Umzumbe Barn Swallow Roost

Below are a few pictures of the Barn Swallows at the Umzumbe Roost. For more information on the Roost please visit the official website that I have for the roost listed in the Links column.

Barn Swallows against the African Sunset

African Sunset with the swallows

adult in flight

Coming in to land

Another coming in to land

another in flight photo

immature in flight clearly showing the extent of the primary feather moult

A Few more Bird Pics

It's been a month since my last post so here are a few more bird photo's

Barn Swallows coming in to the Roost at Umzumbe KZN, South Africa

juv Cape Griffon Vulture

add Cape Griffon Vulture

Giant Kingfisher

Grey Heron doing a fly-pass

Lazy Cisticola

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Water Thick-knee

Water Thick-knee flying away

Whitefaced Duck, often called whistling duck due to its call

Birding in Port Edward

This last weekend I visited friends in Port Edward for a day of socializing and birding, where they have just created a little wetland on their property by building a dam wall and allowing water to naturally fill up the area with water. there are reeds and open water and shallow water which should develop into brilliant mud-flats for waders to feed at. This waork was only done less than 2 months ago and the bird life is already arriving at this new oasis.
Below are some photo's from the wetland and the surrounding area.

female Amethyst Sunbird

Little Grebe

Speckled Mousebird

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Cape White-eye

Wood Sandpiper

Birds from the week

Some of the latest photo's that I have taken

Rufouswinged Cisticola

male Namaqua Dove, seen on the way to the Barn Swallow roost. This bird is normally recorded in the drier parts of the country or in the Acacia thornveld, not the habitat that we have in Umzumbe

Adult Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow in flight

female Violetbacked Starling

male Violetbacked Starling

Yellowbilled Ducks on take off

Birds this Weekend

Firstly the Barn Swallows are arriving back at the Umzumbe Roost, over the next few weeks the numbers should steadily increase until we get to our estimate of between 2 and 2.5 million Barn Swallows coming into roost of an evening.

Swallows at the Umzumbe Roost

Barn Swallows at Umzumbe

While out ringing/banding on Sunday morning I saw this male Whitebellied Sunbird, A species that will not sit for me to take a photo. This one sat fine except he insisted on trying to hide.

male Whitebellied Sunbird

This morning after lots of trying to get this African Dusky Flycatcher sitting in the open, he finally obliged. Up until now he has always been hiding in dark places where I had to use a fill in flash (which I hate to do).

African Dusky Flycatcher

Common Night Adder eats Toad

Common or Rhombic Night Adder

They can be quite elusive

Lets try and swallow

Not quite ready so lets wait a couple of secconds

Lets try again

Going

Going

Going

Gone