Common Starling

The introduced bird species, Common Starling, is very common in our district, including our garden. They are also very common throughout south-eastern Australia, sometimes forming flocks numbering in the thousands.

They are a much maligned bird – and with good reason. We certainly don’t like the way they feast on the fruit in our orchard and they certainly foul up tree hollows when nesting, making the hollows most unattractive to native species.

They also have an uncanny knack of being able to imitate other birds. More than once I have been over excited about hearing an unusual call in the garden, only to realise that a starling is responsible. One of our resident starlings is able to very cleverly imitate a chook (chicken) cackling. Years ago we even had one around that was able to imitate the outside bell of a telephone, something it had learned from a nearby factory.

There is one redeeming feature of this species. At certain times of the year they do take on a very colourful, shimmering, iridescent  array of colours, as shown in the birds featured in the photos today. (Hint: click on the photos to enlarge the image.)

Common Starling

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Last week I travelled from home in Murray Bridge to attend a meeting in Adelaide. I take the South-eastern Freeway and this takes me through the Adelaide Hills. I generally take quite an interest in the birds seen along the way, noting that more and more frequently I am seeing the wonderful Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flying overhead.

On this occasion, however, I saw two – perhaps a pair – of  Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring low over the freeway. This magnificent species – Australia’s largest eagle – is widespread throughout the country without being very common anywhere.

As is quite usual both birds were being harassed by other species, including Australian Magpies and Little Ravens. While they might be lovely birds, they are generally not loved birds; at least, not  in the bird kingdom.

Dusky Turtle Dove, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I delight in getting good photos of birds when I go out birding.  Sometimes a great shot presents itself with little planning on my part. On this occasion this Dusky Turtle Dove in Addis Ababa last December was not aware of my presence high up on the other side of a small stream. My camera was at full zoom so I was pleased with the result, a nice clear photo.

You can read more about my encounters with this species here, including the frustration of getting good photos of it in poor lighting conditions.

Olive Thrush, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Late last year during my visit to my daughter who was teaching in Ethiopia I spent quite a few hours exploring the gardens and adjacent small forest of the school campus. During these times was able to get a few nice photos of the birds I saw.

Included in the species seen was the Olive Thrush (Turdus olivaceus) shown in the photos on today’s post. This particular bird was quiet and didn’t seem to mind me focussing on it. Despite the shade of the forest making the light conditions rather poor, I did manage several reasonable shots.

The Olive Thrush of East Africa is found throughout the higher altitudes of the region and is relatively common in forests, wooded areas and park and large gardens with plenty of trees. Its diet consists of  spiders, various insects, fruit, worms and snails.

Olive Thrush, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Olive Thrush, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Part way through the episode I turned up the volume. Sure enough, there was the unmistakable call of a Peaceful Dove on the soundtrack. LOL.

The Peaceful Dove is a widespread species in Australia. I had no idea that it colonised a moon in another galaxy.

Peaceful Dove, Cleland Wildlife Park

Baglafecht Weaver (non-breeding) in Addis Ababa

Today I feature photos of the Baglafecht Weaver in Addis Ababa.

I think I have the identification of this bird correct. If any of my readers can enlighten me I’d really appreciate the help because I can’t find all that much information about this species online. Sure – I can find heaps of fine photos of this bird in breeding plumage. At that stage it takes on a bright yellow plumage with a black face mask. Only remnants of those bright colours remain in the non-breeding plumage of the bird shown in today’s photos.

These photos were taken on the campus of Bingham International School in Addis Ababa where my daughter was teaching last year. I also found a number of nests nearby which were clearly made by a weaver.

Baglafecht Weaver (non-breeding) in Addis Ababa

Baglafecht Weaver (non-breeding) in Addis Ababa

Baglafecht Weaver (non-breeding) in Addis Ababa

Red-billed Firefinch, Addis Ababa

A few days ago I showed several photos of Red-billed Firefinches taken in the grounds of Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa (click here to view).

I’ve just discovered another lovely photo that I took of this beautiful species, shown above. This species was quite common in the grounds of the school where my daughter was teaching last year so I managed a few good shots. I’m not sure about when they breed but this individual seemed intent on taking this feather with it. I can’t recall if I watched where it went.

Wattled Ibis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

One of the interesting birds I saw last December during my stay with my daughter in Addis Ababa was the Wattled Ibis. It was the only species of ibis I saw during my short visit despite the fact that 7 different species can be found in Eastern Africa.

The birds in these photos were taken along the river which flows along one boundary of the school campus where we were staying. Only in the last photo on this page can you easily see the wattle hanging from the throat of the birds. The Wattled Ibis is a bird of the highlands in Ethiopia – usually above 1500 metres – and is quite common. It has also been recorded in nearby Eritrea. While I only saw two birds at a time it is commonly seen in medium sized flocks of 20 – 100.

When feeding it will walk along slowly, prodding the ground for insects, worms, beetles and will take frogs, mice and even small snakes.

Wattled Ibis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Wattled Ibis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Village Indigobird, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Village Indigobird I saw in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is quite a stunning bird. The black coloured male feathers literally glow in sunlight. Few black coloured birds are quite as brilliant in my opinion. The female – which I didn’t get a chance to photograph – is dull brown, similar to a female House Sparrow.

Village Indigobirds are found over a wide part of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. They are found in bushland, woodlands, cultivated areas and especially around villages – hence the name. Their principal food is seed, especially grain.  Being parasitic, the female lays her eggs in the nest of the Red-billed Firefinch (click to see my previous post), so these two species are usually seen in the same area. Unlike the cuckoos, however, the  Indigobird does not remove the eggs of the host species.

I should perhaps explain the presence of the razor wire in these photos. The photos were taken inside the campus of the international school, Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa where my daughter was teaching last year. The large school campus is surrounded by a high 3m wall topped in razor wire for security purposes. All visitors and students need to enter through a 24 hour guarded gate. While there have been no incidents that I am aware of, the administrators take security seriously.

Village Indigobird, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Village Indigobird, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Red-billed Firefinch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

During my stay in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last December I frequently saw the beautiful Red-billed Firefinch. This species was very common in the grounds of the school where my daughter was teaching. The extensive grounds were ideal for this seed-eating species and they were often encountered in grassy areas, on or near the school oval and on the lawns next to the classrooms.

The Red-billed Firefinch is also very common throughout sub-Sahara Africa. It is often found in open grassland and cultivated areas. The nest is a domed grass structure with an entrance on the side. The nest is parasitised by the Village Indigobird which was also present on the school campus. (I’ll feature that species in a few days’ time.)

Interestingly I didn’t get any photos of the female of this species. Females are a uniform brown colour all over, except for a red eyebrow and red on the rump.

Red-billed Firefinch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Red-billed Firefinch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Red-billed Firefinch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia