Not a good week for birding for me, so a few more photos from Christelle and South Africa

Black_collard Barbet (Lybius torquatus).

Grey-headed bushshrike (Malaconotus blanchoti).

Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), also known as the Dominican gull.

As above.

African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini).

African Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris). 

As above.

Thanks go again to Christelle for allowing me to use her photos.

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A few photos from the garden here in France this week.

Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs),

European greenfinch (Chloris chloris)...

As above...

As above.

House sparrow (Passer domesticus) having fun...

As above.

Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)...

As above.

What I believe to be a blackbird's egg. Common blackbird (Turdus merula).

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Short on photos this week so Christelle is helping out again with photos from South Africa.

As always if my ID is incorrect I am very happy to be corrected.

Village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), also known as the spotted-backed weaver or black-headed. Male.

As above.  Female.

White-fronted plover, or white-fronted sandplover (Charadrius marginatus).

White-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus).

Lilian's lovebird (Agapornis lilianae).

As above.  These last two photos were taken on the South Coast of South Africa and I suspect they have escaped from captivity and bred here.  They are normally found far further North in Zimbabwe, Malawi areas. 

Thanks Christelle for allowing me once again to use your Photos.

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We are back home after our trip to the Dordogne.....

While we were away the weather was not very good and bird sightings were few.  We heard and briefly saw a hoopoe, and also heard an owl that I was reliably told was a Scops Owl. The only Robin I saw posed perfectly for me the one time I did not have a camera in hand!  I did get plenty of insect photos though!!

I would like to add a link to a friends blog who has just been to Wales and he has taken the most remarkable shots of Red kites (Milvus milvu) and he has added a great write up as well.

Well worth a visit. https://imageweaver.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-wonderful-red-kite-photographed-at.html

This was the most interesting bird that I managed to photograph -

Long-tailed tit or long-tailed bushtit (Aegithalos caudatus).

As above...

As above.

We had to visit Souillac Station and this Common blackbird (Turdus merula) appeared just next to the car, photo taken through the window!

While having lunch at a restaurant in Belvès this male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) watched on hoping for crumbs I guess,

Back home yesterday we had a visit from a male Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs).

As above.

I will endeavour to get some bird photos for next weeks blog but the garden is so overgrown after 10 days away, with lots of rain, that there is little time to play!!!

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It has been a pretty hectic week few photos taken.....

Common or Eurasian Blackbird male (Turdus merula).

Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs).

Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto).

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) male.

As above.

Common blackbird and male House sparrow. Interesting the size difference.

Another family affair, House Sparrows.

I will be away next week and out of WiFi contact. I hope to return with some good photos but who knows.  We are returning to a spot we know, but I found last year that I did well with insects but not with birds!!

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Another series in the bath!

European robin (Erithacus rubecula),..

As above..

Ass above...

As above.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)...

As above but a family affair.

P.S.

Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Just read this article on the Internet. I would like to know more. What happens to the birds and other animals that eat the poisoned rodents? If the whole of North and South Island NZ are involved as this states it sounds more than drastic to me.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/01/department-of-conservation-plans-biggest-ever-1080-drop.html

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Rubbish weather and a series from the archives!

I just enjoyed this series of photos of what I believe to be young Common Redstart.

Common redstart - (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).

Looking a little bedraggled after having had fun in the water.

These little birds winter over in Africa...

but return to Europe to breed in summer.

As I said these are photos from my archives but they should have returned again by now...

Hopefully, I will be seeing some around very soon....

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