Hide in the tropics

Last month I spend a week in The Gambia, West-Africa. I also visited Abuko Nature Reserve, known for the many birds. They also rent a kind of private hide at a small drinking pool. It's more an observation hide, not really a photography hide but it's ok the get some species close. I spend about 2 hours in the hide. Some of the species visiting the hide were African Thrush (Pelioslijster), Greater honeyguide (Grote honingspeurder), Red billed firefinch (Vuurvink), Bronze mannikin (Gewoon ekstertje), Western bluebill (Roodborstblauwsnavel), Village weaver (Grote textorwever), Common bulbul (Grauwe buulbuul), Western Plantain-eater (Grijze bananeneter), Blue spotted dove (Staalvlekduif), White-crowned robin-chat (Schubkaplawaaimaker) and Nile monitor (Nijlvaraan).

 Inside the hide

 View on the drinking pool

Hide from the outside

 Village weaver

 Red-billed firefinch

 Western plantain-eater

Greater honeyguide

 Nile monitor

African Thrush

Goshawk-news

I just got back from 1 week nature photography in The Gambia, West-Africa. While I was there I received a letter about the Goshawk which is visiting the hide on regular base since December 2013, both winter and summer. It was carrying a ring with number H177116 and I wanted to know where he came from. Seems it's a male, ringed on the 3th of June 2013 in Retie, only 13 km away. The bird is about 2 years old now. Seems he has found a nice territory.

 Goshawk 'H177116' at the hide last January.

You can see the ring on his right leg.

Spring is coming

It's waiting now for more birds arriving in Belgium again now spring is coming. Therefore some more photos of a few weeks ago at the hide. Nothing special, some of the common species: Robin (Roodborst), Blue tit (Pimpelmees) and Great tit (Koolmees).
I'm counting the days because in a little while I'll fly to Gambia, West-Africa, to do some bird photography, also from some hides. I'm looking forward to it !

 Robin

singing Blue tit

Great tit

Bullfinch and more

A little while ago I spend some time in the garden of a friend who had Bullfinches (Goudvink) visiting on the feeders. Instead of a fixed hide I used a pop-up tent hide. The weather was a mixture of overcast, little sun, some snow and little rain. I managed to make some Bullfinch photos, both male and female. Other visitors I saw from the hide were Brambling (Keep), Greenfinch (Groenling), Yellowhammer (Geelgors), Great tit (Koolmees), Blue tit (Pimpelmees), Dunnock (Heggemus), European robin (Roodborst), Wood pigeon (Houtduif), Chaffinch (Vink), Eurasian nuthatch (Boomklever) and Red squirrel (Eekhoorn).
Better quality photos of the Bullfinch on my website

 Male Bullfinch

 

Male Bullfinch

 Female Bullfinch

 Brambling

 Greenfinch

 European Robin

 Eurasian nuthatch

Red squirrel

 recordshot of a Yellowhammer

More Goshawk

The snow was gone, but a few days later the Northern Goshawk (Havik) was there again while sitting in the hide. This time I also made a short low quality movie.

Great day in the snow

Lately temperature is around freezing point with wet snow or snow every now and then. Last week we had some snow overnight and it wasn't too warm so the snow would last for a day. I decided to spend some time in the hide, hoping on a raptor in the snow. I was very happy when after a few hours sitting in the cold the adult Northern Goshawk (Havik) came over. He spend almost an hour at the hide ! Light conditions were changing all the time, cloudy and sunny. Anyway he made my day. I also had a Common Buzzard (Buizerd) visiting but he was too shy to start eating. Lately 2 different Buzzards are visiting. Sparrowhawk was also flying by 2 times, trying to catch one of the songbirds at the feeders. Three different kinds bird of prey in one day, not bad. Regarding the songbirds still the same birds and for the first time this winter a short visit of a Brambling (Keep).
More photos of the Goshawk in the snow on my website, click here.

 Northern Goshawk

 Northern Goshawk

Northern Goshawk

record shot of the Brambling

Waiting ...

Hide photography is most of the time waiting. I spend a few hours in the hide, trying to 'catch' the often visiting Common Buzzard (Buizerd) or Northern Goshawk (Havik) on photo. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky with the birds of prey. My time wasn't completely wasted because there was another short visit of a single Redwing (Koperwiek) and for the first time a Eurasian wren (Winterkoninkje), both coming over to drink. Other visiting species were Great tit (Koolmees), Blue tit (Pimpelmees), Eurasian jay (Gaai), Chaffinch (Vink), Blackbird (Merel) and Great spotted woodpecker (Grote bonte specht). Red fox (Vos) is still visiting every night, taking the leftovers the birds of prey didn't eat.

Redwing

Eurasian wren

Red fox

Common buzzard