Orangebreasted Waxbill

While catching Barn Swallows at the Umzumbe Swallow Roost I was lucky to get this little stunner in the net. This male Orangebreasted Waxbill is such a stunner and he seems to know it. Looking at it you can understand why it is such a sought after aviary bird, but it is still better to see them in the wild where they belong.

Ringing Report

What a terrible day with the weather for ringing, although rain was forecast it only started once the nets were erected, gave me a short amount of time to catch a few birds then started to rain. The nets came down and the rain stopped, Never mind it was well worth the effort to catch 4 birds previously ringed at the same spot, these included a Yellowrumped Tinkerbird from just over 3 years ago.

Yellowrumped Tinkerbird

Greenbacked Camaroptera

Amongst the newly ringed birds were an adult and immature Redcapped Robin-chat

 

immature Redcapped Robin-chat

I also caught 4 young Olive Thrush, this is the maximum number of eggs recorded in one clutch, so the adults did well to raise all 4 of them.

immature Olive Thrush

Rare Birds caught at Umzumbe Barn Swallow Roost

This week has already given 1 major surprise at the Umzumbe Barn Swallow Roost, yesterday evening the first bird caught was not a swallow but a Quail, and Harlequin Quail at that. This is a KZN rarity so of course now the extra work of filling in all the forms required begins, luckily I have a few photo's as proof like the following two pictures.

male Harlequin Quail

Then the previous evening I caught a young Redheaded Quelea, although not a rarity it is regarded in most circles as a nonbreeding winter visitor to our coast, despite the fact that I often catch adults in full breeding plumage as well as immature and juvenile birds like this.

juvenile Redheaded Quelea