2023 for better or worse _ Soukous

[Soukous]

# 101 - Large Woodshrike - Tephrodornis virgatus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 102 - Olive-backed Pipit - Anthus hodgsoni

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 103 - Rufous-necked Laughingthrush - Garrulax ruficolis

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

much to my frustration, although we did see a few of these, none presented themselves properly for photography.

 

 

#104 - Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos hyperythrus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 105 - Silver-breasted Broadbill - Serilophus lunatus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

We found a patch of forest in Manas where we saw several Broadbill nests hanging. We heard the Long-tailed Broadbill but never saw one. This Silver-breasted Broadbill brought material to build its nest but did not like us being so close and flew away.

 

A little further along we saw 2 more nests and one of them had some activity. 

 

I did not even notice that there were 2 birds working on the nest until I process the photos.

 

None of the photos are great - it was very dark and cluttered in among the foliage but it's a lifer so I'm happy

 

[Soukous]

# 106 - Greater Flameback/ Greater Goldenback - Chrysocolaptes lucidus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

male

 

female

 

# 107 - White-rumped Shama - Copsychus malabaricus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

 

# 108 - Pin-striped Tit Babbler - Macronus gularis

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

 

 

# 109 - Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 110 - Black-crested Bulbul - Pycnonotus (melanicterus) flaviventris

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 111 - Dollarbird - Eurystomus orientalis

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 112 - Blue-throated Barbet - Megalaima asiatica

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

 

# 113 - Streak-throated Woodpecker - Picus viridanus

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

# 114 - Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis

Kaziranga NP, India. March 2023

 

 

# 115 - Chestnut-capped Babbler - Timalia pileata

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

 

my last photo from Assam is, sadly, an ebc. It was th ebest I could do as this bird was almost 200 metres away. It is a lifer though, and who knows when (if) I'll see another

 

# 116 - Bengal Florican - Houbaropsis benghalensis

Manas NP, India. April 2023

 

 

[PeterHG]

No lack of colour over there. Love your bulbul and babbler!

[michael-ibk]

And I love the first Flameback photo - very cool pose. 

[Galana]

Excellent stuff. Well done with the Florican.

[Soukous]

18 hours ago, Galana said:

Excellent stuff. Well done with the Florican.

 

Thanks. Although I was a bit disappointed with the numbers, i was very happy with the number of lifers I picked up in Manas. Forewarned is forearmed and if I go back there I will have a much better idea of how to plan my drives. There is much more to be found there if the rain holds off.

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful!

[xelas]

4 hours ago, Soukous said:

Forewarned is forearmed and if I go back there I will have a much better idea of how to plan my drives.

That is good to know ! 

[Kitsafari]

late to the party but congrats on the century. gorgeous portrait of the great hornbill!

[Soukous]

With no overseas trips palnned for the next few months I'll have to make do with domestic birds.

 

# 117 - Great Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major

Suffolk. April 2023

 

female

 

 

# 118 - Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius

Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

I'll have to make do with domestic birds.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but is this the chap who has been to South Africa and India already this year?

[Soukous]

1 minute ago, Galana said:

Correct me if I am wrong but is this the chap who has been to South Africa and India already this year?

 

and your point is? 

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Soukous said:

and your point is? 

No real point Martin. Just an observation.

Sometimes the Fox does find good hunting closer to his Den.

[Soukous]

Does anyone have advice on how to keep rooks off my feeders?

They are mobbing the feeders, stealing all the food and destroying the feeders in the process

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

how to keep rooks off my feeders?

Get Mr Eley to talk to them.

[Soukous]

36 minutes ago, Galana said:

Get Mr Eley to talk to them.

 

?? 

[Galana]

[Soukous]

18 hours ago, Galana said:

 

- I was hoping to keep the feeders from being damaged, not blow them to smithereens

[Galana]

56 minutes ago, Soukous said:

I was hoping to keep the feeders from being damaged

Not sporting to hit stationary birds. If you can get photos of B.I.F. you can hit em.

[Soukous]

32 minutes ago, Galana said:

Not sporting to hit stationary birds. If you can get photos of B.I.F. you can hit em.

 

passers by may not appreciate having to hide and neighbours won't like the broken windows

[Soukous]

One that I missed from Kaziranga.

 

# 119 - Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus

Kaziranga, India. March 2023

 

 

[Soukous]

Strong (& very cold) easterly winds over the past 10 days have deterred me from heading out with my camera but, thankfully, we seem to be nearing the end of that spell.

A work day out on Havergate Island was blessed with sunshine for the entire day.

Although Spoonbills do nest on the island, the place where they are is not really accessible - or even visible - so the majority of birdlife at the moment is Black-backed Gulls, Great & Lesser, Canada Geese and Shelducks. The sheer number of gulls has driven off all the smaller species. So here's a gull.

 

# 120 - Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus

Havergate Island, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

 

I thought I had taken some pics of Gret Black-backed as well, but on inspection I think they were all Lesser Black-backed.

 

# 121 - Shelduck - Tadorna tadorna

Havergate Island, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

This morning was also enticingly sunny, so I decided to see if I could find a couple of small birds in the same place I've seen them for the past 3 years. It is only a stretch of about 100 metres but so far I have always found them and, reassuringly, I heard them both as soon as I got close. It's nice when there are some things you can rely on and I love photographing Warblers.

 

# 122 - Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita

Sutton heath, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

 

My other target bird was not so cooperative. There were at least half a dozen of them flitting about, but they stayed high in the pine trees and didn't seem inclined to descend to my level - or even one near it. Eventually though...

One of the reasons I like this particular spot is that the Coal Tits seem to thrive here and have not been chased out by their Blue or Great cousins.

 

# 123 - Coal Tit - Periparus ater

Sutton Heath, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

They were not the only Tits in the area, although the others were even less accommodating. I'll have to go back for another try.

 

# 124 - Long-tailed Tit - Egithalos caudatus

Sutton Heath, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

# 125 - Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla

Sutton Heath, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by Soukous

[pedro maia]

36 minutes ago, Soukous said:

Strong (& very cold) easterly winds over the past 10 days have deterred me from heading out with my camera but, thankfully, we seem to be nearing the end of that spell.

A work day out on Havergate Island was blessed with sunshine for the entire day.

Although Spoonbills do nest on the island, the place where they are is not really accessible - or even visible - so the majority of birdlife at the moment is Black-backed Gulls, Great & Lesser, Canada Geese and Shelducks. The sheer number of gulls has driven off all the smaller species. So here's a gull.

 

# 120 - Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus

Havergate Island, Suffolk. April 2023

 

 

 

 

I thought I had taken some pics of Lesser Black-backed as well, but on inspection I think they were also Great Black-backed.

 

Great black-backed gulls don’t have yellow legs, do they?

Edited April 27, 2023 by pedro maia

[Soukous]

40 minutes ago, pedro maia said:

Great black-backed gulls don’t have yellow legs, do they?

 

Of course they don't.   Thanks Pedro

[Soukous]

Great black-backed gulls don’t have yellow legs, do they?

 

Of course they don't.   Thanks Pedro

 

Having erased all traces of my error I should explain. I got my gull ID wrong. Rookie mistake.

 

as I wrote just a few days ago...

"Don't be too hard on yourself Peter. That has to be better than not being able to ID the birds you've photographed. "

Edited April 28, 2023 by Soukous