All quiet on the western front - PM 2023

[pedro maia]

And the sighting of the day, even if it doesn´t add to my life total:

 

N79 (W678), Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus)

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by pedro maia

[PeterHG]

Wonderful to see your Sossusvlei and Deadvlei photos! It’s such a beautiful place, though the sand track can be treacherous indeed!

(Would a Cape Eagle Owl add to your life total ?….;))

[Galana]

1 hour ago, PeterHG said:

(Would a Cape Eagle Owl add to your life total ?….;))

Well it might if it was one as would a Spotted Eagle Owl I hope.

 

@pedro maiaYour im. Pale Chanter with Kite is confirmed as NOT a Gabar and, much more sadly I think your

 

Black Harrier is another.So sorry.

 

Really enjoyed your trip which was very special in that you got rain AND an Oryx in Sossusvlei and were not shy to take the sandy bit in your stride. Well done.

 

[xelas]

Well done on managing the 4x4 track to Deadvlei … and back!

 

Verreaux it is not, missing the pink eyelids. Cape or Spotted? I would ask Merlin 😁.

[pedro maia]

2 hours ago, PeterHG said:

Wonderful to see your Sossusvlei and Deadvlei photos! It’s such a beautiful place, though the sand track can be treacherous indeed!

(Would a Cape Eagle Owl add to your life total ?….;))

 

Cape eagle owl would be fine, but I can see there´s no consensus.

[pedro maia]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Well it might if it was one as would a Spotted Eagle Owl I hope.

 

@pedro maiaYour im. Pale Chanter with Kite is confirmed as NOT a Gabar and, much more sadly I think your

 

Black Harrier is another.So sorry.

 

Really enjoyed your trip which was very special in that you got rain AND an Oryx in Sossusvlei and were not shy to take the sandy bit in your stride. Well done.

 

 

That´s part of the game, I tried to ID the birds by myself but I still have a lot to learn.

 

You think the owl is a Spotted Eagle Owl? That would suit me as well and it was my first guess but then for some reason I change to VEO, which is now clear it is not.

[pedro maia]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

Well done on managing the 4x4 track to Deadvlei … and back!

 

Verreaux it is not, missing the pink eyelids. Cape or Spotted? I would ask Merlin 😁.

 

I don´t seem to be able to work with the Merlin app, it suggested peregrine falcon I have to be doing something wrong, maybe you can try that for me.

[pedro maia]

And I´ll make the corrections when the owl is decided.

[michael-ibk]

Spotted for me because of the yellow eyes. 

[PeterHG]

I’ve offered both owl photos to Merlin and it does give Cape Eagle Owl as the first choice. That was my own thought, based on the orange eyes, but Merlin has been known to be wrong…;). I think both occur in Namibia but Spotted is more common. And Fred has been known to be right very often…;)

[michael-ibk]

One of us is color blind Peter - might as well be me. 😁

[pedro maia]

So Spotted is in the lead now .

 

I´m goin to try in bird forum as well, but I have another owl for you guys, my guess ir Verraux´s because the eyes don´t seem to be orange nor yellow:

 

[xelas]

Merlin Bird ID app:

- Get bird pack for Namibia

- Photo ID

- choose photo (from library)

- Location: Namibia

- Date: April

Result: Cape Eagle-Owl

 

 

[pedro maia]

This can not end as Owl sp., I need to count something here .

[xelas]

35 minutes ago, pedro maia said:

This can not end as Owl sp., I need to count something here .

 

Pick your owl, Pedro, it is after all your Big Year !

[pedro maia]

9 minutes ago, xelas said:

 

Pick your owl, Pedro, it is after all your Big Year !

[Tdgraves]

Looks just like the spotted eagle owl we saw in KTP…

 

 

[pedro maia]

3 hours ago, Tdgraves said:

Looks just like the spotted eagle owl we saw in KTP…

 

 

 

That helps, I think it looks similar.

[pedro maia]

So I went for the Spotted-eagle owl, also because it´s more common, I already made the corrections.

[pedro maia]

Before the last batch of the trip I have some ID doubts some of them may not be possible but it´s worth trying.

 

1 - The owl above, Verreaux´s?

 

2 - Probably both Pale-chanting goshawk

 

 

3 - clueless

 

 

4 - Sabota lark, right?

 

 

5 - 3 possibilities but the photo may not allow ID, Bradfiel´s, Common or African palm

 

 

6 - Great sparrows?

 

6.1

 

6.2

 

6.3

 

 

7 - Pipits, worst than larks 

 

7.1 - Nicholson?

 

7.2 - African?

 

7.3 - African?

 

8 - clueless

 

 

9 - clueless

 

[Tdgraves]

1 yes
2 pcg

5 palm swift

6 yes
8 tawny flanked prinia

9 yellow bellied eremomela

 

i’m not wandering into LBJ territory…

[pedro maia]

1 hour ago, Tdgraves said:

1 yes
2 pcg

5 palm swift

6 yes
8 tawny flanked prinia

9 yellow bellied eremomela

 

i’m not wandering into LBJ territory…

Thanks a lot @Tdgraves. Just one note, according to my field guide, Sinclair, Tawny-flanked prini doesn’t occur in most parts of Namibia, only in the Caprivi Strip or nearby, so 8 is probably a Black-chested prinia.

[Galana]

Gosh! So many I had to take notes as my attention span and memory let me down.

Lets get down to it.

Spotted Eagle Owl. No doubts at all. Grey colouration not brown like Cape EO. Perversely they have barred bellies but the spots are on the back. And some have orange eyes.

Verreaux? Yes,

PNG Yes.

3. I am inclined to suggest Rufous-eared Warbler.

4. Yes.

5. I will go with Palm Swift too.

6. Yes.

7.  There are only 3 Pipits in Namibia. Good odds.

7.1 Never heard of Nicholson's. Is this another of Merlin's jokes?

I offer Buffy. Or maybe Long-billed.

The rest are African.

8. Could also be Rufous-eared Warbler which is also very Prinia like but the head does not look right.

9. I am suggesting Cape Penduline-Tit.

 

 

[pedro maia]

5 minutes ago, Galana said:

Gosh! So many I had to take notes as my attention span and memory let me down.

Lets get down to it.

Spotted Eagle Owl. No doubts at all. Grey colouration not brown like Cape EO. Perversely they have barred bellies but the spots are on the back. And some have orange eyes.

Verreaux? Yes,

PNG Yes.

3. I am inclined to suggest Rufous-eared Warbler.

4. Yes.

5. I will go with Palm Swift too.

6. Yes.

7.  There are only 3 Pipits in Namibia. Good odds.

7.1 Never heard of Nicholson's. Is this another of Merlin's jokes?

I offer Buffy. Or maybe Long-billed.

The rest are African.

8. Could also be Rufous-eared Warbler which is also very Prinia like but the head does not look right.

9. I am suggesting Cape Penduline-Tit.

 

 

Thanks  Fred, I’ll check your suggestions with more detail tomorrow, regarding Nicholson pipit I think is a split from Long-billed, not just a joke from Merlin, I have it in my guide, Long-billed doest show for southern Africa.

[Galana]

9 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Long-billed doest show for southern Africa.

It does in both my Books. SASOL "Birds of Southern Africa" and Sinclair & Ryan 'Birds south of the Sahara'.

Occurrence right along the line of Namibian Desert from Kunene river, south.

I do see that Wikipedia suggest Nicholson's as a race of Long-billed.

At your leisure.