Michael´s Fourth Year

[michael-ibk]

"Occasionally?" Just wait and see - glorious stuff like Greenbuls and Cisticola coming up next.

[Kitsafari]

you call that an EBC? pfffttt. you're a long way from winning that prize, mate. 

 

looking at some of your birds, i'm scrambling through my shots to see if I might, by fluke or by luck, have seen them too? But my EBCs are just too brilliant to ID them .

 

that red-breasted swallow is gorgeous -- really wished I had seen it too.  

 

 

[PeterHG]

A country with hardly any larks or pipits, very tempting :). Really beautiful additions again, Michael. Stunning Tinkerbird photo!

[Dave Williams]

You are certainly accelerating away from the pack at some pace! 450...nice one! How many more trips to go?

[michael-ibk]

Unfortunately none Dave, but a few Europe ticks. So please go gentle in Kruger and just photograph every second bird to give me a chance. ;-) When are you leaving? 

[michael-ibk]

452/G88.) Blue Cuckooshrike (Coracina azurea) / Azurraupenfänger

 

One bird in Ivindo, sitting high on one of the giant ancient trees there. Patchily distributed from Eastern Congo to Sierra Leone.

 

[Dave Williams]

2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Unfortunately none Dave, but a few Europe ticks. So please go gentle in Kruger and just photograph every second bird to give me a chance. ;-) When are you leaving? 

Soon, very soon! 15 hours or so!!! 

I am still pessimistic about hitting the 500..... especially if Thomas Cook go bust, there goes my trip to Goa!!

 

[michael-ibk]

Have a great time then! I will decide if I hope for TC to go bust or not after you tell me your Kruger score.

 

453/G89.) Little Greenbul (Eurillas virens) / Grünbülbül

 

What Larks are for dry areas Greenbuls are for rainforest. Pretty dull birds of which there are way too many and which basically all look the same. Unlike Larks however, they are mostly skulkers, often hidden deep inside vegetation, so quite a challenge to get an identifiable picture. Little Greenbul´s best distinguishing feauture is described in the book as - having none. :-) Which is a bit unfair, that little gape gives them away. Seen three times (Ivindo, Akaka and outside Libreville). I´m posting all three pictures since I´m not 100 % sure about ID (especially the second one) and hope some of you experts might help me to get one species more. :-)

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

454/G90.) Slender-Billed Greenbul (Stelgidillas gracilirostris) / Schmalschnabelbülbül

 

One flock seen outside Libreville. Not restricted to Central Africa, even found in Kenya, eg. the forested areas in the Aberdares or around Mt. Kenya. Not sure if I have ever seen it though (again, I will let my "lifelist work" surprise me). Again, I´m rather sure both pictures show this bird but not completely.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

455/G91.) Yellow-Throated Leaflove (Atimastillas flavicollis) / Gelbkehlbülbül

 

One bird seen at Lope Hotel. A weird name? Where is the yellow throat? There are two subspecies of this one, and while the Western one does sport some bright yellow the Eastern race has a whitish throat. Therefore also sometimes named (more fittingly) Congo White-Throated Leaflove.

 

 

456/G92.) Simple Leaflove aka Greenbul (Chlorocichla simplex) / Hartlaubbülbül

 

Two birds seen outside Libreville in "glorious morning light". Only identifiable because of the obvious broken eye-ring.

 

[michael-ibk]

457/G93.) Swamp Palm Bulbul (Thescelocichla leucopleura) / Palmenbülbül

 

A somewhat more distinctive representative of the family. Best seen in the garden of Loango Lodge, a couple more outside Libreville. Alternative names include the Samp Bulbul, Swamp Greenbul, Swamp Palm Greenbul, White-Tailed Greenbul and White-Tailed Palm Greenbul.

 

[michael-ibk]

458/G94.) Icterine Greenbul (Phyllastrephus icterinus) / Zeisigbülbül

 

One bird seen outside Libreville. Until 2018, a rare colour morph of this bird from the Cavalla forest in south-eastern Liberia was believed to be a separate species. The Liberian greenbul (Phyllastrephus leucolepis) was known from only a few sightings between 1981 and 1984, and a specimen collected in 1984. It is now considered to have been a plumage aberration.

 

 

459/G95.) Spotted Greenbul (Ixonotus guttatus) / Fleckenbülbül

 

Actually one of the more commonly seen Greenbuls, but only ever as a flock flying high atop the canopy. Splendid ebc-material. Always in groups of 7-15 birds.

 

[michael-ibk]

460/G96.) Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) / Graubülbül

 

The most common bird we saw. So often a source of disappointment, when I worked my way towards a new conquest, and then it turned out to be AFB! (Work that one out for yourself. ) I´m lucky I have a picture since I thought I already had it from Botswana and did not bother with them. But it´s Dark-Capped down there, so this one was actually a new species this year.

 

[michael-ibk]

461/G97.) Western Nicator (Nicator chloris) Graukehl-Tropfenvogel

 

One bird outside Libreville. I more or less had to crawl into a bush to get this one. Found from Uganda to the Gambia.

 

 

Which concludes the "bul" section. No shortage of them in Gabon, potentially I could have found 18 more!

[Galana]

11 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Again, I´m rather sure both pictures show this bird but not completely.

I tend to agree. Could just be the light.#2 is OK but #1 looks wrong.

Of course my African book is 2000km away at the moment.

Nice collection. Be careful with them darn AFBs. The splitters are hard at work.

[michael-ibk]

10 hours ago, Galana said:

I tend to agree. Could just be the light.#2 is OK but #1 looks wrong.

Of course my African book is 2000km away at the moment.

 

I thought a long time about bird #1 but really could not find a better match, and they all were together. So I decided it is just the light after all. But do hurry, go home, find your books, prove me wrong and get me an additional species. :-)

[michael-ibk]

On 9/21/2019 at 9:12 PM, michael-ibk said:

I will decide if I hope for TC to go bust or not after you tell me your Kruger score.

 

@Dave Williams really am sorry about this incredibly stupid comment. When posting this I had not really been aware about what was going on over there, and had no idea that - and how quickly - this would become reality! I apologise,  am truly sorry!

[Soukous]

so many stunning birds @michael-ibk. 

Kingfishers, bee-eaters and a gorgeous Turaco as well. Feeling very inadequate in the BY stakes. 

 

[michael-ibk]

461/G98.) African Thrush (Turdus pelios) / Afrikadrossel

 

A very widespread bird, found from Senegal in the West to Eritrea in the East and Zambia in the South. Common around settlements.

 

 

Skipping quite some pages in the bird book now - no other Thrushes, no Alethes, Chats or Robins photographed or even seen.

[michael-ibk]

Moving on to a bundle of joy - Cisticolas! Saw them quite a lot, which caused me several hours of headache trying to identify them based on plumage, range and habitat. As always with this family I cannot claim more than a "more than 50 %" certainty that I got it right.

 

462/G99) Chattering Cisticola (Cisticola anonymus) / Waldzistensänger

 

 

Reddish head, greyish body -seems a good fit. This one is from Langoué Bai.

 

463/G100.) Winding Cisticola (Cisticola galactotes) / Heuglinzistensänger

 

 

Not quite sure about this one (don´t like the tail). But white throat and habitat (marshy field in Boué) seem to match.

 

464/G101.) Short-Winged Cisticola (Cisticola brachypterus) / Kurzflügelzistensänger

 

 

Seen in Lope. The very unmarked plumage points to this species.

 

-/G102.) Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) / Zistensänger

 

ASIB - and in Europe as well. The most widespread Cisticola. Seen in Loango.

 

 

465/G102.) Pectoral-Patch Cisticola (Cisticola brunnescens) / Blasskopfzistensänger

 

 

Seen in Lope. Habitat (open plains with burnt grass) seems exactly right.

 

-/G103.) Tawny-Flanked Prinia (Prinia modeste) / Rahmbrustzistensänger

 

ASIB. In Boué.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

-/G104.) Yellow-Breasted Apalis (Apalis flavida) / Gelbbrust-Feinsänger

 

ASIB. Two birds outside Libreville. Or maybe it´s the same bird which took a bath between photos.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

466/G105.) Fraser´s Forest Flycatcher (Fraseria ocreata) / Sperberwaldschnäpper

 

Seen from the watchtower in Ivindo. A rainforest species. Louis Fraser (1810-1866) was a British zoologist and collector. He participated in the Niger expedition of 1841 as the African Civilization Society's scientist,  stayed on in Fernando Po and collected. He wrote Zoologica Typica, or figures of the new and rare animals and birds in the collection of the Zoological Society of London, a lavishly illustrated large-sized book, published in 1849. Several birds (eg. Sunbird, Eagle-Owl) were named in his honour.

 

 

467/G106.) Sooty Flycatcher (Muscicapa infuscata) / Schieferbrustschnäpper

 

My ebc of the year. In Ivindo, high, high up in hellish light. Brutally cropped. I initially considered African Broadbill but the experts on birdnet agreed on this one.

 

[michael-ibk]

468/G107.) Cassin´s Flycatcher (Muscicapa cassini) / Cassinschnäpper

 

Likes watercourses bordered by dense forest. Common throughout the trip, especially in Akanda but not easy to get.

 

[michael-ibk]

469/G108.) Rufous-Vented Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufocinerea) / Roststeiß-Paradiesschnäpper

 

Very similar to African Paradise Flycatcher (which we saw a lot in Akanda) but Libreville - where this one was seen - is out of range for that familiar bird. Shy, hid in a bush.

 

 

470/G109.) Bates´s Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone batesi) / Batesparadiesschnäpper

 

Seen from the watchtower in Ivindo, very distant.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

471/G110.) Black-and-White Shrike-Flycatcher (Bias musicus) / Vangaschnäpper

 

Another one from the watchtower. Was formerly placed with the wattle-eyes and batises in the family Platysteiridae but is now considered to be more closely related to the helmetshrikes and woodshrikes. Primarily a Central African bird but there are also disjunct populations in Tanzania and Mozambique.

 

 

Female

 

 

Male