210 | BIRDSCONTOUR REPORT (29.01.-14.02.'14)

210

Art. # 210

BIRDSCONTOUR REPORT

(29.01.’14 – 14.02.’14)

Text and photos from Stefan Rust

2014

(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belong to Stefan Rust)

Dear birding friends, 

as birdwatching is a relatively new and one of the fastest growing and a most popular pursuit, it attracts people of all ages around the world. There can hardly be a better place than southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa) to nurture an interest in birds as it supports almost 1000 bird species, which is about 10 per cent of the world's entire bird. Taking birding to new heights, Hobby-Ornithologist Stefan Rust together with BirdsConTour represents some of the ontour bird sightings and several other interesting birding aspects to showcase the fun of birding, promote citizen science, highlight conservation, indicate where to view what birds and raise awareness of southern Africa's (sometimes international) birds and their habitats.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORK GETS DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIONALLY

Sites and countries visited during this period incl. amount of species per site:

(0-0 - Haven’t been there myself)

(single letter – indicates several sites per day)

01.02: (A) Garden Olympia, Windhoek (8 species)

02.02: (A) Road from Windhoek (8 species) – (B) Farm Sonnleiten, 45 km east of    

                  Windhoek (41 species) – (C) Farm Voigtland (49 species)

05.02: (0-0) Chobe N.P., Botswana

08.02: (A) Kempinski Estate, Windhoek (26 species)

09.02: (A) Garden Olympia, Windhoek (12 species)

Total Distance traveled:

210 km

Have a quick look if your name is included in this scientific informational work (alphabetically arranged):

Allgemeine Zeitung (Namibia)

Giel Andrea (Namibia)

Plastic Packaging (Namibia)

Rust Heidi (Namibia)

Sign Shop (Namibia)

Voigts Gaby & Stephan (Namibia)

Von Ludwiger Ute (Namibia)

Personal Highlights:

FARM VOIGTLAND

CAR MIRROR BIRD GUARD

SOUTHERN GROUND-HORNBILL

Index to bird species observed in this period:

(English names and date when seen)

(*  - See text about species on according date beneath species list)

(A or B – Appears when species is recorded at different sites on same day, specifying where on according date beneath species list)

-Acacia Pied Barbet   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-African Hawk-Eagle   02.2.(C) /

-African Palm-Swift   08.2.(A) /

-African Red-eyed Bulbul   02.2.(B)(C) / 09.2.(A) /

-Barn Swallow   02.2.(C) /

-Barred Wren-Warbler   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Black-chested Prinia   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Black-faced Waxbill   02.2.(B) / 08.2.(A) /

-Black-throated Canary   01.2.(A) / 08.2.(A) / 09.2.(A) /

-Black-winged Stilt   02.2.(C) /

-Black Cuckoo   02.2.(B) / 08.2.(A) /

-Black Kite   02.1.(A) /

-Blacksmith Lapwing   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Blue Waxbill   01.2.(A) / 09.2.(A) /

-Brown-crowned Tchagra   02.2.(B) /

-Brubru   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Cape Glossy Starling   02.2.(A)(C) /

-Cape Teal   02.2.(C) /

-Cape Turtle-Dove   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Cape Wagtail   01.2.(A) / 09.2.(A) /

-Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Cinnamon-breasted Bunting   08.2.(A) /

-Common Moorhen   02.2.(C) /

-Crimson-breasted Shrike   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Diderick Cuckoo   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Egyptian Goose 02.2.(C) /

-European Bee-eater   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Familiar Chat   02.2.(B) /

-Fork-tailed Drongo   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Golden-breasted Bunting   02.2.(B) /

-Great Sparrow   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Great Spotted Cuckoo   02.2.(B) /

-Greater Striped Swallow   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Grey Go-away-bird   02.2.(B) / 08.2.(A) /

-Groundscraper Thrush   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Helmeted Guineafowl   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-House Sparrow   01.2.(A) /

-Kalahari Scrub-Robin   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Klaas’s Cuckoo   02.2.(B) /

-*Lappet-faced Vulture   02.2.*(C) /

-Laughing Dove   01.2.(A) / 02.2.(A)(C) / 08.2.(A) / 09.2.(A) /

-Lesser Masked-Weaver   02.2.(C) /

-Little Grebe   02.2.(C) /

-Little Swift   02.2.(A) /

-Marico Flycatcher   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Marico Sunbird   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Monteiro Hornbill   02.2.(B) /

-Mountain Wheatear   08.2.(A) /

-Pearl-breasted Swallow   02.2.(C) /

-Pied Crow   09.2.(A) /

-Pririt Batis   02.2.(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Rattling Cisticola   08.2.(A) /

-Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver   02.2.(B)(C) /

-Red-billed Spurfowl   02.2.(B) / 08.2.(A) /

-Red-billed Teal   02.2.(C) /

-Red-crested Korhaan   02.2.(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Red-knobbed Coot   02.2.(C) /

-Red-headed Finch   09.2.(A) /

-Rock Martin   02.2.(A)(B)(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Rockrunner   08.2.(A) /

-Rosy-faced Lovebird   02.2.(B) / 08.2.(A) /

-Rufous-naped Lark   02.2.(C) /

-Sabota Lark   02.2.(B)(C) /

-*Scaly-feathered Finch   01.2.(A) / 02.2.(B)(C) / 09.2.(A) /

-Scarlet-chested Sunbird   08.2.(A) /

-Shaft-tailed Whydah   02.2.(B) / 08.2(A) /

-Southern Grey-headed Sparrow   02.2.(B)(C) /

-*Southern Ground-Hornbill   *05.02. /

-Southern Masked-Weaver   01.2.(A) / 02.2.(C) / 09.2.(A) /

-Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk   02.2.(B) /

-Southern Red Bishop   09.2.(A) /

-Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill   02.2.(B) /

-Speckled Pigeon   02.2.(B) /

-Swallow-tailed Bee-eater   02.2.(C) / 08.2.(A) /

-Tawny Eagle   02.2.(C) /

-Three-banded Plover   02.2.(C) /

-Violet-backed Starling   02.2.(C) /

-Wattled Starling   02.2.(A) /

-White-backed Mousebird   01.2.(A) / 02.2.(C) / 09.2.(A) /

-White-backed Vulture   02.2.(C) /

-White-browed Sparrow-Weaver   02.2.(A)(B)(C) / 09.2.(A) /

Total number of species identified:

81

02.02.'14  Farm Voigtland, Namibia  Lappet-faced Vulture (3) According to the tracks a cheetah caught a hartebeest calf. 3 Lappet-faced Vultures and about 20 White-backed Vultures cleaned the leftovers. Once again these avian scavengers proved their important ecological role in cleaning the veld of carcasses. Therefore the spread of diseases, for e.g. blowfly, is prevented.

02.02.'14  Picnic Area on B6 and crossing B6/M0033, Namibia  BirdsConTour for a cleaner Bird Habitat  Today BirdsConTour again cleaned the two picnic areas on the B6 between Windhoek and the Hosea Kutako International Airport and the crossing B6/M0033. Read more in Birds in Words www.birdscontour.blogspot.com article # 203.

02.02.’14  Farm Voigtland, 35 km east of Windhoek, Namibia  Bird & Birder Friendly Habitat  Farm Voigtland improved its wild bird support station by adding one more seed feeder and one more fruit feeder. As Mr. Stephan Voigts says, their guests enjoy having breakfast while viewing the wild birds at the feeding station in the garden.

04.02.'14  Allgemeine Zeitung, Namibia  Scaly-feathered Finch  Today an article was published in the Allgemeine Zeitung about the Scaly-feathered Finch. The same article is published in article nr. 204 in Birds in Words www.birdscontour.blogspot.com.

05.02.'14  Allgemeine Zeitung, Namibia  Letter to the editor  In this the issue of adventure tourism in Namibia is discussed. The trigger was a video that appeared in the “New York Times”. This same letter to the editor is published in article 190 in Birds in Words www.birdscontour.blogspot.com.

05.02.'14  Chobe N.P., Botswana  Southern Ground-Hornbill (2) Today Mrs. Ute Von Ludwiger had an interesting observation with two of these birds in the Chobe NP. A full description hereof is in article 206 in Birds in Words.

07.02.'14  Birds in Words  BirdsConTour Stickers  Promotion stickers with the BirdsConTour logo enables BirdsConTour to label its various promotional items and the bird products to be ever-present. The stickers can be viewed in article 207.

09.02.'14  Architecture for a better Bird Life  Car Mirror Bird Guard  How can one stop a bird attacking the side mirror of a car? BirdsConTour has the answer in article 208.

Enjoy Birding, 

Stefan Rust

Please note: Most scientific information has been taken from Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, V11th edition!

(For further reading see www.birdscontour.blogspot.com)

(For more information contact Stefan Rust on +264 (0)81 129 8415 or birdscontour@iway.na)