GAME: name that bird!

[Rainbirder]

You obviously managed to add your post just before mine Rainbirder so I've had to do a quick edit.

 

yes that's pretty much what it is.

 

I was wondering if anyone was going to have a guess, unless anyone wants to come up with the proper name which shouldn't be too difficult now, I'll pass over to Rainbirder

 

Woops sorry Inyathi!

 

Come on, surely someone can have a go at ID'ing this bird!

[kittykat23uk]

I thought it was a black collared barbet.

[inyathi]

At first glance you could well think this is a black-collared but only because you can’t see the underside very clearly through all the twigs. I photographed this bird in Awash NP in Ethiopia but you can also see them in Uganda and Western Kenya, a quick look at the guide books shows that the two species don’t overlap so had I given the location that should have given it away. Certainly if you have a book that covers Ethiopia you can see that there’s only one candidate.

[kittykat23uk]

ay so it's another one I haven't seem before, Black-billed Barbet?

[inyathi]

Yes, Black-billed barbet Lybius guifsobalito

 

Over to you Kittykat, if you take lots of bird photos in Madagascar you can get your own back

[kittykat23uk]

LOL Okay, here is another one:

[ZaminOz]

Lilian's Lovebirds?

[kittykat23uk]

Yes! Over to you Zaminoz.

[Sverker]

 

But what about the LBBs ?

Edited October 3, 2012 by Sverker

[kittykat23uk]

Ah good point, Care to take a guess?

[TZBirder]

You can just make out the colour of their bills...

[Vlad the Impala]

Common Waxbill???

[Sverker]

Common Waxbill???

+1

[kittykat23uk]

any other guesses?

 

Here's a close up..

 

P8020793 by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

[Vlad the Impala]

Ah yes, definitely not waxbills!

 

I really struggle with this family of birds, so I'll go with the laws of probability and say Red-billed Quelea.

[kittykat23uk]

Yes, I believe you are right Vlad, but happy to be corrected by those in the know!

[Vlad the Impala]

Ok, well in the absence of anyone correcting us, here's another to be getting on with...

 

This was taken in the Kirindy Forest, Madagascar:

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

Vlad, I don't recall reading you Mada trip report! Be interested to hear your thoughts as am due to fly out there next weekend (20th), though sadly will not be visiting Kirindy. So I am going to guess that this is France's Sparrowhawk.

[Vlad the Impala]

Vlad, I don't recall reading you Mada trip report! Be interested to hear your thoughts as am due to fly out there next weekend (20th), though sadly will not be visiting Kirindy. So I am going to guess that this is France's Sparrowhawk.

 

You'll have an amazing time in Madagascar I'm sure! My trip was a while ago now (September 2005), and well before my Safaritalk time, hence the lack of trip report (that's my excuse anyway!). From memory, my itinerary was something like...

 

Day 1 - Tana

Days 2-3 - Andisebe - this was a real highlight, and not to be missed. I'm sure you've planned to spend time there. I stayed at a lodge on the edge of the forest, and could often hear the indris calling before I'd even got up. It's still the most amazing sound in nature I've ever heard.

Day 4 - Mantadia

Day 5 - Morondava

Day 6-7 - Kirindy Forest - another highlight. It was not really planned and we decided to go on the spur of the moment. It turned out to be a great choice as we saw lots, including a fossa.

Day 8 - Toliara

Day 9 - Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin)

Day 10 - Berenty

Day 11 - Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin)

Day 12 - Antisiranana

Day 13 - Amber Mountain NP

Day 14 - Tana

 

I only had two weeks, so it was a bit of a flying visit really - lierally. I took internal flights most of the time rather than travelling great distances by road, and there were plenty of areas/NPs I missed but would love to visit. Sorry, I've gone rather off topic here, but feel free to drop me a message before you go if you have any last minute questions.

 

Anyway, back on topic - you are correct, it's a Frances's Sparrowhawk!

 

Back over to you...

Edited October 12, 2012 by Vlad the Impala

[kittykat23uk]

Hi Vlad, thanks for your comments. This was meant to be a budget trip but hasn't quite panned out that way. I would like to have included Kirindy for the fossa but time and money do not allow within the 2 weeks I have so I am basically doing Andasibe and then sticking to the R7 route via ranomafana, Isalo/zombitse and ending up at Ifaty/Anakao/Nosy Ve with a domestic flight back to Tana. Hoping to still get ringtails at Anja and Verreaux Sifaka on the route without having to include Berenty.

 

Back to the game. I hope we've not had this one before:

 

[Vlad the Impala]

I didn't mention it in my post above as I didn't know if you were planning on going, but we weren't particularly taken with Berenty, and I don't think you'll regret not going. I'm already looking forward to your trip report!

 

As for your photo - I'll take a guess at White-faced Scops Owl?

[kittykat23uk]

Yes! That was easy! your turn again!

 

With regard to Berenty, I took the biggest draw of that area to be the Verreaux Sifaka and the ring tails. But from what I have read, Anja, on the route, actually has ringtails that are just as accessible and more beautiful (fluffier) than the ones in Berenty (I have read that the ones in Berenty also seem to suffer from some sort of skin complaint), plus there are also locations on the route where I should have a chance of Sifakas. I guess I do run the risk of missing out on those iconic "dancing" images that people take at Berenty but it didn't seem to be worth the effort that getting there would take.

[Vlad the Impala]

I have read that the ones in Berenty also seem to suffer from some sort of skin complaint)

 

Yes, we found exactly that. They weren't particularly photogenic.

 

Wow, that was a very lucky guess! I'll have to dig out another Madagascar photo later and post it here for my next one.

[Vlad the Impala]

Ok, I couldn't find anything tricky enough from Madagascar. This one is from Rwanda, taken in the Nyungwe Forest. I wasn't sure of the species myself at the time, but several experienced ornithologists have given their opinions on it and they both agreed, so I'm going with what they told me!

 

 

 

[Rainbirder]

Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird??