EBCs and misIDs: KK's BY III, MMXXIII

[Kalaharikind]

I believe its a ssp. known collectively as a destruction of starlings, @Galana 

 

78    Kittlitz’s Plover
Geelborsstrandkiewiet
Charadrius pecuarius
 

 

 

 

79    White-fronted Plover
Vaalstrandkiewiet
Charadrius marginatus
 

 

 

80    Grey Plover  or something completely different? 
Grysstrandkiewiet
Pluvialis squatarola
 

 

[Kalaharikind]

And please enlighten me: What is Galana's Law?

 

 

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Kalaharikind said:

And please enlighten me: What is Galana's Law?

For every question you buy me a beer.

 

OR  Describing the bird will quite often reveal it's name. Thus A gull with a black-head. A BeeEater with a blue head. A plover with a white-front.  It helps give beginners some confidence. (I think).

[Kalaharikind]

On 4/5/2023 at 10:58 AM, Galana said:

For every question you buy me a beer.

 

I already owe you and @Xelas some wine. I'll just add beer to the shopping list for when you come to visit. Just remember, though, we serve ours cold. And in frosted glasses. You might want to change your fee to something more palatable

 

81    Little Stint
Kleinreierloper
Calidris minuta
 

Used to be known as the Kleinstrandloper. 

 

 

This is where the misIDs start coming at a furious pace:

 

82    Bar-tailed Godwit
Bandstertgriet
Limosa lapponica

 

Two views, equally bad 

 

Is this a not, or knott? ETA: Thanks to @Galana, it is:

 

83    Red Knot
Knoet
Calidris canutus
 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Kalaharikind

[Galana]

40 minutes ago, Kalaharikind said:

Just remember, though, we serve ours cold. And in frosted glasses.

I hate warm beer.

 

Good Knot. Almost would pass as a Great one.

[Peter Connan]

I always thought on the IOM everything is pre-frosted pretty much year-round?

[Galana]

6 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

IOM everything is pre-frosted pretty much year-round?

Frost are rare. Even our women folk are quite warm.

[Kalaharikind]

An EBC of note:

 

84    Terek Sandpiper
Terekruiter
Xenus cinereus
 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Kalaharikind

[Kalaharikind]

85    Yellow Canary
Geelkanarie
Crithagra flaviventris
 

 

I was really glad to catch this one at De Mond: the one in our garden has been very shy to show himself

 

86    Southern Boubou
Suidelike Waterfiskaal
Laniarius ferrugineus
 

 

And that was De Mond!

[Kalaharikind]

87    Denham’s Bustard
Veldpou
Neotis denhami
 

Near Elim, 25 Febraury 2023

 

88    Bokmakierie
Bokmakierie
Telophorus zeylonus
 

Near Napier, 25 February 2023

 

And a slightly better Common Buzzard than the one posted earlier:

 

 

[Kalaharikind]

89    Jackal Buzzard
Rooiborsjakkalsvoël
Buteo rufofuscus
 

Garden, 1 March 2023

 

90    Booted Eagle
Dwergarend
Hieraaetus pennatus
 

Garden, 2 March 2023

 

91    African Hoopoe
Hoephoep
Upupa africana
 

Garden, 6 March 2023

 

[xelas]

On 4/5/2023 at 3:49 PM, Kalaharikind said:

Just remember, though, we serve ours cold. And in frosted glasses

Is there any other way to serve the beer 😄?

[Kalaharikind]

16 hours ago, xelas said:

Is there any other way to serve the beer 😄?

Short and sweet answer: No, never.

 

Easter weekend is the traditional start to the Western Cape's rainy season, and, right on cue, there's a soft and gentle drizzle. Johan has just poured us some Treintjiewyn - it's a white Jerepigo made by our local winery, and we used it to toast our upcoming holiday. Kgalagadi for three nights, then Namibia. We'll take our time to get to the Kavango region (and I really hope that Johan gets a decent tigerfish, if only to throw it back into the water again), then retrace our steps. To say that we are counting the hours till Sunday is an understatement. 

So, until we're back - take care!

[Galana]

Have a good one. Drive safe.

[PeterHG]

Have a good time!

[xelas]

Enjoy the trip up north! Looking forward to read about it soon.

[Kalaharikind]

Thanks all! Any trip that starts with three one-night stands in KTFP must be good...

 

No really. That's what happened.

 

I wanted to celebrate officially turning old and decrepit and creaky and cranky and grumpy in Nossob RC, but there was not a campsite available in the entire park on the day, never mind Nossob. No other accommodation, either. I kept checking the Sanparks site, with absolutely no joy. And then one day Johan calmly looked up from his laptop, said that that there was a site available at Nossob on the big day - should he book it? Of course, silly, you should have done so already in case somebody else snatches it from right under our noses. Next problem: there was only the one night available, so we had to make do with what was available at the other camps. And so it happened that we spent our first night at TR, then Nossob, then MM before entering Namibia.

 

Checking in at TR was a breeze, Immigration was painless, we quickly found a campsite where we marked our territory with a couple of ammo crates and a table, and set off on a short game drive. Since we would be driving the Nossob River Road te next day, we decided on the Auob River Road and the Lower Dune Road, thus looping back to TR.  

 

We also encountered our first LBJ:

 

92    Chat Flycatcher
Grootvlieëvanger
Melaenornis infuscatus
 

Auob River Road, 10 April 2023

 

And the next one:

 

93    Lark-like Bunting
Vaalstreepkoppie
Emberiza impetuani
 

Auob River Road, 10 April 2023

 

We had encountered a few others, who did the usual thing of waiting until we had stopped, the bakkie had been switched off, the dust had settled and I had my camera out the window, and only then flying off. Frustrating for the driver, less frustrating for me, but I decided to leave my Stop Stop Stop commands  requests for bigger fry.

 

94    Scaly-feathered Finch (Weaver)
Baardmannetjie
Sporopipes squamifrons
 

Auchterlone picnic site, 10 April 2023

 

The roads connecting the river roads normally don't offer much in the way of game viewing, and this time was no exception. But, they're always good for terrestrial birds:

 

95    Red-crested Korhaan
Boskorhaan
Lophotis ruficrista

 

F

Lower Dune Road, 10 April 2023

 

96    Kori Bustard
Gompou
Ardeotis kori
 

Lower Dune Road, 10 April 2023

 

And a few days later, on the Upper Dune Road:

 

 

[Kalaharikind]

Loadshedding over (for the next couple of hours, anyway), red wine has been poured, there's a huge fire burning (it's cold here, people!!!!) and Johan is the braai master.

 

97    Tawny Eagle
Roofarend
Aquila rapax

 

Fast asleep at what I think is a dead sociable weaver nest:

 

Nossob River Road, 10 April 2023

 

And a pair, the next day, on the same road:

 

TR rest camp yielded the usual suspects - and this, perched in a tree right at our camp site:

 

98    Pygmy Falcon
Dwergvalk
Polihierax semitorquatus
 

 

99    Fork-tailed Drongo
Mikstertbyvanger
Dicrurus adsimilis
 

TR, 10 April 2023

 

 

[Kalaharikind]

Third time lucky! 

 

My 2021 entry for this one was a glorious EBC, the 2022 one was not much better.

 

C Crimson-breasted Shrike
Rooiborslaksman
Laniarius atrococcineus
 

 

 

KTFP, XII/IV/MMXXIII

 

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on your century - perfect bird for that milestone!

[Tdgraves]

also congrats on the century, hopefully more to come from Namibia

[Peter Connan]

Veels geluk!

 

Nice batch. Still lots to go I suspect.

[Kalaharikind]

I took this pic early the next morning, thinking that I'd be seeing plenty of them at the picnic sites. Hah! Not a one made an appearance - almost like last year's Socialable Weaver fiasco.

 

101    White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Koringvoël
Plocepasser mahali
 

TR, 11 April 2023

 

102    Great Sparrow
Grootmossie
Passer motitensis
 

TR, 11 April 2023

 

They were trying to warm up in the weak and wintry early-morning sun, as were these:

 

103    White-backed Mousebird
Witkruismuisvoël
Colius colius
 

TR, 11 April 2023

 

This tame African Wild Cat made a cameo appearance, strolling through the camp site, and then hid from the papparazzi ander a vehicle:

 

[Kalaharikind]

Thanks, @michael-ibk, @Peter Connanand @Tdgraves! 

 

104    Lanner Falcon
Edelvalk
Falco biarmicus
 

Arboreal surveillance:

Nossob River Road, 11 April 2023

 

Aerial surveillance at Mata-Mata:

 

 

 

105    Martial Eagle
Breëkoparend
Polemaetus bellicosus

 

Nossob River Road, 11 April 2023

 

For a while, I thought I would have to be satisfied with a grey bird in a tangle of grey branches... 

 

 

Birds imitating camelthorn pods:

 

[Galana]

Congratulations on 100 and

5 hours ago, Kalaharikind said:

I wanted to celebrate officially turning old and decrepit and creaky and cranky and grumpy

Are you really 80 now? Who would have thought it.