Tdgraves big(gest?) year 2017

[Dave Williams]

Aren't fences game parks also captive then?

They are for Emus !

[Tdgraves]

And so now onto the Kruger and I'll try and do the new ones first. This was from our first drive....

 

Sable Dam, KNP, 17/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/640-800

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

90) Great spotted cuckoo

[Tdgraves]

We had our second new species of the trip at dinner, but unfortunately didn't even have a phone on us to take a proof shot. A kurrichane buttonquail got blown onto the stoop!! Really cute little birds. Not sure where I could try and see one to get a photo - any ideas?

[Dave Williams]

Nice shots of the Cuckoo, you did a lot better than I did.

[Peter Connan]

What a magnificent cuckoo sighting and series! Wow!

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @@Peter Connan and @@Dave Williams

 

They were literally right next to the car. Nothing to be seen from the hide either

[Tdgraves]

Letaba in camp, KNP, 18/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/250 EV +2/3

 

 

Female

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/500

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/250 EV +2/3

 

 

Male

 

91) Violet-backed starling

[Tdgraves]

South of Afsal, KNP, 27/1/17

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/1000

 

 

Female

 

It was the male that made me stop the car, but he left

 

92) Scarlet-chested sunbird

[Tdgraves]

S41, near Satara, KNP, 19/1/17

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/320

 

 

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/500

 

 

 

93) Dusky lark (it really is this time!)

[Tdgraves]

S126, South of Satara, KNP, 20/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/1000

 

 

94) Monotonous lark

 

Having never seen (or heard) these before, they were then everywhere. The same thing happened last year with red-backed shrikes - how does that work?

[Tdgraves]

North of Biyamiti, KNP, 25/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/800

 

 

95) Little grebe

[Tdgraves]

H1-4, north of Satara, KNP, 19/1/17

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/800, EV +2/3

 

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/1000, EV +2/3

 

 

Near Satara, 20/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 250, f7.1, 1/800, EV +2/3

 

96) White-winged widowbird

[Tdgraves]

Sweni Dam, KNP, 21/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 800, f8, 1/500

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, 1.4x extender mark iii, ISO 800, f8, 1/640

 

 

97) Grey-headed kingfisher (courtesy of the OH)

 

This one was quite funny. It was on the far side of the dam and I had been to the car and back to get the extender before the other occupants of the hide realised what we were looking at - too busy looking at a big croc!

[Tdgraves]

Outside our room, Biyamiti camp, KNP, 23/1/17

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 640, f5.6, 1/2500

 

 

 

98) Collared sunbird

[Tdgraves]

S126, South of Satara, KNP, 21/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 320, f7.1, 1/200-250

 

 

 

 

99) Senegal lapwing

[Tdgraves]

And for no. 100, my most difficult new bird of the trip. A pair of these were nesting somewhere near our room in Biyamiti and every morning and every night, they would call repeatedly, when it was far too dark to photograph them. Laughing at me, I said. Anyway, it took three days but I finally managed it - as we were loading the car to change camps....

 

Biyamiti in camp, KNP, 25/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 2000, f5.6, 1/1250

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 500, f5.6, 1/320, EV +2/3

 

 

100) Red-chested cuckoo

 

Or the best onamatopoeic local name ever - Piet my vrou, which it sounds exactly like!

[Dave Williams]

Congrats on the ton! I'm enjoying guessing the ID's and failing on most.

[TonyQ]

@@Tdgraves

Congratulations on reaching 100 - and a special bird with lovely photos to get it. Your persistance paid off!

[xelas]

Also my congratulations on first 100 birds in 2017, @@Tdgraves !

[Peter Connan]

Well done! those are seriously difficult to get, and I have only seen them once in my life, despite even sometimes hearing them at home!

[Tdgraves]

Biyamiti weir, KNP, 25/1/17

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 800, f5.6, 1/1000, EV -1/3

 

 

Biyamiti weir, KNP, 23/1/17

 

Canon 5D mark iii, 100-400 mark i, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/800

 

 

 

101) Common sandpiper

[Tdgraves]

S 25 south of Biyamiti (on crocodile river) KNP, 24/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/1600, EV +2/3

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/1000, EV +1

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 500, f6.3, 1/2000, EV +1

 

 

102) Western osprey

[Tdgraves]

This one was also quite hard to find. I was walking around camp, looking for birds and I ended up near the petrol station. There was a generator going somewhere. As I carried on walking, I could hear a very loud singing, but because it was buried deep in the trees it took me a few minutes to locate it. It was then very difficult to get an angle through the leaves, pointing towards the sky, but he kept on singing for me!

Berg-en-Dal, in camp, KNP, 26/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 500, f5.6, 1/800, EV +1 2/3

 

 

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 1000, f8, 1/800, EV +1 2/3

 

 

103) Eastern nicator

[Tdgraves]

So that's it for the new ones, unless I find any LBJs whilst doing my TR....

 

We also saw spectacled weavers in camp at Lower Sabie, but no photos, due to completely inconsiderate tourists.

 

We also saw our first African barred owlet in camp in Berg-en-Dal. We had just lit the braai when this really load owl noise started. I was looking at the tops of tall tress with my torch. Nothing. As I gave up and sat down, no more than a metre above us, was a tiny owlet. Unfortunately, even with the stoop light and a torch, the camera would not focus and by the time I switched to manual focus, it flew off! Still 14 new species photographed and 3 with no photos is still not bad for 10 days, considering we have had 4 significant KNP trips now. It never ceases to amaze me the year on year differences in sightings. Our total bird count was way up this year compared to last, but with >20 species from last year not seen at all!

[Tdgraves]

so onto the "old birds"

 

Letaba, in camp, KNP, 18/1/17

Canon 7D mark ii, 100-400 mark ii, ISO 1600, f7.1, 1/2500, EV +2/3

 

 

104) Lesser masked weaver