"Small things amuse small minds," so they say...well today was one of those days and I wasn't the only one interested in the small things.
An emergence of termites had just got under way on one of our open areas and thousands upon thousands of birds came in to join the feast. Everything from swallows and martins to rollers and hornbills. We also had a huge flock of amur falcons and many different eagles all cashing in on the food abundance. We were in amongst the birds for about 20 minutes just watching as they swooped and grabbed the small protein packs trying to fly to freedom.
Here are some of the photos I managed to get of the amur falcons.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteDo you know this project:
www.kestreling.com
Please report your sightings there:
Kestrels on migration
register sightings of kestrels on migration at www.kestreling.com
Hi I am involved with the Migrating Kestrel Project, a South African initiative to
learn more about Falco naumanni (Lesser Kestrel), Falco amurensis (Amur Falcon) and
Falco vespertinus ((Western) Red-footed Falcon). These species have started leaving
South Africa in the last two weeks or so. Since we know so little about their
migration routes, would it be possible to send out a general alert to the Tanzanian
birding comminuty to be on the lookout for them in the next month? It would be
fantastic if birders could send us any information on sightings, including where and
when seen and how many of which species are seen in groups (group size and whether
or not birds are seen alone, age, sex etc. are significant). Co-ordinates of
sightings are fantastic, but place-names will do if no accurate map or GPS is
available. We are interested in time of day of sightings, and how many birds are
grouped together as well. Especially valuable would be any information on roosting
places for any of these species and for how long roosts are being used (they
generally roost communally in Eucalyptus or other tall trees, sometimes more than
one species together). We are also very interested in details of past sightings or
behavioural observations. Information is best sent to me via email at
adamwelz@yahoo.com or adamwelz@gmail.com , or posted to me at 6 Hawthorn Way,
Pinelands, 7405 Cape Town , South Africa. You can learn more about the Migrating
Kestrel Project at www.kestreling.com Regards, and happy birding! Adam Welz