Birding on 3 continents

[TonyQ]

A great  Cetti's Warbler- they are really hard to get any sort of picture in our part of the UK.

[Peter Connan]

Glad you are better!

[xelas]

31 minutes ago, Peter Connan said:

Glad you are better!

 

Thank You, Peter!

[PeterHG]

I agree on the Cetti’s! Well done by Zvezda, its presence is always made loud and clear, but to get a photo is quite another matter!

[elefromoz]

@xelas, yep, looks like Spring has sprung, a Chiff-chaff ( I love that name) under blue skies amongst the Blossom..

[xelas]

A batch of waders and water birds now.

 

 

BY 220 / EU 047

Teal (Eurasian) - Anas crecca

 

 

BY 221 / EU 048

Water Rail - Rallus acquaticus

 

 

BY 222 / EU 049

Greenshank (Common) - Tringa nebularia

 

 

BY 223 / EU 050

Snipe (Common) - Gallinago gallinago

 

 

[xelas]

BY 224 / EU 051

Water Pipit - Rallus acquaticus

Škocjanski Zatok, 23.03.2018

 

 

BY 225 / EU 052

Common Gull (Mew Gull) - Larus canus

Škocjanski Zatok, 23.03.2018

 

 

BY 226 / EU 053

Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus

Škocjanski Zatok, 23.03.2018

 

 

BY 227 / EU 054

Wheatear (Northern) - Oenanthe oenanthe

Škocjanski Zatok, 23.03.2018

[Galana]

59 minutes ago, xelas said:

Water Pipit - Rallus acquaticus

Gremlins or darned autofill. Anthus spinoletta.

[xelas]

9 hours ago, Galana said:

Gremlins or darned autofill. Anthus spinoletta.

 

Only copy/paste not corrected. Thanks for noticing!

 

BY 224 / EU 051

Water Pipit - Anthus spinoletta

[xelas]

Many trips to nearby Ljubljansko Barje, as part of participating to Big Years, resulted in one very unforecasted event: yours truly was offered to have its own photo exhibition!

 

OK, it was only in a small company where Zvezda's cousin is working, but nevertheless I was honoured that anyone would invest money into printing any of my works (Zvezda's standards are just too high even for herself, but me, I am shameless ). So, I have picked out 22 photos to be printed and hanged on the walls under the title: Ptiči Ljubljanskega Barja (Birds of Ljubljana Marsh). Not only birds but those were dominant.

 

Bottom line, I have received Zvezda's compliments on final results (not for all though) and I am proud enough, and happy enough to share this with the rest of the Safaritalk birders community .

 

 

 

 

 

[Tdgraves]

Well done Alex

[Galana]

Congratulations young man. Well deserved recognition.

[Peter Connan]

Congratulations and well done!

 

Who knows where the ripples of the pebble thrown by @Game Warden may end?

[TonyQ]

Brilliant, well done, what an achievement. It shows you photos are much better than you give yourself credit for.

[elefromoz]

@xelas, and proud you should be, they look fabulous and a great way to showcase the area and its little inhabitants

[xelas]

@Tdgraves, @Galana, @Peter Connan, @TonyQ & @elefromoz - thank you all for your words! Myself I was the most surprised realising how much better those birds looks on large prints!

[xelas]

Now is time to move on to Botswana bird's collection. This adventure off-road tour was not designed with a birder in mind; or one is moving along, or when it stops, there is surely an empty bush close to the side window . Thus it does surprised me when I did the first basic count; that and the fact that majority of birds photographed were different to ones we photographed in Western Cape. As said, conditions were tough for a birder, and even tougher for a bird photographer, thus the quality of photos will not be on the same level with Zvezda's; luckily @Peter Connan will add many of them, in much better IQ version to his BY thread.

 

Birds will be reported in a chronological order, as much as possible. There is a whole set of LBJ and BIS (Bird In Sky) photos that I will need some support with, and those will be posted at the end.

 

I will start with the most colourful ane easy to photograph bird of southern Africa!

 

BY 228 / AF 174

Lilac-breasted Roller - Coracias caudatus

 

Swartruggens, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 229 / AF 175

Groundscraper Thrush - Psophocichla litsitsirupa

Swartruggens, 29.03.2018

 

 

 

[xelas]

Entering Botswana at Sikwane. Each regrouping gave me the opportunity to get a few more birds.

 

BY 230 / AF 176

Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis

Sikwane, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 231 / AF 177

Red-headed Finch - Amadina erythrocephala (female)

Sikwane, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 232 / AF 178

Scaly-feathered Finch - Sporopipes squamifrons

 

Sikwane, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 233 / AF 179

Cape Glossy Starling - Lamprotornis nitens

Sikwane, 29.03.2018

[xelas]

Majority of this tour I have spent at the back left window, in a moving vehicle. Only at the end of our tour I have realised that photographing birds in flight uses the same technique as photographing perched birds from a moving vehicle ; I could have netted at least a dozen birds more if I would assume the "left side gunner" position from the very start of this trip .

 

This is one example LSG photo; more will come at the end.

 

BY 234 / AF 180

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah - Vidua paradisaea

CKGR, 29.03.2018

 

 

Once at the camp, my first idea was to get some more birds browsing the nearby bushes; what I have not expected was that most of the people in our caravan were also browsing those same bushes, only that they were having a spade in their hands ; taking photos became a very delicate job .

 

BY 235 / AF 181

Golden-breasted Bunting - Emberiza flaviventris

CKGR, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 236 / AF 182

Violet-eared Waxbill - Uraeginthus granatinus

CKGR, 29.03.2018 - female

 

CKGR, 2903.2018 - male

 

 

BY 237 / AF 183

Brubru - Nilaus afer

CKGR, 29.03.2018

[xelas]

Two more from that first travel day.

 

BY 238 / AF 184

Violet-backed Starling - Cinnyricinclus leucogaster (female)

Swartruggens, 29.03.2018

 

 

BY 239 / AF 185

Kalahari Scrub Robin - Cercotrichas paena

CKGR, 29.03.2018

[Tdgraves]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

@Tdgraves, @Galana, @Peter Connan, @TonyQ & @elefromoz - thank you all for your words! Myself I was the most surprised realising how much better those birds looks on large prints!

All photos look better with a mount and a frame....

[Dave Williams]

Some lovely shots there Alex, well done on your invite to exhibit the local ones too. Nice recognition indeed.

[PeterHG]

Well done on the exhibition, Alex! And off to a beautiful start of the Botswana tour with a great flight shot of the roller, 

[Zim Girl]

Congratulations on your photo exhibition Alex, and a nice start to the Botswana collection.

[xelas]

Second morning in Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Weather turned rainy.

 

 

BY 240 / AF 186

Barred Wren-Warbler - Calamonastes fasciolatus

CKGR, 30.03.2018

 

 

BY 241 / AF 187

Red-billed Quelea - Quelea quelea

CKGR, 30.03.2018

 

 

BY 242 / AF 188

Rattling Cisticola - Cisticola chiniana

CKGR, 30.03.2018

 

 

BY 243 / AF 189

Marico Flycatcher - Bradornis mariquensis

CKGR, 30.03.2018

 

 

BY 244 / AF 190

Common (Greater) Scimitarbill - Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

CKGR, 30.03.2018

 

 

In the afternoon, one only bird ... luckily this bird of prey was not flying high in the sky!

 

BY 245 / AF 191

Tawny Eagle - Aquila rapax

CKGR, 30.03.2018