A picture a day.

[madaboutcheetah]

Beautiful Ken - I haven't seen one of them in quite a long time!

[Game Warden]

Great shot Snik, colours framing detail etc. Not that my opinion's worth much but it beats the pigeons I see every day.

[Guest sniktawk]

Thanks for the kind comments. Everybody's opinion is worthwhile even if they do not agree with yours, well I would make some exceptions!

[Geoff]

Beautiful Ken - I haven't seen one of them in quite a long time!

 

Hari,

 

You need to go to the SLNP. I saw heaps of them there.

 

Nice shot Ken.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks Geoff

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks, Geoff

[Guest John Milbank]

Aussie bird. African connection. What is it?

 

[madaboutcheetah]

That's a beautiful bird, indeed!!!

[Guest John Milbank]

It is a Rainbow Lorikeet, and the connection is "Rainbow".

 

That's certainly a connection, one which I hadn't even thought of. 10/10 for that. But it's not the connection I'm looking for, so there's still scope for you and others. Botany would help

 

Good heavens, I'd forgotten I'd given the photo to that site. The site has become inactive in recent years.

[twaffle]

John, your photo didn't load completely but looking at the bit I can see I would hazard a guess that the Rainbow Lorikeet is enjoying a protea.

[twaffle]

Sniktawk - not sure whether you will see this but re the Andy Rouse award winning photos my email address is

atkinsp4 at bigpond dot com

 

Thanks, would like to see them.

[Guest John Milbank]

I would hazard a guess that the Rainbow Lorikeet is enjoying a protea.

 

Sorry, no, but you're on the right track.

[Guest John Milbank]

Do you think it may be related in anyway to the Norwegian Blue? (this joke may only be understood by our older readers)

 

I must be old enough. I didn't watch much Monty Python, but do remember that...a very funny sketch.

 

My bird is a wild one, and was in a big flock when I photographed it....the species is very common (unlike the Norwegian blue) and we see a lot of them in city and suburban gardens. Urban development seems to favour them.

[twaffle]

This is a long bow but could it be a Waratah which is in the proteaceae family which includes lots of South African plants. Also the Waratah was a ship which went missing mysteriously off the coast of South Africa. Am I getting warmer???????

[Guest John Milbank]

This is a long bow but could it be a Waratah which is in the proteaceae family which includes lots of South African plants. Also the Waratah was a ship which went missing mysteriously off the coast of South Africa. Am I getting warmer???????

 

No, it's not an Australian species, purely southern African. The common name is a sad one. originating either from the plant's growth habit or the abundant nectar which oozes from the flowers. Rainbow lorikeets are primarily nectar-feeders, so they flock to such plants in huge numbers. I've seen them staggering drunkenly around the upper branches of flowering trees, apparently intoxicated by fermenting nectar. But I've yet to see one flat on its back with its legs in the air (a la Norwegian blue), the usual pose of an Aussie drunk .

[twaffle]

What about a weeping boer bean.

Am I getting warmer?

[Guest John Milbank]

Right on!

 

This beautiful tree is growing in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, and when I spotted (and heard) a large mob of rainbow lorikeets feeding in the foliage, I braved the inevitable fallout and walked under the canopy to see what I could find. Most of the birds were invisible because it's a beautifully dense tree, but one came low and stayed in view long enough for a few shots.

[twaffle]

woohoo!!!!

[twaffle]

Sorry, I should have said … great photo. Now I shall have to go and look at your 'lorikeet tree' at the Botanic Gardens as I didn't even know that they had one.

[Alex The Lion]

Two images I found going through my photos from May this year at Savuti.

 

A member of the Linyanti Pack at the beginning of the hunt, near Duma Tau

 

 

 

Part of the Zebra migration feeds next to the Savuti Channel at Dusk

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Hi Russell,

 

Can't view your pics......

 

Btw, do they seriously have the Savuti Zebra migration? Not a myth?

[Alex The Lion]

Finally sorted them, Hari.

 

I would not compare it to the migration of E.Africa or the Pans.

 

Though there are large herds (for Botswana) that moved further up the channel during my time there. Coming from their wetland range past Savuti in the Mababe Depression. Herds are up to 80 scattered over a 10 miles.

 

You seem to notice an increased number, rather than a mass movement of herds.

[madaboutcheetah]

Very nice pics, Russell. Nice light ....... for both images.

 

I think Zebras make very good photogenic subjects. Giraffe - a little more difficult (atleast for my photography)

[Alex The Lion]

Thanks, Hari.

 

The more I have photographed, the more I have learnt about the exposures about various scenes. Whilst some advocate exposing to the right, photoshop can not rescue all scenes.

 

For the Zebras, I had to undersexpose by 1 1/3 stops.

 

I normally dial in at least -1 stop from most elephant photos.

 

As for giraffes, they do tend to be rather lanky and awkward when placing them in a scene.

[Guest John Milbank]

Now I shall have to go and look at your 'lorikeet tree' at the Botanic Gardens as I didn't even know that they had one.

 

Where in South Oz do you live?

 

**belay that. I've only just noticed the email address you gave Ken.