Peter Connan's big Year

[Tdgraves]

I'm sure that there are worse pictures of a Pygmy, somewhere.....

[Peter Connan]

Hehe, it's going to take a LOT of searching to find it!

[Atravelynn]

In the air, on the perch. Great catches. The Red-knobbed Coot picture is very touching.

[Peter Connan]

Thanks @@Atravelynn

 

Southern Boubou:

 

Martial eagle:

 

Steppe Buzzard:

 

Caspian Tern:

 

Sandwich Tern:

 

Swift Tern:

 

Common Sandpiper:

 

Crowned Hornbill:

Edited December 29, 2014 by Peter Connan

[Peter Connan]

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow:

 

Yellow-bellied Greenbul:

 

Redbacked Shrike (Male):

 

Green-backed Twinspot:

 

Tambourine Dove:

 

Violet-backed Starling (female):

 

Black-throated Wattle-eye:

 

Common Whimbrel:

[Peter Connan]

Common Ringed Plover:

 

Pied Wagtail:

 

Cape Wagtail:

 

Lapped-faced Vulture:

 

Purple-banded Sunbird:

 

White-faced Whistling Duck:

 

White-eared Barbett:

Edited December 29, 2014 by Peter Connan

[Peter Connan]

White-fronted Plover:

 

Wood Sandpiper:

 

Woolly-necked Stork:

 

Yellow-billed Kite:

 

Yellow Weaver:

 

Yellow-breasted Apalis:

[Soukous]

a wonderful variety of species Peter, thanks for sharing

[Peter Connan]

Cape Vulture:

 

European Roller:

 

Blue Waxbill:

 

Grey Waxbill:

 

Red-billed Firefinch:

 

Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah:

 

Crested Francolin 9otherwise know as Ouma se Heilige Hoender (Grandma's Holy Ckickens):

 

Red-breasted Swallow:

 

White-crested Helmet-shrike:

[Tdgraves]

@@Peter Connan you caught a Southern boubou! I saw one for the first time in Mashatu but was too slow with the camera

[Atravelynn]

Tell the Black-throated Wattle-eye not to overdo it on the red eye shadow. Have you kept a tab of the hours you have spent documenting your big year? You'll at least have to give us a grand finale bird count.

[Peter Connan]

@@Atravelynn, did you notice those are two different birds, I guess male and female, but I don't know which is which. My bird book only shows the back.

 

There are still a number of birds from earlier in the year that I have not managed to ID yet, so the thread is not finished yet. But how much time? I have no idea...

[Atravelynn]

Right, they are different. I was too focused on the eyelids!

[Peter Connan]

I am taking a chance here, but the rules do not say when we have to stop posting. All the photos hereafter were however still taken in 2014...

 

@@Game Warden, say if you want me to stop, as I still have a few lurking about in the archives from last year?

 

These are allfrom Phongolo on the 22 & 23rd December:

 

Little Stint:

 

Water Thick-knee:

 

Yellow-billed Stork:

 

Black-winged Stilt:

Edited January 1, 2015 by Peter Connan

[Tdgraves]

Hmmm, not sure about that @@Peter Connan

hehe

[Peter Connan]

Matt (@@Game Warden) asked me to do a trip report from Marievale. This, and a little bit of a break in the rain was all I needed to get me there once more, on the 30th December.

 

I was fortunate enough to get some new sightings:

 

Great Crested Grebe:

 

Southern Pochard:

 

Yellow-crested Bishop:

 

Curlew Sandpiper:

Edited January 1, 2015 by Peter Connan

[Peter Connan]

These are all "doubles", and I am just bragging now, but I do think this may represent some of my best efforts to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tdgraves]

And to think that I was at work on 30th Don't worry about bragging - I love the cormorant shaking off the water

[TonyQ]

@@Peter Connan

Worth bragging about!- excellent (keep posting )

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Peter Connan:

 

You mentioned that it's sometimes called a ‘King of six’.

What's the derivation of the nickname, if I might ask?

Such a FINE image!

Tom K.

[Peter Connan]

@@Tom Kellie the name comes from the fact that it is a polygamist.

 

Thanks for the compliment.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie the name comes from the fact that it is a polygamist.

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

~ @@Peter Connan

 

When I read your explanation, above, I burst out laughing.

That's the last thing that I would have expected.

Upon reflection, it's not so outlandish, but wasn't even remotely what I might have supposed.

It's really a great image of a bird I saw many times two weeks ago but never made any images of the quality of yours.

The Pin-tailed Whydah gets around...and then some!

My, my my!

Tom K.