as you get more than one bite at the cherry that way. Thus  #157 would be "Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill" as you may gt lucky and see its Northern/Eastern Cousin later.

 

Thanks, correction made.

 

If you have a minute I would like you to check the last batch of the ID thread .