Third time lucky? Peter Connan's year.

[Peter Connan]

@@PCNW

[PCNW]

Oh my gosh Peter, no wonder you're buying a new computer....you've worn out the old with so many excellent photos! Tough call but my favorite is the MK in post 27.

 

Not being a birder I'm amazed by your knowledge. Once I asked you how often you see a bird and don't know/can't name the species. You may have thought I was being a smart alert but not so. Truly do you often see birds you can't name?

 

Very well done report. Thank you. A ton of effort no doubt. You're a good friend to all, great photographer and extremely knowledgable birder.

[Peter Connan]

Thanks for the compliments @@PCNW

 

Of the 80 birds posted, about ten needed their identity checked in field guides. Another 4 needed expert third-party assistance.

 

I am sitting on two more as yet unidentified birds, and shamefully another 5 or so have been deleted as being impossible to id...

 

But i am getting better. Practise helps a lot.

 

The Sappi guide i use helps a lot by dividing the birds into landscape types where they may be found.

 

Other very usefull sources are the website "biodiversity explorer" which features the latest distribution maps developed by the SABAP project, and the magnificent photography of Warwick Tarboton on his website.

[elefromoz]

What a lovely way to spend an evening, looking at bird photos, I especially enjoy your BIF shots. How lovely getting so many garden visitors too.

[Peter Connan]

Thank you @@elefromoz

[PeterHG]

Well, you've certainly made a flying start! A great collection of South African birds and not only that, a lot of excellent photographs! It's very good of you to give others the change to catch up, but you've not made it easy...!

[Peter Connan]

Thank you @@PeterHG.

 

I must just say that I haven't given up.

 

I currently don't have a computer to do PP work on, but that doesn't mean i can't take photos...

[Peter Connan]

Time for some catching up. But first, a tail of woe.

I realized that I still did not have a picture of one of the most common birds in my garden: the Cape Turtle Dove. So on Friday afternoon (April fool's day) I put some seed and water into my bird-feeder. The next morning I put some more seed in, and took up position in my hide.

 

Various pigeons and doves soon arrived, and I began taking photos, After a while, I looked at the last photo taken on the LCD and noticed a strange line across the photo:

 

Worried now, I looked at a few. Some had the line, some not. Maybe it was lens flare, but all the photos were taken in roughly the same direction.

 

Then I saw this:

 

And then these three:

 

 

 

By now I realized I had a problem. I was leaving for two weeks in Cape Town on Monday morning, and was hoping to add to my tally while there. So I grabbed my camera and lens and rushed off to the Nikon agents to see if they could fix it.

 

End result is, my shutter is broken, and there are no spares in SA. After lots of moaning they lent me a D610 for the trip, but I am still without my camera, as apparently there is a worldwide parts shortage (probably due to a recall due to some shading issues).

 

And while the sensors of the two cameras are very similar, as a birding camera the D610 is a distant loser to the D750. I take my hat off to all those people catching good BIF images with this arthritic tortoise of a camera!

 

 

 

[Peter Connan]

Anyway, before the failure I did manage to catch my main quarry:

 

81) Cape Turtle Dove:

 

Gewone Tortelduif Streptopelia capicola

 

2 April 2016, Kempton Park.

[Peter Connan]

82) Common Starling:

 

 

Europese Spreeu Sturnus vulgaris

 

Cape Town

4 Apr 2016

[Peter Connan]

83) Red-winged Starling

 

 

Rooivlerkspreeu Onychognathus morio

 

Same as above.

[Peter Connan]

84) Hartlaub's Gull

 

 

Hartlaubmeeu Larus hartlaubii

 

9 April 16, Strandfontein

[Peter Connan]

85) Kelp Gull

 

 

Kelpmeeu Larus dominicanus

 

9 April, Strandfontein.

[Peter Connan]

86) Cape Robin:

 

 

Gewone Janfrederik Cossypha caffra

 

9 April, Harold Porter Botanical Gardens.

 

Just a note on Harold Porter. This was suggested as a destination by my friend @@Elsa Hoffmann, a fantastic photographer and part-owner of a photo-tour agency: http://phototourscapetown.com/

It's a great venue for Sunbirds and Sugarbirds as they are tame here and it requires much less walking than at Kirstenbosch.

 

I can also heartily recommend Elsa as a guide. She has a great knowledge of Cape Town and the surrounding area, and can arrange all manner of photographic opportunities. She also has her own studio if that is required.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Peter Connan

[Peter Connan]

87) Cape Francolin:

 

 

Kaapse Fisant Pternistes capensis

 

Same as above.

[Peter Connan]

88) Malachite Sunbird:

 

 

Jangroentjie Nectarinia famosa

 

Same same.

[Peter Connan]

89) Orange-breasted Sunbird:

 

 

 

Oranjeborssuikerbekkie Anthobaphes violacea

 

Same same.

[Peter Connan]

90) Southern Double-collared Sunbird:

 

Male:

 

Female:

Klein Rooibandsuikerbekkie Cinnyris chalybea

 

Same same.

[Peter Connan]

91) Cape Sugarbird:

 

Kaapse Suikervoel Promerops cafer

 

Same same.

[Peter Connan]

92) Fiscal Flycatcher:

 

Fiskaal Flieevanger Sigelus silens

 

And seen here with a Cape Sugarbird:

 

 

Same same.

[Peter Connan]

93) Dusky Flycatcher:

 

 

Donker Flieevanger Muscicapa adusta

 

Same same.

[Tdgraves]

@@Peter Connan sorry to hear about your camera, at least you found out before your trip, I suppose....any idea how long it'll take to be fixed?

[xelas]

Also with "... this arthritic tortoise of a camera! " your bird photos are amazing, @@Peter Connan !

[Peter Connan]

Thank you @@Tdgraves and @@xelas.

 

No news from Nikon except a couple of messages saying that it will take "longer than expected". On Saturday I asked for a due date, but have not received a reply yet...

[Peter Connan]

94) Karoo Prinia:

 

 

Karoolangstert Prinia maculosa

 

Same same.