NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40687
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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I'm currently working on an online photo album from my Namibian Safari in 2006.
The following photos are of birds I photographed during the hunt. I was told what they were and probably wrote it down at the time. I can guess at their species but would like it confirmed before finishing the album.
I'm sure members here will now exactly what they are so maybe that is the quickest way. 
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Female?
Pic 5
Male?
One day I will actually get to do some bird shooting while on safari.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
Edited by NitroX (11/05/07 02:29 PM)
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Double_Trouble
.375 member
Reged: 27/04/06
Posts: 577
Loc: Canada
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Beats me what they are John but those are some fantastic shots! .... well done!
DT
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Double Trouble,
Speak not of what you do not know.
Listen up when it's time to.
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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John,
It’s difficult to identify the first one because of the angle, but I reckon it’s a kori bustard – mostly because of it’s size and wingbeat
The second an third looks like francolin of some kind, probably orange river francolin
Numbers 4 & 5 are namaqua sandgrouse
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
Edited by shakari (10/05/07 06:26 AM)
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zimhunter
.333 member
Reged: 05/02/04
Posts: 388
Loc: Southern Arizona
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Second and third are Burchells Sandgrouse. Observe the heavy all over spotting. Fifth is definitely a Namaqua Sandgrouse. The breast band is distinctive.
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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I wondered about 2 & 3 being sandgrouse at first, but think it's very unlikely that they'd be running round on a dirt road like that, also tail shape and head markings don't look right to me. Burchells Sandgrouse are also much lighter than the bird in the picture. If it is a sandgrouse, I'd say it's colouration looks much more like a double barred sandgrouse. (but again the facial/head markings and tail shape don't look quite right .......... that behaviour of hanging around a road and running rather than flying (see pic 2 - sandgrouse usually fly immediatly when disturbed, francolin prefer to run) is much more typical of a francolin of some sort.......and the markings make it look like an orange river francolin.
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
Edited by shakari (10/05/07 08:24 PM)
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Ndumo
.300 member
Reged: 21/12/03
Posts: 230
Loc: Namibia
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They are all sandgrouse, cannot positively say which sandgrouse no.1 is, but rest except photo 3 are Namaqua sandgrouse (No. 3 is a Burchell's Sandgrouse.) Shakari, the Kalahari Kori grows slightly bigger...
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Karl Stumpfe
Ndumo Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd.
karl@huntingsafaris.net
www.huntingsafaris.net
+264 811 285 416
Edited by Ndumo (10/05/07 09:32 PM)
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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Karl,
According to my bird books and I've checked 3, the burchell's is a light tan colour..... the double barred is a much darker brown and similar to the one in the pic..... although perhaps there's a colour variation up there that I haven't seen......
Also, we don't get sandgrouse buggering about in the road down here...... do they do that in your neck of the woods? - Here they just get up and fly off asap.
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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Karl,
Regarding # 1 - Looking at the fence in relation to the bird, I don't see what else it can be other that a Kori Bustard...... but would be happy to be corrected by a local if you can suggest anything else?
Regarding the sandgrouse, pics of both I suggested are below and the Burchell's looks considerably too light in colour to me..... but again, I'd be happy to be corrected by someone who has more local knowledge than myself....
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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This is getting more interesting by the minute..... we've just looked at the books again and there are a huge amount of colour variations even in the different books........I've only ever seen fairly light coloured burchell's, but they're obviously not all the same colour..... all that said, my money is still on a francolin of some kind and probably the Orange River francolin, simply because of it's behaviour. From my experience, all the sandgrouse family get up and fly very quickly when disturbed and the francolin only fly as a last resort.... but I'll look forward to hearing Karl's comments on whether they behave in the same way in Namibia.
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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Ndumo
.300 member
Reged: 21/12/03
Posts: 230
Loc: Namibia
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Steve, the sandgrouse in our part of the world has the habit of sitting rather tight until you about step on them. They love sitting in or next to the road, especially when the grass is long like it was last year. I also have the advantage of having been with John when the photos where taken, we have very little francolin in that part of the Kalahari, compared to sandgrouse. Also, the first photo is of a normal stock fence, not a high fence, which might make the sandgrouse appear bigger than it is. Burchells is darker in the Kalahari, and slightly lighter in Northern Namibia/ Etosha. The females are generally also slightly lighter in color. The Namaqua sandgrouse male has a chocolate brown band as part of his bands (comapred to the blackish one of the Double banded sandgrouse), and no spots on the belly (compared to spotted belly of DBS). Also, it has the longer tailfeathers of the sandgrouse.
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Karl Stumpfe
Ndumo Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd.
karl@huntingsafaris.net
www.huntingsafaris.net
+264 811 285 416
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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Karl,
Well that's interesting, the ones I see (mostly in BW) gut up and fly like the wind at the slightest sniff of trouble and I've never seen one on or near the roads.......As to the fence, I was assuming it was a 2m high game fence! - oops!
Anyway, I bow to your local knowledge.
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40687
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Quote:
PER KARL?
Pic 1
Sandgrouse - unidentified species
Pic 2
Namaqua sandgrouse
Pic 3
Burchell's sandgrouse
Pic 4
Namaqua sandgrouse
Female?
Pic 5
Namaqua sandgrouse
Male?
Right I am a bit confused.
Knowing the sequence of photos:
Pic 1 - is a standalone photo. No connected to any others
Pic 2 & 3 - are the same birds
Pic 4 & 5 - MAY be the same birds or group of birds.
The birds in pic 4 & 5, appear to me to have different markings from the bird in Pic 2.
The birds in Pic 2 and 3 have the same markings.
I have added the PIC numbers to make it easier to enaure everyone is talking about the same birds/photos.
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John aka NitroX
...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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shakari
.400 member
Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa
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John,
I thoughtthe fence on #1 was a 2 metre high game fence which made the bird bloody big but Karl says it's a low cattle fence....... Having read Karl's posts, I'd say he's right and I was wrong. Esp as he has a lot more local knowledge of local colour variations in the area you were hunting..........
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Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40687
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Quote:
John,
I thoughtthe fence on #1 was a 2 metre high game fence which made the bird bloody big but Karl says it's a low cattle fence....... Having read Karl's posts, I'd say he's right and I was wrong. Esp as he has a lot more local knowledge of local colour variations in the area you were hunting..........
No that bird is not that large, its wing span looks maybe an inch or two wider than these others, but that I think is an illusion.
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John aka NitroX
...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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