Zvezda & Alex BY attempt #8

[xelas]

The SA birding for year 2023 has ended, successfully I might add. Now we are flying home and on Monday a difficult task of browsing through, selecting and identifying birds from a large pool of about 12000 photos will begin. Hopefully I will be ready to post them somewhere between X-mas and New Year.

[Galana]

Welcome home.

[michael-ibk]

Glad to hear you had a great time, now to (photo) work with you! 

[PeterHG]

A challenging task, but I’m glad to hear the birding was good!

[Peter Connan]

Looking forward to them, and thanks for the call! Was very nice chatting again.

[Soukous]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:07 PM, xelas said:

on Monday a difficult task of browsing through, selecting and identifying birds from a large pool of about 12000 photos will begin

 

that's a lot of photos. 

[xelas]

A lot of photos but the end of the year is approaching so I better hurry up!

 

Our 3 weeks long trip covered both Western as Eastern Cape. Birds will be posted by locations; many of the species have been seen often yet some others only at a specific location. At each location I will add the total # of species photographed and reported in eBird checklist.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by xelas

[Dave Williams]

Now I have time to look I see you have knocked up another 400 year and obviously more to come. well done. looking forward to reading about SA.

[xelas]

 

BETTY'S BAY - 21/Nov PM - 23/Nov AM - 31 species

(Stony Point Nature Reserve was closed due to damage done to wooden boardwalks during the storm in October; penguins have moved to the bay area but cormorants and other marine birds did not).

 

This one deserves to start the list! One that can swim but can not fly.

 

BY 401  /  SA 001    

African Penguin  -  Spheniscus demersus    

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by xelas

[xelas]

A quartet of the birds named by the location they (mostly) live.

 

BY 402  /  SA 002    

Cape Bulbul  -  Pycnonotus capensis

 

 

 

BY 403  /  SA 003    

Cape Sugarbird  -  Promerops cafer

 

 

 

BY 404  /  SA 004    

Cape Wagtail  -  Motacilla capensis

 

 

 

BY 405  /  SA 005    

Cape Spurfowl  -  Pternistis capensis
 

[xelas]

A trio of coastal birds.

 

BY 407  /  SA 007    

African Oystercatcher  -  Haematopus moquini

 

 

 

BY 408  /  SA 008    

Kelp Gull  -  Larus dominicanus

 

 

 

 

BY 409  /  SA 009    

Hartlaub’s Gull  -  Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
 

 

[xelas]

A triptih of a sacred bird and a less sacred bird that can be seen all over the Cape.

 

BY 410  /  SA 010    

African Sacred Ibis  -  Threskiornis aethiopicus

 

 

 

 

 

BY 411  /  SA 011    

Egyptian Goose  -  Alopochen aegyptiaca
 

 

[xelas]

Finishing Betty's Bay selection with two more birds that are a regular sighting. Both speckled .

 

BY 412  /  SA 012    

Speckled Pigeon  -  Columba guinea

 

 

 

BY 413  /  SA 013    

Speckled Mousebird  -  Colius striatus
 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by xelas

[michael-ibk]

Wow, you are fast Alex, I will only call you the Flash from now on!

 

Beautiful photos, especially like the second Pinguin photo. You might want to re-check your yellow-eyed "Red-Eyed Dove".

[Tdgraves]

14 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

Beautiful photos, especially like the second Pinguin photo. You might want to re-check your yellow-eyed "Red-Eyed Dove".

Although it does fit Galana's rule, sort of...

[Soukous]

Alex, your Red-eyed Dove is in fact a Speckled Pigeon

[Galana]

55 minutes ago, Tdgraves said:

Although it does fit Galana's rule, sort of...

You mean it is a Pigeon and speckled?

Could be worse. He might of thought it was a Red-eyed Bulbul.

 

[xelas]

OK, ok folks, that was just a test from my side if you are really following this thread . Corrected and sorted out. Do keep a sharp eye on any future missed ID.

[PeterHG]

Wonderful to see your first batches of SA birds, Alex! 

[xelas]

HAROLD PORTER BOTANICAL GARDENS - 22/Nov - 14 species

(in 2019 much of this garden have been destroyed by a fire; on the day of our visit a strong wind was blowing from the mountains)

 

 

BY 414    SA 014    African Paradise Flycatcher    Terpsiphone viridis

 

 

 

 

 

BY 415    SA 015    African Dusky Flycatcher    Muscicapa adusta

 

 

 

 

BY 416    SA 016    Fiscal Flycatcher    Melaenornis silens
 

[xelas]

BY 417  /  SA 017    

Southern Double-collared Sunbird  -  Cinnyris chalybeus

 

 

 

BY 418  /  SA 018    

Karoo Prinia  -  Prinia maculosa

 

 

 

BY 419  /  SA 019    

Cape Canary  -  Serinus canicollis

 

 

 

 

BY 420  /  SA 020    

Cape Siskin  -  Crithagra totta

[TonyQ]

@xelasa great and very rapid start. Beautiful photos - new camera seems to be working very well in skilled hands!

[xelas]

BY 421  /  SA 021    

Olive Thrush  -  Turdus olivaceus
 

[xelas]

2 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Beautiful photos - new camera seems to be working very well in skilled hands!

Myself I am the most amazed by OM-1 and Zvezda's results! She had only a few outings and mastered the camera well.

[xelas]

The only area where OM-1 & 100-400 delivers worse results than D500 & 200-500 is with very distant birds. The resolving power of Nikon combo is better than of the Olympus combo. I think this is due to the lens and not to the sensor. Here are two shots from Betty's Bay area, both heavily cropped. They both came out better than similar shots taken by Olympus.

 

 

BY 422  /  SA 022    

Sanderling  -  Calidris alba

 

 

 

BY 423  /  SA 023    

Great Crested Tern  .  Thalasseus bergii
 

Edited December 16, 2023 by xelas