Archive for October, 2011
The Bird of the Week – Week 95 – Little grebe
October 30th, 2011 | 
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Posted in  Also known as the Dabchick, the Little grebe is, not unexpectedly, the smallest of the grebes found in the southern African region, and is also the most common and widespread. It is found almost throughout the region, with the exception of the semi-desert of the Kalahari, and is also extremely widespread outside of the region, being found across Europe, Asia and most of Africa. Its preferred habitats are dams and lakes, slow moving rivers and even the temporary pans that fill with water during the rainy season. They are known to move in response to changing water levels and seem very adept at locating new bodies of water.
The Little grebe is a small waterbird, just about 20 cm in length and the sexes are alike in size and in plumage colouration. They are predominantly dark brown above, with a rich rufous neck and cheeks. The gape is bright yellow and the eyes are red during the breeding season; the birds become somewhat duller outside the breeding season. The bill is black and pointed, with a white or yellow patch at the gape; the legs and feet are black. They are usually found in pairs or in small groups of up to six birds.
Little grebes are very good swimmers and divers, a trait that assists them in the pursuit of food. They eat fish, insects, frogs and tadpoles, the majority of which are caught while diving; they are able to stay under the water for up to 50 seconds although most dives are considerably shorter. In turn, Little grebes may be preyed upon by goshawks, eagles and otters. The call of the Little grebe is a high pitched “wee-wee-wee” that may be uttered singly or as a duet.
The Little grebe in monogamous and builds a floating nest from plant material, usually located at the water’s edge. The female lays a clutch of four to seven cream-coloured eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 20 days. After leaving the nest, the young birds have a habit of riding on the backs of their parents.
The scientific binomial for the Little grebe is Tachybaptus ruficollis; Tachybaptus from the Greek for a “swift dipper or diver”, and ruficollis from the Latin for “red-necked”. Thus the name describes a swift-diving bird with a red neck, which is a very apt description.
Cycling in the south of France – Part Three
On Friday, 9th September, 2011 I left England with my brother Ken and a friend, John, for a cycling trip in the south of France. Basing ourselves at the little village of Bagneres de Bigorre, in the Pyrenees quite close to the border with Spain, we spent a week cycling some of the mountain passes made famous by the Tour de France.
Part Three of this trip report, which includes cycling the Col du Soulor, the Col d’Aubisque and the Col d’Aspin, can be found under the Cycling Tab above.
The Bird of the Week – Week 94 – Woolly-necked stork
Within the southern African region the Woolly-necked stork is limited to the wetter northern areas, which is not surprising as its preferred habitat is wetlands and rivers. It is also found in large parts of Africa to the north of the southern African region and through large parts of Asia.
The Woolly-necked stork is a large bird with a length of approximately 84 cm. The sexes are alike in both size and plumage colouration. Overall, these storks are predominantly black, with distinctive white necks that look woolly. The upper parts become a glossy purple during the breeding season. The bill is black, with a reddish tip; legs and feet are blackish-red; eyes are crimson.
There are both resident and migrant populations of Woolly-necked storks in the southern African region, with the number of birds in northern Namibia and Botswana increase due to the presence of non-breeding mogrants during the summer months. They feed mainly on insects, crabs, mollusks, fish and crabs.
Like most storks, the Woolly-necked stork flies with its neck outstretched and its broad wings enable it to soar for long periods of time on rising thermals of hot air with hardly a wing-beat. Although the birds are usually silent, they may call while at their nests, and also indulge in some bill-clattering when encountering their partners at their nests.
Woolly-necked storks are monogamous and build large platform-like nests high up in a tree, usually over water or swamp. The female lays a clutch of two to five eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 31 days.
The scientific binomial for the Woolly-necked stork is Ciconia episcopus; Ciconia from the Latin for the “White stork”; and episcopus from the Latin for “a bishop”. Thus a White stork that looks like a bishop, the latter presumably a reference to the bird’s colouring matching a black cassock with a white collar. Quite appropriate.
Tags: Cycling in the south of France – Part Two
On Friday, 9th September, 2011 I left England with my brother Ken and a friend, John, for a cycling trip in the south of France. Basing ourselves at the little village of Bagneres de Bigorre, in the Pyrenees quite close to the border with Spain, we spent a week cycling some of the mountain passes made famous by the Tour de France.
Part Two of this trip report, which includes cycling to the top of the Col du Tourmalet, can be found under the Cycling Tab above.
The Bird of the Week – Week 93 – Black-faced waxbill
Black-faced waxbills are a fairly common sight throughout most of the drier areas of the southern African region, being absent only from the wetter eastern and southern parts of the region. They are also found well to the north, reaching as far as Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
 They are gregarious birds and quite conspicuous as they hop through the trees and bushes, almost constantly on the move. They spend a fair amount of time on the ground and their preferred habitat is arid grassland and riverine forest in areas that have permanent surface water, on which they are dependant.
 Black-faced waxbills are fairly small birds, about 13 cm in length and the males and females are similar in size and in the colouration of their plumage. They have grey-brown heads and backs; barred wings; crimson rumps; black facemasks; black bill, legs and feet; and crimson eyes.
 They feed mainly while on the ground, on seeds and on insects, although they may also catch insects while in flight. The call of the Black-faced waxbills is a loud “pee-pee-wee”.  Black-faced waxbills are monogamous and build a large ball-shaped nest high up in a tree or shrub. The female lays a clutch of two to four white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of 12 days.
 The scientific binomial for the Black-faced waxbill is Estrilda erythronotos;; Estrilda from the Latin for “a star”, and erythronotos from the Greek for “red-backed”. Thus a red-backed star, which is a rather odd description. The Black-faced waxbill certainly has a bright red rump, but I don’t have a clue about the star.
