More Birds from Southern Africa

These are photos again taken by my friend, Christelle Miller, during 2018.

Thanks go to Christelle for allowing me to use these photos on my blog.

As always, I hope that my identification is correct, please let me know if there should be any mistakes.

Cape rock thrush (Monticola rupestris). This large stocky rock thrush measures 19-21 cm in length. The summer (breeding) male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back.  Females have a brown head. The plumage below is a rich orange. The outer tail feathers are reddish.  Juveniles resemble the female but can be identified by the buff spots on the upper plumage and the black scaling on the plumage below.  The average clutch of eggs consists of 2-3 eggs placed in a cup nest typically situated in a rock cavity or on a ledge. They feed on insects and other small animals. They may take berries.

Black heron (Egretta ardesiaca) also known as the black egret. It is well known for its habit of using its wings to form a canopy when fishing.  See photos below.

The black heron feeds by day but especially prefers the time around sunset. It roosts communally at night, and coastal flocks roost at high tide. The primary food of the black heron is small fish, but it will also eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and amphibians.

The nest of the black heron is constructed of twigs placed over water in trees, bushes, and reed beds, forming a solid structure. The heron nests at the beginning of the rainy season, in single or mixed-species colonies that may number in the hundreds. The eggs are dark blue and the clutch is two to four eggs.

Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), also known as the giant heron, Both sexes are similar. Juveniles resemble adults, but they are duller. They live in varied wetlands, lakes, marshes, mangroves and sometimes river deltas. It walks slowly in deeper water than other herons, or it stands in shallow waters, on floating vegetation, watching in the water at its feet, searching for prey. When prey appears, it spears it with an open bill. This heron may capture large fishes, with weights about 2 to 3 kg, and it carries them to the shore to eat them quietly.  They are often seen singly or in isolated pairs. It usually nests solitary, but sometimes in mixed colonies with other heron species. It breeds from June to January. The nest is large, made with sticks and is located in trees, low bushes, on rocks or islands in mangroves, but also on the ground in reed beds, always very close or above water.  The female lays 2 to 3 pale blue eggs. Incubation lasts about four weeks, shared by both parents. Chicks are tended by both adults, but often a sibling dies under aggressive acts from the oldest. Young need about six weeks to fledge and perform their first flight. It is generally a nocturnal bird, also seen at dusk, feeding in wetlands. 

Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). It is Africa's heaviest flying bird, the male can weigh up to 19 kg, the female is usually half the size of the male. They live in open grasslands and lightly wooded savannahs. It is omnivorous and feeds on insects (locusts) which are a large part of its diet. Chicks are fed mainly with insects. It can eat also small mammals, lizards, snakes, but also seeds, berries and plants. It doesn’t migrate as much as other birds. It moves only if it needs food or water. It flies only when necessary, because of its weight. Its flight is strong with slow flapping wings. It takes off with very heavy wing beats, but once in flight, it flies quickly and strongly. Nesting, the female prepares a shallow scraped depression in the ground. She lays 1 to 2 pale olive eggs, mottled with brown. Incubation lasts about 23 to 24 days, only by the female.  Chicks can follow their mother some hours after hatching. Young remain with her after the fledging period, at about five weeks.  They reach their sexual maturity at about 2 years.  This species produces only one clutch per year.

African openbill stork (Anastomus lamelligerus).  It has an unusual bill well adapted to the feeding behaviour of its species. These birds feed mainly on large aquatic snails of the genus Pila, and this type of bill is used to extract the mollusc from the shell. Adults are similar though the male is larger. It frequents mainly extensive freshwater wetlands, and it is often found in marshes, swamps, margins of lakes and rivers and rice fields. It nests in colonies of varying numbers of pairs. They nest in trees, usually over water, and sometimes in reedbeds. Female lays 3-4 oval, chalky-white eggs. Incubation is shared by both sexes and lasts about 25-30 days.  At hatching, the downy chicks are black with a normal bill. The gap will develop over several years.  They are fed by both parents and fledge about 50-55 days after hatching.

Immature Bateleur Eagle [I Think] (Terathopius ecaudatus). The Bateleur spends most of the time in the day on the wing, soaring effortlessly. It flies almost the entire day, until the cooler hours of the evening. It may fly well over 300 km every day, during 8 to 9 hours. During the day, it sometimes perches in a tree, close to carrion, where it may try to pirate smaller raptors. When not in flight, the Bateleur perches or stands on the ground usually near water......

Bateleur eagles pair for life and they reuse the same nest year after year. It is a sociable species, but the pair is territorial and lives alone in most areas. The female lays one chalky white egg in the dry season. Incubation lasts about 52 to 59 days, mainly by the female, but the male sometimes assists her. The male feeds the female close to the nest, or sometimes it gives her food by an aerial pass.  Chicks are fed by both parents. The young leave the nest about 110 days after hatching, but parents continue to feed it for another 100 days. It is independent at 4 months of age and has a longer tail than adults for stability, which helps it during the first flights.

Magpie shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus), also known as the African long-tailed shrike. It feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly on invertebrates and fruits. Living in woodlands, grasslands and riverine areas. You will normally see the bird in pairs or flocks and not often as single birds. It often performs co-operative breeding, with the breeding pair and some helpers, usually young birds from the previous brood. The female lays 3-5 buff or yellow eggs with darker spots. The incubation lasts 16-20 days by the breeding female. She is fed by the male, and occasionally by other members of the group. The chicks are fed by both parents and one or more helpers, and then, the young of the first brood feed the chicks of the following clutch.  The nestling period lasts between 19 and 24 days, and the young are able to feed themselves during the second week after leaving the nest. But they still depend on adults for up to 8 weeks, during which the parents feed them at a decreasing rate.

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The last of my photos taken in France on the West Coast near La Rochelle.

The final photos that were taken at Les Oiseaux du Marias Poitevin - Parc Ornithologique. As always, if my ID is incorrect please let me know and I will make changes to the post.

Greylag goose (Anser anser) the largest and bulkiest of the wild geese native to the UK and Europe. They feed on Grass, roots, cereal leaves and spilled grain. Outside of the breeding season, they spend time in fresh-and salt-water marshes, estuaries, and pasture lands. During the breeding season, they live in lowland marshes and fens that have a lot of vegetation. The number of eggs varies from three to twelve but it is usually only four to six. The eggs are creamy white and are incubated only by the female, they take 27 to 28 days to hatch. After hatching, the goslings usually wait until drying out before leaving the nest. With the supervision of their parents the young birds feed themselves, and in about eight weeks they are fully independent. Thay take from 2 to 3 years to reach sexual maturity but usually mature at 3 years. Life expectancy in the wild up to 20 years.

Lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus). Critically endangered. It breeds in northernmost Asia so I presume it is an introduced to this area.  The nest is a shallow depression in marshy ground under a bush or on a tussock, lined with parts of plants and greyish brown down.  It lays 5–7 eggs laid in May, incubated for 25–28 days. The young are able to fly within 35–40 days.

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) - note this bird has been ringed; it breeds in a wide variety of open habitats, usually with bare ground or low vegetation. Outside the breeding season, it is often seen in harvested fields, and roosts in old pastures.   The nest is situated in short grassy area. It is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation such as grass stems and leaves.  The female lays 4 brown eggs with black markings. Incubation is by both parents and lasts about 21 to 28 days, and starts when the last egg is laid. Chicks are covered in pale brown down streaked and blotched black, and have white nape. Female broods them but they are fed and tended by both adults. The young reach sexual maturity at one year.

Possibly a Wood duck female ? Help required here.

Ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) an introduced species from N. America. Ruddy Duck breeds in freshwater lakes with fringing vegetation. Outside breeding season, it may also live in brackish marshes. It is a diving duck. It has feet situated at the rear of its body, allowing swimming easily under water. It strains the mud with its flattened bill. It forages on the surface and by diving. If threatened, it dives or hides in dense aquatic vegetation. It is usually nocturnal, and it sleeps during the day. The nest is located in marsh vegetation and is built little by little, adding grasses as the number of eggs increase. The female builds the nest slightly above the water and anchors it to the shore vegetation. She lays one egg a day, and a clutch may include 5 to 10 creamy white eggs. She also lays some eggs in other nests such as other duck, grebe and rail nests.  Incubation lasts about 22 to 26 days by the female. Chicks leave the nest within a day after hatching. They can easily swim and dive. Female tends and protects them, but they feed themselves. They fly at about 42 to 49 days of age.

Another one that I have no ID for!  More help please.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) rely on a habitat of open country, in general wetlands, occasionally flooded river plains, extensively farmed meadows and pastures or water meadows... 

White Storks feed on small mammals, frogs and toads, lizards, snakes, fish, earthworms, large insects and their larvae....

The breeding time of the White Stork is from the beginning of April to the first days of August and lasts 32 to 33 days. They most often lay three to five eggs and both parents share the task of sitting on them. During its first month the young chick is constantly supervised by a parent. After about two months the nestlings begin to fly but are still fed by their parents for a further two or three weeks. The young White Storks become independent after about two months and reach sexual maturity at around three to five years. Only then do the young storks return to their nesting area. In the meantime they live in the wintering regions.

Now I think this is a young Sacred Ibis, but as I only know them from Africa my ID for France might be completely wrong!

As above.

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More photos taken in France on the West Coast near La Rochelle.

More photos taken at Les Oiseaux du Marias Poitevin - Parc Ornithologique. As always, if my ID is incorrect please let me know and I will make changes to the post.

Eurasian coot (Fulica atra). The coot feeds on pondweeds and invertebrates. Unlike ducks, coots bring their food to the surface before eating it. The nest, a mound of dead reeds, is usually built amongst emergent vegetation. From mid-March, between 6 and 9 speckled eggs are laid. The eggs are incubated by both parents for up to 24 days. The chicks leave the nest a few days after hatching and reach independence at around 8 weeks of age. Two broods are produced in a year, but occasionally a third brood may occur.

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina). Food is plants and seeds, snails, small fish and insects. Typically a diving duck, diving and swimming underwater for food, but they will also up-end and feed with just their head under the water. The nest of a Common Pochard is a shallow depression in thick vegetation, usually within 20-30 feet of a lake or river shoreline. Females incubate the eggs and tend to the young after hatching, but the young must find their own food.

Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). I commented on another blog recently that I would have to travel North to see Shelduck having forgotten that I had seen them on the West coast some time back! 

It frequents estuaries and mudflats, shores of salt and brackish water lakes, and usually occurs only in salt water, mainly in Europe. But it also needs fresh water for drinking. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates such as molluscs, insects and crustaceans. It forages in shallow water by upending and head-dipping. Most pairs persist from year to year. They move to their territorial feeding areas by late March and regularly visit potential nest-sites, usually, several nests can be close together. They move after the chicks have hatched, and the chicks of a colony often form crèches where some adults guard them. They fledge about 45-50 days after hatching and are independent as soon as they can fly. Females are sexually mature at 2 years, and males at 4-5 years. The adults moult after the breeding season and cannot fly for 25-30 days.

Golden Eye out of breeding plumage perhaps, confirmation required please.

As above.

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus).  Native to Africa, Egyptian Geese were introduced into Europe as decorative additions to wildfowl collections, both private and in urban parks, and also as zoo animals. On 2 August 2017 the Egyptian Goose was added to the list of Invasive Alien Species of European Union concern. 

Gadwall (Mareca strepera).  This bird forages mainly while swimming by taking items from the surface, or by dabbling with head submerged, sometimes by up-ending, occasionally by diving.  Feeds mainly on aquatic plants.  The nest (built by the female) is in a shallow depression, built of grasses, weeds, lined with down.  Generally 8-11 white eggs. 2 or more females sometimes lay in the same nest. Incubation is by female only, 24-27 days. The young leave the nest shortly after hatching, and the female leads the young to water where they find their own food; often seen on more open water than young of other dabbling ducks. Young are capable of flight 48-59 days after hatching.

Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). It feeds mainly on insects like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, locusts and small reptiles, frogs and fish. Usually feeds in small flocks and probes bill into the mud and shallow water. The nest is a compact platform of twigs or reeds lined with leaves. 3-4 eggs are laid and incubation is 20-23 days. This is a migratory species, with most European birds wintering in Africa.

Eurasian Goosander  (Mergus merganser).  They are a group of fish-eating ducks with long, narrow, serrated beaks that are ideally adapted for grasping slippery prey but it will also take insects, molluscs, crustaceans, worms, amphibians, and even small mammals and birds. Somewhat unusually for a duck, it nests in cavities in trees, either in natural hollows or in holes made by woodpeckers. If suitable tree holes are not available, this species will also use artificial nest boxes, cliff ledges, rock crevices, hollow logs, holes among tree roots, or even old buildings.  The nest cavity may be lined with down from the female’s breast, she lays between 6 and 17 creamy-white eggs which are incubated by the female for 28 to 35 days....

The young are well developed at hatching and leave the nest hole at just one or two days old.  They jump to the ground from the nest and are led to water by the female. Although the female care for the chicks for several weeks, the chicks catch their own food, initially eating aquatic insects before starting to eat fish from about 12 days old.  The female abandons the young before they become capable of flight at about 60 to 75 days old.

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Photos taken in France on the West Coast near La Rochelle.

These photos were taken at Les Oiseaux du Marias Poitevin - Parc Ornithologique.  As always, if my ID is incorrect please let me know and I will make changes to the post.

Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is a distinctively-patterned black and white wader with a long up-curved beak. They feed on aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans and worms. Avocets nest in loose colonies of up to 150 pairs. Colony size and density are determined by the availability of suitable nest sites, distance to water and risk of predation. The nest, built by both sexes, is a shallow scrape on bare mud or in sparse vegetation...

The female lays her clutch of 3-4 pale buff eggs with black markings at 1-2 day intervals any time between mid-April and late June. Incubation begins with the second or third egg. Both sexes incubate for 23-25 days. The young can run about and feed themselves within a few hours of hatching. Both parents care for them.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) lives mainly in freshwater and saltwater marshes also mudflats, shallow lakes, coastal lagoons, flooded fields and rice fields. It feeds on aquatic insects. It is a migratory bird, moving to the ocean coasts in winter. European birds winter in sub-Saharan Africa. They are often seen in flocks of 10 to 20 birds, also in mixed flocks with other species of shorebirds. The Black-winged Stilt nests in small colonies of 2 to 50 pairs,  mated pairs vigorously defend their nest site and territory. They may nest in mixed groups with avocets. The female lays 4 eggs between mid-May and mid-June. Incubation lasts about 25 days, by both parents. Chicks leave the nest very soon, remaining hidden in aquatic vegetation. They are fed by both parents.

Canada goose (Branta canadensis). In the early 17th century, explorer Samuel de Champlain sent several pairs of geese to France as a present for King Louis XIII. The geese were first introduced in Britain in the late 17th century as an addition to King James II's waterfowl collection in St. James's Park. They were introduced in Germany and Scandinavia during the 20th century, starting in Sweden in 1929. In Britain, they were spread by hunters, but remained uncommon until the mid-20th century. Their population then grew from 2200–4000 birds in 1953 to an estimated 82,000 in 1999. Once a protected species, they are now on a list of 100 invasive species posing a serious threat to biodiversity in Europe.

Western Cattle Egret  (Bubulcus ibis).  It frequents wet areas such as freshwater swamps and rice fields, but also meadows, pastures and open grassy areas, mainly with cattle. It feeds primarily on insects and crustaceans, but it also catches amphibians, fish, lizards, small birds and rodents  It moves by walking in a steady strut and stabbing quickly with the bill to catch its prey.  The male performs courtship displays to attract females. Both go to the nest-site where the nest will be built, and usually, the copulation takes place at the nest-site....

When one mate returns to the nest, a “greeting-ceremony” is given, displaying the back feathers and flattening the head feathers.  They nest in reedbeds, bushes and trees, up to 20 metres above the ground, not necessarily near water. The nest is made with sticks and some vegetation and can be reused year after year.  The female usually lays 3-5 eggs and incubation, by both sexes, starts when the clutch is complete. They incubate for 22-26 days. Chicks beg for food aggressively and they are very competitive with each other. At 2-3 weeks of age, they can climb in the vegetation. They remain near the nest and still beg for food. They are fairly independent at 45 days, and make short flights. At two months, they can fly to the feeding areas. 

A very shy Black Swan! (Cygnus atratus) It is the emblem of Western Australia. Its black silhouette appears in the Coat of Arms of the state. This bird is not indigenous to France. It feeds almost exclusively on plant matter such as aquatic plants, algae and pondweeds. It is largely monogamous, and the pair bonds are life-long....

The female lays 5-6 greenish eggs. The incubation lasts about 36-40 days, shared by both parents. The chicks can feed and swim just after hatching. They are sexually mature between 18 and 36 months of age.

I am hoping that one of my readers will give me positive identification here.  I initially thought they were imported Blue-winged Teal, but with no white on the face, I have changed my mind.  So help is required, please.

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The first of my posts on birds in our garden here in the Charente, France.

We have been offline for a couple of days and my goodness I am so far behind.....

A few photos of birds from our garden that I started getting ready last week!

House Sparrow, female – (Passer domesticus) Our most common bird in the garden here in France.

Eurasian Hoopoe feeding young in the garden – (Upupa epops) summer visitor here, last year we had two adults and three youngsters on our lawn at the same time. A very striking bird with a very distinctive oop-oop-oop call.

European Robin – (Erithacus rubecula). You put your right wing up and your left wing down, do the hokey Pokey and you turn around… Probably one of the best know robins due to its regular occurrence on Christmas cards. We only ever see them in our garden in winter, I have yet to discover where our visitor goes in summer!

European Greenfinch – (Carduelis chloris) A regular visitor in winter to our garden and sometimes a summer visitor as well. The female is somewhat drabber in colour with far less yellow on the wings and tail.

A close up of the above.

Hawfinch – (Coccothraustes coccothraustes). Quite a large finch with dominant colours and a very powerful bill. A one-time visitor last winter.

Common Blackbird getting ready for his date! - (Turdus merula). Looking around to see who may be watching...

Making sure he is spotlessly clean.

Checking and preening before looking for his mate. Generally, around in the garden all year but not in large numbers. A very rich singing voice when relaxed and not agitated.

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