#salockdownchallenge

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 33, Garden buzzing after yesterday's rain!: Grey Heron screaming to wake me up, Red-eyed Dove, flock of no less than 15 Laughing Doves (pictured) all preening & foraging, Red-winged Starling, lots of Common/European Starlings feeding on the wild banana trees (all in fresh new "starred" plumage, & one with a leucistic/white tail!), Pied Crow, Black-headed Oriole, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, I think a Southern Double-collared Sunbird did a quick flit-by + "seep!", Fork-tailed Drongos warbling their heads off all day, & the characteristic wail of Hadeda Ibis. #FLOCKdown #birdingfromhome #nevernotbirding #birding #birdtherapy #dove #SAlockdownchallenge #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #birdwatching #birds #gardenbirds #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotograpy (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_iZyeIgwqi/?igshid=s0qqalwwon9f

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 18: Red-winged Starling (📸), Laughing, Red-eyed, & Ring-necked/Cape Turtle Dove, Amethyst & Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Cape White-eye, Grey-headed & Cape Sparrow, Black-headed Oriole, distant Diederik cuckoo(?!), Cape Robin-chat, Hadeda Ibis, & the neighbours' parrot. #flockdown #birdingfromhome #birding #birdtherapy #SAlockdownchallenge #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #birdwatching #birds #gardenbirds #starling #silhouette #birdsofsouthafrica (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-9TGc_gZx6/?igshid=1kdpd3kixhsdv

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 15: A pretty "good" Friday, as I finally got a snap of the resident Black-headed Oriole feeding on the palms; otherwise, a few of the usuals: Fork-tailed Drongo, Red-eyed Dove, Laughing Dove, Egyptian Goose, Cape White-eye, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sparrow, & Barn Swallow. #flockdown #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #SAlockdownchallenge #birdingfromhome #birding #birdwatching #birds #oriole #FeatherFriday #gardenbirds #birdsofsouthafrica (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zvQd8g0pM/?igshid=v700qbsm144o

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 12: Grey-headed Sparrow (pictured), Red-eyed Dove, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Pied Crow, Kelp Gull, Black-headed Oriole, Cape White-eye, Cape Wagtail, Fork-tailed Drongo, Red-winged Starling, Barn Swallow, Cape Robin-chat, Egyptian Goose, & Fiery-necked Nightjar. #SALockdownChallenge #flockdown #birdingfromhome #gardenbirds #birds #birding #birdwatching #sparrow #mossie #birdsofsouthafrica It was such a joy to observe the entire breeding process for 3 clutches of this family of Grey-headed Sparrows that chose to nest in our roof…from collecting nesting material, watching incubation shift exchanges, finding the eggshells when they hatched, hearing them shuffle around & the chicks peeping when being fed, to warding off predators, & finally seeing them fledge! #sparrows #egg #eggshell (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-soyMiAvoc/?igshid=j8i8t9y3nbw9

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#ZALockdownBirds Day 9: Cacophonous chorus of Helmeted Guineafowl in the wee hours, Cape Robin-chat, Grey-headed Sparrow, Red-winged Starling (local individual mimics a "wheee-hoo!" whistle & it is HILARIOUS), Laughing Dove, Ring-necked/Cape Turtle Dove, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Cape Weaver, Cape White-eye, Amethyst Sunbird, Cape Batis, White-necked Raven, Olive Thrush, Common/European Starling, Red-eyed Dove, & lastly, African Sacred Ibis gliding against the sunset. #SALockdownChallenge #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsofsouthafrica #sunset #clouds #palms #aloes #makeitpinkmakeitblue (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-mD8nXAW1t/?igshid=8bg6uzkm6qhq

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 6: Cape Robin-chat, Ring-necked/Cape Turtle Dove, Cape Wagtail, Fork-tailed Drongo, Black-headed Oriole, Kelp Gull, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Cape Canary, Cape Sparrow, Grey-headed Sparrow, Pied Crow, Red-winged Starling, Cape White-eye, Greater Striped & Barn Swallows feeding against the half-moonrise…most species yet! 📸: Male Greater Double-collared Sunbird, with his yellow epaulettes out while singing from the top of the palm! #sunbird #gardenbirds #gardenbirding #nevernotbirding #SAlockdownchallenge #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdtherapy #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-c53rQg9g8/?igshid=cu84rfr4sid4

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One of the most frequent visitors to the garden during #LockdownBirdsZA, the Fork-tailed Drongo...Immensely clever, subtly iridescent, & with gorgeous red eyes. 🖤 Very vocal & skilled mimics, a couple individuals in the local group even have a unique & strange call structure, that I've never heard in other drongos! #FLOCKdown #birdingfromhome #nevernotbirding #birding #birdtherapy #SAlockdownchallenge #birdwatching #birds #gardenbirds #drongo #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotograpy (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_2uD1mgkuY/?igshid=17130yllubknb

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The last "official" #LockdownBirdsZA, Day 35: Speckled Pigeon making a perched appearance (📸), Grey-headed Sparrow, Helmeted Guineafowl, Black-headed Oriole, Laughing Dove nearly came into the house, Ring-necked/Cape Turtle Dove returning after a while to it's turn feeding on the wild banana trees (really wish I could get a photo of the gorgeous, gigantic, white & blue strelitzia/bird-of-paradise flowers on them right now!), Red-eyed Dove, Speckled Pigeon, Red-winged Starling, Amethyst Sunbird, Cape Robin-chat in their expected sunset song, & Fork-tailed Drongo making the usual racket. #FLOCKdown #birdingfromhome #nevernotbirding #birding #birdtherapy #dailylockdownbirds #SAlockdownchallenge #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #birdwatching #birds #gardenbirds #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotograpy (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ncFlrA-N6/?igshid=1kwjr2lv3rr7

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Streaky-headed Seedeater says: "What's that? Lockdown will start being eased in a week?!" 😹 Others from yesterday's #LockdownBirdsZA, Day 28: Black-headed Oriole, Red-eyed & Laughing Dove, Red-winged Starling, female Malachite Sunbird on the palms again (chasing away the Greater Double-collared)!!, Cape White-eye, Fork-tailed Drongo, African Black Oystercatcher, Pied Crow, Kelp Gull, far-off Brown-hooded Kingfisher!!, & Cape Robin-chat in their usual dusk serenade. #flockdown #birdingfromhome #nevernotbirding #birding #birdtherapy #SAlockdownchallenge #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #birdwatching #birds #gardenbirds #seedeater #birdsofsouthafrica (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_X-H3-gLtu/?igshid=1ox2smuuyk4m2

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#LockdownBirdsZA Day 24; Decent turnout despite the heat (autumn/winter nowhere in sight!): May have heard a faint Spotted Thick-knee in the wee hours (& chatter of Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats + new telltale purplish poo on the wall by morning!), Black-headed Oriole, Pied Crow, Red-winged Starling, Red-eyed Dove, Cape White-eye, Cape Weaver (♂📸), ♀ Malachite Sunbird(!!!), Laughing Dove, Hadeda Ibis, Cape Robin-chat, Amethyst Sunbird, what I think was the squawk of a Black-crowned Night Heron overhead in the evening (there is a wetland nearby, but could have also been Grey Heron, which sound similar). #flockdown #birdingfromhome #birding #birdtherapy #SAlockdownchallenge #lockdownbirdchallenge #lockdownbirdingchallenge #birdwatching #birds #weaver #weaverbird #gardenbirds #birdsofsouthafrica (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_MEg2QAyio/?igshid=1k5tvjzixujlf