Birding Weekly 20140519

Hoping to get this one out on time after catching up the last few weeks. I do find myself catching up while recovering from Malaria. One thing with Malaria is that it gives you a lot of office time as your body is not up for much else and staying in bed gets "tiring".

Heuglin's Masked Weaver (Vidua
macroura) nest in a Shae butter
tree (Vitellaria paradoxa)

This last week of birding I have found myself taking what flies past and ends up sitting in front of me. I have notice more so now the change in season with it raining more frequently. The birds have also started to show this. The Pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura) all of a sudden has made an appearance in his usual breeding grounds around the cottage with his tail getting longer over the course of the week. The Heugelin's Masked Weavers (Ploceus heuglini) have already moved back into their nesting tree after an unsuccessful attempt in the fig tree directly opposite the cottage. The African Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus) is collecting figs for his wife stuck in a hole somewhere. While all the cuckoos have return to pester their hosts.

It has been an exciting birding week. While wrapping up my time in Benin I've enjoyed the birding more than anything else as exciting as it was seeing new birds its been nice to now know what I am seeing and not hassle for an identification. I did a short bird walk on Sunday morning and found several species I had tried so hard to photograph that without my camera in hand seemed to be closer than ever. I used the opportunity to take a good look at them through my binoculars and watching their behaviour.

African Pied Hornbill (Tockus fasciatus): This bird has been harder to find than its common counterpart the African Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus). however if you look hard enough it is seen feeding in the taller Footpod (Isoberliana sp.) trees, often see flying higher than its cousin when moving across open areas to different feedings grounds. Its contrasting black and white colours is where it gets its name from. With an all white bill and more steady bill its unmistakably different to the African Grey Hornbill.

Northern Puff-back (Dryoscopus gambensis): Seeing this species on and off throughout the year, this last weekend I was sitting relaxing underneath a fig tree watch various species flying in and out and one particular species that caught my attention was the Northern Puff-back, wondering what really separated the species as the male is similar if not identical to the Black-backed Puff-back (Dryoscopus cubia). the female however has a rose wash down its breast and duller almost washed brown markings. this pair were collecting figs and calling then flying off across the dam to another tree and back to the fig tree I was sitting under. they did this for most of the day. their call is very similar to the Southern Puff-back yet it is not nearly as harsh.

Other species: Fine-spotted woodpecker (Campetherera punctuligera)
Bearded Barbet (Lybius dubius)
Broad-bill Roller (Eurystormus glaucurus)
Barn owl (Tyto alba)
Black-shoulder kite (Elanus caeruleus)


Side note: I'll be heading down to Cotonou and then onto Johannesburg, moving from a summer to winter birding setting is going to dampen things a little but there is always a bird flying by.