Kit & Herman Year 2

[Kitsafari]

121/BW5: Black-bellied Bustard, Makgadikgadi Pans (I"ll abbreviate this to MP in future references!)

 

Also known as the black-bellied Korhaan, we saw only one Black bellied bustard throughout our stay and it was a female walking on its own at dusk. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

122/BW6: Kori Bustard, CKGR

 

Quite a number were seen in the Central Kalahari game reserve. Found mainly in southern Africa and very common in Botswana.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

123/BW7: Northern Black Korhaan, CKGR

 

The northern black korhaan was THE bird in CKGR. we heard them yelling abuse at us or at something we couldn't see, or see them strutting around chasing females around, or just doing their own thing - which was strutting around mainly.

Distributed widely in southern Africa, the korhaan loves wide open grassland or savannah spaces. 

 

Mr northern black korhaan was wooing the Ms until he decided he didn't want her and then chased her out of his territory.

 

[Kitsafari]

124/BW8: Steppe Buzzard, MP

 

I'm not 100% confident this is the steppe buzzard. My notes had this down and I checked the patterns on the underwings as well and they seemed to match steppe buzzard. Pse correct if I'm wrong. The steppe buzzard is a common  winter migratory bird to southern Africa from Europe and northern Asia. 

[Kitsafari]

125/BW9: Yellow Canary, CKGR

 

Part of the finch family, the yellow canary is a resident breeder in southern Africa and is a voracious seedeater. It is distinguished from the yellow-fronted canary by the lack of black markings on its face. 

 

[Kitsafari]

126/BW10: Southern Ant-Eating Chat, Nxai Pans

 

[Kitsafari]

127/BW11: Pririt Batis, CKGR

 

I love this little bird . I was chasing this little bird in a wooded grove when we stopped for morning tea. while the others were sipping tea and having rusk biscuits, I was trying to shoot flocks of different bird species. This is a lovely and very popular grove for tea breaks but terrible for bush loo!

the chinspot batis is a tiny songbird, well distributed in woodlands of the southern African region, eastern Africa all the way to Gabon. The male is black and white while the female has brown patches on her neck and upper chest. The yellow eyes pop against the black mask. 

 

Male: 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

128/BW12: Reed Cormorant, Khwai Reserve

 

This was a very shy cormorant which hid behind some grasses and refused to emerge. we sat at this waterhole for over half an hour before it slowly crept out, taking a step before pausing and testing the environment, and then taking another step.

Also known as the long-tailed cormorant, it is rather small in size and is common throughout Africa south of Sahara.

 

[Kitsafari]

129/BW13:  Coppery-tailed Coucal, Khwai Reserve

 

Not a good quality shot as it was taken in a hurry during the low light of dawn. we were in a hurry to chase the lion calls (but bad luck, we never found the lions. in fact lions let us down in Khwai!) before the guide braked suddenly and yelled coppery tailed coucal before carrying on. 

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

130/BW14:  Double-banded Courser, Khwai Reserve

 

A pretty little ground bird, the double-banded courser is well distributed in Ethiopia, Somalia, southern Africa and Tanzania, says Wikipedia. So well distributed that there is no danger of it becoming endangered. It loves flat, stony or gravelly semi desert areas with tufty grass or thorn scrub. 

 

[Kitsafari]

131/BW15: Temminck's courser, CKGR

 

Another pretty bird, this time from the pratincole and courer family, the temminck's courser is a wader that is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. 

 

[Kitsafari]

132/BW16: Wattled Crane, Khwai Reserve

 

I was quite pleased to see this crane again in Botswana, as the first time I had laid eyes on this endangered species was in Vumbara concession in the Okavango Delta, also during the green season. there are an estimated 7,700 individuals left in the wild  with the majority concentrated in Botswana. These cranes are the most wetland-dependent of the crane  species. the birds are monogamous, mating for life. we saw only a pair, walking on the banks opposite the Khwai River, at a distance, contributing to an even poorer shot. 

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

3 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

Michael has a far more comprehensive bird list and far more superior shots as well.

 

I know all too well that Michael always finish with a more comprehensive bird list , but the quality of your posted birds is as good as it gets! Specially the bee-eaters are excellent.

Edited May 19, 2019 by xelas

[Galana]

A great start to your next series and nothing wrong with the quality.

A word on the Batis family which is also one of my favourites. No Chinspots in Gabon. Their range stops more or less at the Equator and throughout Africa there are more than 20 species.

Chinspot are recorded in CKGR but so does the very similar Pririt Batis. I don't see the spot on the female's chin. Maybe @michael-ibk and @Peter Connan would care to comment?

[michael-ibk]

Great to see the beginning of your Bots bird, Kit. Only could read this on the mobile so far but I also thought this is more likely a Pririt. Chances are I have the very same pair in my BY. 

[Kitsafari]

@xelas Thanks for the encouragement !

 

@GalanaI see what you mean about the spot on the female chin spot batis. I'll await @michael-ibk and/or @Peter Connan but if it is a pririt batis female - i'm only too happy to claim it! 

 

aha! Michael's post came in as I was writing this. so I'll claim the female as pririt batis. I assume no issue with the male? both were seen at different time and tree. 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

133/BW17: Pied Crow, Nxai Pans

 

As we came through the main gate to Nxai Pans, we stopped to take a loo break. Yellow-billed kites and pied crows were perched just behind a fenced up area.the birds were finishing up a carcass. Pied crows do very well around human settlements.

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

134/BW18: Levaillant's Cuckoo, Khwai Reserve

 

A beautiful cuckoo that was quickly spotted by Twaffle, but as soon as she saw and called out, it flew off into another bush further away. Found all over Africa south of Sahara. 

 

[Kitsafari]

135/BW19: Red-eyed Dove, Khwai Reserve

 

Seen only once, perched up on a tall tree. Another common bird in Africa, found south of Sahara. 

 

[Kitsafari]

136/BW20: Ring-necked Dove, CKGR

 

An even more well-distributed dove, the ring-necked dove is also known as the cape turtle dove (which was the first name I learned for this species when I did my first few safaris) or the half-collared dove.

 

[Kitsafari]

137/BW21: Namaqua Dove, CKGR

 

A worthy EBC but perhaps not excellent enough to win the award. As always happens with me, as I put up my camera, the namaqua dove flew off.  I was thinking of not including this in the count, but since my aim is to see how many species I can get with a photo - regardless of recognisability or not, I decided I'll put it in. this looks like a male. 

This is a species I do not see often during my safaris perhaps because I underestimate its size, given it is about the size of a sparrow. 

 

[Kitsafari]

138/BY22: Fork-tailed Drongo, Nxai Pans/Khwai Reserve campsite

 

No introduction needed!

 

[Kitsafari]

139/BW23: Fulvous Whistling Duck, Khwai Reserve

 

I'm not crazy about ducks and geese but this is the first time I' had seen the fulvous whistling duck. and although it was not as colourful as other duck species, the flock had appeared in a lovely light and I became enchanted by it. The whistling duck is a breeding resident in Mexico, South America, West Indies, southern USA, sub-saharan Africa and the INdian subcontinent. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

140/BW25: White-faced Whistling Duck,  Nxai Pans/Khwai Reserve

 

The white-faced whistling duck is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. A gregarious and very noisy bird, this duck calls with a clear three-note whistling call. Shame that I didn't notice that while watching them. 

 

Nxai Pans - we were supposed to get on a pontoon to cross the river but the pontoon was unmanned.so while the guide went looking for the guys in charge, i wandered off to the marsh areas to see these ducks,forgetting about crocodiles. i was lucky in that there were no crocs, but almost got left behind as everyone had piled into the vehicle and was ready to leave... with or without me! sigh i have to choose more reliable companions (preferably birders) from now on.... 

 

 

Khwai

 

[michael-ibk]

About the Batis - difficult to say since the males are almost identical. But Pririt is much more of a Kalahari bird , and Chinspot would be pretty unusual there. So I'd go with Pririt for both. Great you saw the Fulvous, a Duck I am still missing in Africa.