Breeding Season is Upon Us

Since I last updated this page, an unusual sighting worth mentioning was of a Yellow-billed Stork at Greengrove Dam on 9 Sep 2012. I believe that was the first time that species has been seen there (at least in recent years).

Other than that, I have been birding mostly close to home, in Borrowdale Brooke. The main breeding season is underway, and I have found nests/fledglings of Pied Crow, Common Moorhen, various Weaver species, Common Fiscal, African Wattled Lapwing, Arrow-marked Babbler and African Stonechat.

Southern Masked-weaver.

Pied Crows nesting high in a gum tree.

A very young Common Fiscal trying to be invisible.

African Wattled Lapwing. This one has a nest with eggs nearby.

African Wattled Lapwings aggressively protect their nest from potential predators. They tend to dive-bomb people and animals that get too close.

A new bird for my Borrowdale Brooke list is a Brown-crowned Tchagra. I have seen Black-crowned once or twice, but this one was a first.

Brown-crowned Tchagra, eating some sort of grasshopper.

A quick trip to Haka park didn't produce anything of particular interest, but a few of the highlights were African Golden Oriole, African Snipe and Southern Pochard with ducklings.

Female Southern Pochard with four ducklings.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a new camera, and it recently arrived! It's no normal camera though - it's a trail camera, or a camera trap. Basically you strap it to a tree or something similar, aim it towards where you think an animal/bird might pass through, and leave it alone. The motion sensor and infra-red flash will do the rest!

I have tested it out on birds visiting my compost heap...

The very first creature I photographed with the camera - a Laughing Dove.

Not long afterwards a family of Arrow-marked Babblers dropped in.

The middle Babbler in this photo has a ring on its right leg. I ringed three Babblers here  in June. The other two may have been present, but I couldn't see any ring in the photos.

This camera is a rather exciting piece of equipment. You never know what might pass by when you aren't looking!