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Tuesday 25 February 2020

25/02/2020 Birds from Africa again thanks to my friends.

I have blogged photos from my friends Christelle and Patrick before and this one is because of the great excitement of having an African Spotted Eagle Owl on their roof yesterday morning.
In Christelle's words, "Since about 4am the little birds were making such a noise, I asked P to check if there was a snake around and he discovered this handsome boy sitting on the roof... luckily the camera is never far from me .. it does not take much to make my day." It certainly would have made my week let alone my day.

African spotted eagle-owl (Bubo africanus)...

As above...

As above...

As above.

And a few photos that Patrick took while we were birding with Tim Cockroft in October.
Bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus) it is a bushshrike...

As above...

As above.

Red-fronted tinkerbird (Pogoniulus pusillus)...

As above.

Brown-hooded kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris) juvenile.


Joining up with 


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19 comments:

  1. Marie Smith25 February 2020 at 16:20

    Such beautiful creatures I would never have seen. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Rhodesia29 February 2020 at 15:53

      Thanks for the comment Marie. I am very grateful to Christelle for sharing. Diane

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  2. Hilary Melton-Butcher26 February 2020 at 08:29

    Hi Diane - what a totally magnificent bird ... Spotted Eagle Owl imperious ... beautiful photos please thank Christelle for us ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Rhodesia29 February 2020 at 15:55

      Hi Hilary, Christelle thanked. So lucky to see an Owl so close and who did not just fly away. Cheers Diane

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  3. eileeninmd26 February 2020 at 15:03

    Hello, gorgeous birds and photos. I especially loved the owl. Have a good day!

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    1. Rhodesia29 February 2020 at 15:56

      Thanks Eileen, I am lucky to have a friend who is happy to share her photos. Cheers Diane

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  4. Nathailes SANTA MARIA26 February 2020 at 15:19

    Bonjour Diane,
    Le Grand-duc Africain est une merveille ! Merci à tes amis.

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    1. Rhodesia29 February 2020 at 15:58

      Mon ami est remercié. Bonne journée, Diane

      Delete
  5. Phil Slade26 February 2020 at 15:34

    Some great pictures today Diane. The eagle owl is simply amazing in that it doesn't seem at all bothered by your friends' camera or its closeness. I wondered if this species regularly sits on house roofs or it is very much a one off?

    Both the Bokmakierie and the tinkerbird have very striking facial patterns and your friend has captured the shrike-like bill very well. I can imagine how the Bokmakierie is quite fearsome to small birds and mammals.

    Is your weather improving yet? Our own is still pretty awful. We've had hail, rain and sun today - so far.

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    1. Rhodesia29 February 2020 at 16:08

      Hi Phil sorry about the late reply. My friends were staying in Pretoria for a few weeks for health reasons so they do not see a lot of wild life in that area. When we lived at our last house in Johannesburg we had an Eagle Owl who used to often sit on a branch of a tree right outside our bedroom window, in those days I did not have a decent camera! Sadly in Africa, (as in France), the belief is that an owl close by means a death in the family so they are regularly shot for no reason other than that. Christelle says they often see the 'barn owls' sitting on street light posts at night, vantage point for catching mice and rats. Another problem is the poisoning of rats and mice - the end result often kills the owls as well. Not far from Pretoria there is a very active owl rescue where they rehabilitate owls and many types of animals.

      The weather is very up and down but very wet!! Cheers Diane

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    2. Phil Slade2 March 2020 at 13:24

      Yes of course. Poisoning is a problem here sometimes with some farms stall still use banned rat poisons from stocks they held for years before the ban came into force. Cheaper than getting in the experts!

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  6. Stewart M1 March 2020 at 09:09

    Wonderful shots of the owl - any day with an owl is a good day!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Rhodesia1 March 2020 at 21:49

      You are so right I get so excited when I see an owl. Cheers Diane

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  7. Shiju Sugunan1 March 2020 at 11:55

    Wonderful pics! The stare of the owl is so intense.

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    1. Rhodesia1 March 2020 at 21:50

      Thanks for the visit, it really was a stunning owl and great photos thanks to Christelle. Keep well Diane

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  8. Anni 1 March 2020 at 13:41

    Those photos of the owl & it's "ears" are fantastic...they call me Hootin' Anni (owls are a favorite for me).
    Thank you for stopping by & linking up with us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin this weekend!

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    1. Rhodesia1 March 2020 at 21:51

      Thanks Anni for hosting. I agree owls are very special and not often one sees them like this. Keep well Diane

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  9. Natalia1 March 2020 at 18:40

    Wow,the owl is so besutiful, as well as the rest of birds! Have a lovely week ahead!

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    1. Rhodesia1 March 2020 at 21:52

      Hi Natalia, thanks for the comment, I can only agree the owl is very beautiful. We are lucky to see these photos. Have a good week Diane

      Delete

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