Belated BY - 6th year! Herman&Kit

[Kitsafari]

We met an Australian lady who has lived on the island for many years. She brought us to a private property where the frigatebirds would swoop into a small pond for water every afternoon. It was a mixture of birds but mostly of Christmas Island frigatebirds. It was quite fun practising our BIF skills!

 

 

 

 

and a "siamese twin" shot.

[Kitsafari]

676. Red-tailed Tropicbird

 

Tropicbirds were top of my list of birds to see,and they didn't disappoint. Elegant, graceful, beautiful - they floated and danced in the skies for us throughout the days. and when the sun shone through them, their wings seemed translucent, almost like angelic wings.

The red-tailed tropicbirds, also called Silver Bosun, are estimated to be around 1,400-strong on the island and breed quite well in the cliffs and among rocks. The Australian lady took us to see a chick and I was astounded by the size of the chick, suggesting that the adults are far bigger than I had expected after seeing them high in the skies. The chick was the only remaining one, many of the others having already fledged. It was not skittish despite us taking turns to photograph it. But one of us shoved his/her camera too close and it hissed. can't blame it though. i would have been upset if a camera is shoved right into my face!

 

 

 

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Edited January 7 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

677. White-tailed Tropicbird 

 

The pure white-tailed tropicbird is uncommon in Christmas Island with the golden morph more common.

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

677. White-tailed Tropicbird or Golden Bosun

The most common morph of the White-tailed Tropicbird on Christmas Island is the Phaethon lepturus Fulvus - the famous Golden Bosun. The yellowish-golden bird is found only on the island, and nowhere else on the earth. And it is spectacular, its fame well-earned. They were flying all around us which wasn't surprising as its population is estimated at between 12,000 and 24,000. They nest all over the island and feed in warm waters off the coast. 

Such a gorgeous bird deserves more photos!

 

And with this stunning bird, Herman and I thank all of you for following our BY count and for all the encouragement and kind words! It is great to be part of the ST family, and the cosy BY community too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Golden bosun checks out the nest already occupied by a white-tailed tropicbird

 

 

An interaction with the white-tailed tropicbird - we surmised the golden bosun was trying to steal the nest of a white-tailed tropicbird but the latter chased it away.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

3 hours ago, BRACQUENE said:

Some lovely additions again ; inspires me to continue my BY 

 

I'm looking forward to reading yours at a leisurely pace now that the pressure to finish mine is over. 

[Peter Connan]

Wow, what an incredible collection of amazing birds and stunning photos!

Edited January 7 by Peter Connan

[michael-ibk]

There she goes, leaving Fred and me in the dust. 😁

 

Congrats Kit (and Herman of course) , a great score, and even more importantly such a huge list of wonderful colorful birds, all with excellent photos. The Big Year of Big Years really! 

 

Thank you for sharing all your beautiful birds, I'm looking forward to your 2024 already. 

[Tdgraves]

Congratulations on a massive total. I’m sure you will have encouraged some people to head in your direction one day….

[xelas]

What a finish sprint! Beautiful birds from places less known to me. See you again in BY 2024!

[PeterHG]

Thank you both for participating again this year and posting so many absolutely brilliant birds and photos. Your final one would be worth a trip to Christmas Island alone! An amazing score as well. Please let us enjoy your birding trips again this year!

[TonyQ]

A stunning bird to round off a superb Big Year.

Fascinating to hear about Christmas Island.

Congratulations to you and Herman on your winning total 

 

[Kitsafari]

Thanks everyone! Look forward to all your 2024 counts! 

[Zim Girl]

Gorgeous bird to finish on!

Incredible total for BY and so many stunning birds in those last few batches.

Really enjoyed following along.

[pedro maia]

That final bird is a stunner, thanks for showing so many incredible species.

[Kitsafari]

@Zim Girl @pedro maia Thanks much - i've enjoyed sharing the bird, other than it taking a long time to do it!  

[BRACQUENE]

Loved your final birds and especially that Golden Bosun ! 
 

[JimS]

Congratulations on the total, and on the tropicbirds (all varieties)!

[Kitsafari]

Thank you @BRACQUENE and @JimS