Clear out

A few "nearly" pics, round off the South Africa nostalgia. Cold weather birding re-commences tomorrow!

Blue crane

African black oystercatcher - a European has been present here lately! 

Cardinal woodpecker - one of three

Pin-tailed whydah - whydah run away so fast?!!

African hoopoe

Yellow canary - really yellow!

Cape bulbul

Grey-backed cisticola - cape bunting did not perform as well

Planning a birding trip to South Africa? I'd recommend...

Reminder of trip report - HERE

African Penguin, Betty's Bay

Back in 2009 we visited Boulders Beach to take a look at the African penguin colony - this time it was the turn of the only other mainland nest site, Stony Point.

Needless to say the penguins have much appeal, and the varying states of moult provide much "oohs" and "aahs" from birder and non birder alike.

Check out how much fatter the youngsters are compared to the adults!

Keeping feet cool in the rock pool!

Piles of moulted downy feathers...

Security was tight with this Rock Hyrax on guard at the ticket office!

Birding at the site was good - bank, crowned, cape and white-breasted cormorant, grey heron, hartlaub's gull, cape gannet, swift tern, speckled mousebird, cape wagtail and black oystercatcher were all noted.

Af.B.O.

Male

Male

Female

There will not be much in the way of birding this weekend with heavy snowfall again dominating the north-east of England. Got to say I'm loving it, not to good for the birds mind... Yesterday I followed a tip from Phil, who had seen water rail up close at West Hartford - I had no luck but did see the footprints! On the Horton Burn 2 snipe and single moorhen and kingfisher were present.

Photographs today feature african black oystercatcher - these images were taken on 1st January 2010 on the coast near Cape Town. It was part of our annual "New Year" walk, something we always seem to end up doing after a night of celebration.

Note how the african black oystercatcher have different bill length? The male has a shorter, chisel ended bill, while the females' is longer and more pointed - this provides subtle variations in their diet.

African black oystercatcher breeds only on the coasts and islands of South Africa and Nambia and has a population of about 7,500 birds ~ an increase of about 25% since the 1980's as increased protection of their breeding habitat, and rather bizarrely, the arrival of of mussels derived from the Mediterranean! (this goes against the grain from most alien species - bare in mind the disastrous affects of alien species in Hawaii?)