Birds at breakfast

These birds seemed to think that breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, but an easy breakfast is!

Too many carbs??? A sociable weaver looks sleepy atop a bowl of museli.
Too many carbs???
A sociable weaver looks sleepy atop a bowl of museli.
A pair of mountain wheatears and a sociable weaver look for crumbs.
A pair of mountain wheatears and a sociable weaver look for crumbs.
A group of sociable weavers line up on the patio steps, waiting for me to leave the table so they could help themselves to leftovers.
A group of sociable weavers line up on the patio steps, waiting for me to leave the table so they could help themselves to leftovers.

Scarlet Chested Sunbirds

I decided to work through the last of the sunbird photos I had flagged off, so that I could start on something new in the coming week.  Hopefully 4 posts in a row dedicated to just one bird type isn’t too boring.  I had hoped that I could include the white fronted sunbird I captured as well, but those photos were taken from the hide and the bird was in a tree quite far away.  Sadly, they are completely lacking.

1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 140
1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 140
It looks like this sunbird has a streak of pollen on his chest. 1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 180
It looks like this sunbird has a streak of pollen on his chest.
1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 180
I include this photo only because I absolutely love the shape her wings has created.  It looks like she is drawing a cloak around herself. 1/1000sec, f5.6, ISO 500
I include this photo only because I absolutely love the shape her wings have created. It looks like she is drawing a cloak around herself.
1/1000sec, f5.6, ISO 500
After all that editing of sunbirds in aloe plants, I wanted to try something a bit different.  This photo was taken with the house in the background, giving a stark white backdrop.  I quite like the black and white treatment.  Thoughts? 1/1600sec, f5.6, ISO 400
After all that editing of sunbirds in aloe plants, I wanted to try something a bit different. This photo was taken with the house in the background, giving a stark white backdrop. I quite like the black and white treatment. Thoughts?
1/1600sec, f5.6, ISO 400
A male scarlet chested sunbird caught with an open mouth, and covered in pollen. 1/100sec, f5.6, ISO 800
A male scarlet chested sunbird caught with an open mouth, and covered in pollen.
1/100sec, f5.6, ISO 800
A male scarlet chested sunbird stretches for an aloe flower. 1/1000sec, f5.6, ISO 800
A male scarlet chested sunbird stretches for an aloe flower.
1/1000sec, f5.6, ISO 800
1/800 sec, f5.6, ISO 800
1/800 sec, f5.6, ISO 800

Scarlet Chested Sunbird on Aloe

Black Bellied Bustard

I saw both male and female black bellied bustards while at Zimanga Reserve, but only managed to capture a few photos of the male, on a couple of different days.  Each time, it was on the ground looking for food, and took off after being startled by the approaching vehicle.

Like most bird species, the female is far drabber in appearance, and lacks the black belly.  Unfortunately the only photo I have of a female is completely out of focus as it was shot from the moving vehicle.

Black bellied bustard-3 Black bellied bustard-2 Black bellied bustard

Vervet Monkeys

While at Zimanga Game Reserve with Wildlife Act, our group was fortunate enough to have two sessions in their fantastic bird hides.  The first was an afternoon session in the Bhejane birdbath hide, and the second, where these photos were taken, were from a morning session at the Mkhombe birdbath hide.  The morning session provided over 900 photos, and not just of birds; warthogs and the vervet monkeys came from a drink as well.

While the vervet monkeys can be incredibly cheeky around a lodge or camp, snatching food and wrecking havoc should they decide to go inside, I find them fascinating to watch and love seeing their antics.  Around the birdbath, they were more concerned with each member getting a drink than getting into any mischief (although there was one snacking on the scattered birdseed).  I especially loved to see the moms with the tiny babies clinging to their stomachs, and I believe there were either two or three babies in the troop.

Mom inspects the water while the baby peeks out between her arms. 1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1600
Mom inspects the water while the baby peeks out between her arms.
1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1600
The little one on the right was close to falling into his drink! 1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
The little one on the right was close to falling into his drink!
1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
Careful Mom! The baby's head is dangerously close to the rocks as she leans in to drink. 1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
Careful Mom! The baby’s head is dangerously close to the rocks as she leans in to drink.
1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
Everyone likes to make silly faces at babies! 1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
Everyone likes to make silly faces at babies!
1/1600sec, f9.0, ISO1600
A vervet monkey leans in for a drink at the Mkhombe birdbath hide. 1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1250
A vervet monkey leans in for a drink at the Mkhombe birdbath hide.
1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1250
It's always nice to have a drink with a friend. 1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1250
It’s always nice to have a drink with a friend.
1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO1250

Zimanga Game Reserve

Wildlife ACT

Mama and baby rhino

On one of my South African trips, I was lucky enough to see this white rhino cow and calf having an afternoon rest.  Mama was providing a shady spot away from the afternoon heat for her baby, but they were very quickly startled by our presence and moved off just a moment after I pressed the shutter down.

A white rhino cow and calf resting in the afternoon heat, with a trio of oxpeckers accompanying them. 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO800
A white rhino cow and calf resting in the afternoon heat, with a trio of oxpeckers accompanying them.
1/800sec, f5.6, ISO800

Lilac Breasted Roller

The lilac breasted roller is one of my favourite South African birds – it has such a wide variety of colours in its feathers.  While I saw quite a few on my trip, usually it was while we were driving and they were flying away – not the best opportunity for capturing a photo.  Here though, I lucked out.  A bright sunny day really brings out the feather colours, but the flat white sky also serves as a good backdrop.

1/500sec, f7.1, ISO 500
1/500sec, f7.1, ISO 500

Grey Herons

While on a drive along Lake Sibaya, I saw a pair of grey herons – I don’t know it was a pair of males battling for dominance, or a male and female completing an intricate mating ritual.  Regardless, they were beautiful to watch and I love the shapes created by their wings.

All photos 1/320sec, f5.6, ISO1800.  Black and white conversion with Nik Silver Efex Pro2.
All photos 1/320sec, f5.6, ISO1800. Black and white conversion with Nik Silver Efex Pro2.

Grey Herons-5 Grey Herons-4 Grey Herons-3 Grey Herons-2

A different view of an oxpecker

I was quite good about going through my photos while I was away, adding keywords and even doing some ratings, to make it easier to sort through when I got home.  Until I had my session in a bird hide that is.  The volume of photos was so immense (over 1200 from two mornings of shooting) that I wasn’t able to work on them while away, and so any time over the last week that I have had to work on my photos, it has been spent working on bird identification and adding keywords.  Not that I mind that type of work at all, it just seems like forever since I have posted anything.  Hopefully, now that I am able to actually sort through my photos effectively, I’ll be able to get back into posting more routinely.

Now for today’s photo.  I chose this because before my hide session, I had never seen an oxpecker anywhere but on the back of an animal (giraffe, buffalo, rhino etc.).  We had quite a few visit during the time in the hide, and several even came right up to the glass to investigate.  While my main camera was on a tripod, I had my macro lens on my second body and was able to snap this shot of the bird less than a foot away.

Oxpecker

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