GAME: name that bird!

[inyathi]

@Galana

 

I had a feeling that I had perhaps not had a good enough look in the right book, I will now suggest Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

[Galana]

8 minutes ago, inyathi said:

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

Say no more.

In those halcyon pre EBC days of yore.

 

Over to you.

[inyathi]

@GalanaI wasn't confident with my first answer, save for the fact that I was sure I had the right family, even without seeing the head the overall shape suggested a finch, but the forked tail was the real giveaway, I just didn't look hard enough at my North America book, I'd looked at all the Palearctic species and Indian species, once Siskin was gone, there wasn't really anything else, then when you said you had to check that it wasn't a siskin, that confirmed that I must have the right family. I then knew I needed to head across the Pond to the Nearctic.

 

@BRACQUENEYou went for some interesting guesses Hercule, with your last suggestion which was a South American species, but you were perhaps having an off day, because I think you missed an obvious clue, in the fact that the bird is perched in an almost entirely leafless tree, which pretty much ruled out anywhere in the tropics, as the location, it really had to be a temperate species.  

 

See what you make of this?

 

 

 

 

 

[Galana]

Even though wracked with doubt it looks like an African Hill Babbler to me (Pseudoalcippe abyssinica)

[inyathi]

@GalanaSorry, I am afraid it is not that.

[Galana]

Another wild card as I know you have been to Malawi. Were you lucky enough to see Thyolo (Cholo) Alethe, (Chamaetylas choloensis)?

With acknowledgements to Nik Borrow.

[inyathi]

@Galana

No I am afraid I've never seen Thyolo Alethe, it is a rare and very localised bird and my visits to Malawi have never taken me to the right locations to look for it.

Edited November 6, 2021 by inyathi

[Galana]

Well that rules another one out. I am still inclined to be thinking Alethe/Akalat - and Africa though. How far out am I (you can tell me, nobody else is looking)?

How about White-tailed Alethe?

[BRACQUENE]

@Galana

I have been looking for the first time this morning and will have a try soon 

[inyathi]

@GalanaOkay, I'll help you out a little bit and say it is not an Alethe 

[BRACQUENE]

@inyathi

 

I noticed from the start even if the picture was not too clear the yellow throat stripes and started to look in that direction ; a big family ( around 50 ) are the greenbuls a group of birds within the bulbul family Pycnonotidae, found only within Africa. They are all largely drab olive-green above, and paler below, with few distinguishing features but seven of them have yellow in their name ( bearded-bellied-necked-streaked-throated and throated Mountain and finally Yellow-Whiskered ( Eurillas latirostris ).

I think we might be looking at the last one the Yellow -Whiskered a medium-sized, dark brown and dull olive-green bulbul with distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of the throat. Found in rainforest, montane forest, gallery forest, secondary scrub, overgrown cultivation, and gardens you might have seen him in western or central Africa?

 

 

 

[inyathi]

@BRACQUENE Well done, it looks like we might make a birder out of you, that really wasn't an easy one, Greenbuls are not an easy family to sort out and the yellow on my bird is not as obvious as illustrated in my books, it is a Yellow-whiskered Greenbul seen in Gabon.   

 

[Galana]

9 hours ago, inyathi said:

it is a Yellow-whiskered Greenbul seen in Gabon.   

Amazing.

I considered that on day 1 and discarded it as the colours were just wrong. Seen 100s of them and it just did not fit.

Ah well.

[inyathi]

@GalanaI can sympathise, because when I compared my photo to the illustrations in various books, I didn't think it looked that much like any of Yellow-whiskered Greenbuls, but I'm confident that the ID should be 100% correct, because my guide at the time was Patrice Christy, who is the expert on the birds of Gabon and the Congo Basin, he worked with Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan on Birds of Africa South of the Sahara, and was the go to guide for Gabon, we only managed to get him. because he was working on the Bird Atlas of Gabon at the time and hadn't visited the particular atlas square that we were going to. Otherwise I might think that perhaps I had made a mistake, but always if I'm not sure with a photo I look at the date and then my checklist, to see what I saw on that date, so I'm sure I labelled the photo correctly, I'm sure without Patrice I would likely not have seen it, nor identified it if I had. 

[BRACQUENE]

@inyathi@Galana

 

Thanks for the praise but I have a lot to learn ! Since I entered this game and having the experience of the other in my pocket , I wisely do not trust colours of pictures especially if they are blurred or very ancient ( there are some masters active in that department  ) and admit that I have a disadvantage as my safaris only go back to 2014 and before that I rarely photographed birds ; other problem is that I do no keep the blurred ones very long to have more space , but I see now that this was a mistake with all those impressive birders around  ; Luckily the yellow was visible and even more so when I zoomed in and there my research could begin !

The next one is not the clearest , might again be easy but you have to row ....

 

[Galana]

8 hours ago, inyathi said:

but I'm confident that the ID should be 100% correct,

I don't doubt it. Just kicking myself that I passed up the obvious and just could not make a whisker out of that patch of white. Never seen a photo of a Greenbul looking more like an Alethe than some Alethes.

Not going to make the same error twice this week.

Hercules' offering is so like a Greater Painted Snipe, Rostratula benghalensis that it has to be one. Probably male but not enough visible to be sure of that.

[BRACQUENE]

 

Well that was quick not unexpectedly ; in the Kafue close to Musekese Camp on a boat trip with Phil Jefferson ; Over to you @Galana

[Galana]

A trio of young males I think.

Sorry about it being quick but some birds are so unique it is not easy to get it wrong. My Field Guide states 'unmistakable if seen well.' to which I agree.

[Galana]

I am running out of candidates so I need to look through more files and cast offs.

 

Try this one. Not the clearest shot sorry.

[Soukous]

Tree Pipit?

[BRACQUENE]

@Galana

 

Or a Bushveld Pipit ( Anthus caffer) much smaller than the tree Pipit , a  dumpy pipit lacking a distinct eyebrow. The lack of wingbars and the diffuse streaks on the breast that do not reach the flanks are further distinguishing features. Pairs are furtive in open and lightly wooded savanna with bare patches, particularly where it is grassy or rocky.( Southern Africa probably Zambia ) 

[pedro maia]

I´ll give it a try with the Olive-backed pipit (Anthus hodgsoni).

[Galana]

@Soukous@BRACQUENE@pedro maia

Sorry but it is neither, Tree, Bushveld nor Olive-backed.

There are believed to be close to 50 species of Pipit worldwide so it looks like we are in this for the long haul and I am off to Scotland on Thursday on a literal Wild Goose chase so bu**er pipits for a lark.

[Soukous]

although it i snot your usual stamping ground, how about a Karoo Lark

[inyathi]

@Galana

My suggestion would be Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)