More cute Birds

After being away (on tour again but with family 'members' visiting from Germany this time around) let's continue with the BEAUTY CONTEST.


Since last the first group of "cute birds" didn't wait for their turn, let's continue the trend:


This little ostrich fellow certainly encompasses what 'cute' entails.







A young Egyptian goose - a "worthy" entrant in this category.






This immature Collared sunbird poses a problem: is it (= will it develop into) a double- or lesser-collared sunbird?





It's admirable that this young Dusky flycatcher "dares" to enter a beauty competition since it isn't as "colourful" as some of the other entrants!




Certainly a cute photo BUT isn't this a fully grown Cape white-eye? Well, the rules for this category don't specifically state that only immature birds are allowed to enter so we'll 'graciously' accept this as a 'legal' entry.



This (tiny) Scops owl appears 'hot and bothered' - anybody who lives or has to endure (or has experienced) the heat often prevalent in the Etosha National Park in Namibia (where this photo 'originated') will sympathise!!





Ooops! Another 'stolen' photo (taken by our son-in-law) of Natal francolin youngsters managed to enter! Since this is such a beautiful photo we'll ignore that there is more than 1 'model'.


You make allowances once (i.e. allowing a couple-photo = previous entry) and the result: a group-photo materialises!! But these Greater flamingo babies are so cute I guess they couldn't be left out.



And to conclude this category today yet another 'cheeky' group entry of African penguin youngsters.


Who is the winner of this category?

You be the judge!

Cute Birds

OOPS!! How did these immature birds manage to "slip in"? Today was supposed to be "dedicated" to Insect eating (mature) birds, but I guess these youngsters were too impatient to wait for their turn after ALL the adult bird categories were introduced.

For "Cute birds" there are 2 categories: 1) Immature birds from our garden & 2) Others (from my "archive").

Since they "jumped the queue", today's entry is therefore Cat.1 = Cute Birds

Various sunbirds visit our garden, but it isn't always easy to photograph these "jumpy" birds, because they seldom sit down long enough to get clear visuals. Since it also isn't easy to identify some junior birds, in contrast to adult males, I assume that this is an immature Black sunbird, although the blackish "patch" on the throat "tells" me it could be a junior Marico sunbird (= both occur in our garden, also the White-bellied one).



What a cute specimen this Crested barbet is - we are lucky to often see (& especially hear!) these birds in our garden (in Jo'burg), also the Black-Collared member.






My personal favourite - an immature Fiscal flycatcher, which I watched on an almost daily basis growing into a handsome specimen. In particular I'm also proud about the "clarity" of this photo (= taken at the "right time of day" & from the right "angle").


Cute - this photo of an immature hoopoe is therefore ideally suited for this category. During this time of the year, our garden is often inundated by hoopoes, which dig out thick worms (plentiful because we had lots of rain lately).



Now this Brown-hooded kingfisher is NOT a regular visit to our garden, although I've spied one on 3 different occasions - most certainly a welcome sight if I do detect one, especially a youngster like this!



This immature Cape robin is another one of those youngsters I had the pleasure of watching growing up during the summer months - quite a shy bird (generally) but I had several opportunities to watch it "develop" (if not able to photograph it "clearly").


I love this photo of a young Black-eyed bulbul "balancing" precariously OR caught unawares by me? I think of this as a "lucky shot".




Now this little rascal, an immature Diederick cuckoo, was one of the most demanding juniors I had the pleasure of watching - it always alerted me to its pressence with persistent cries, demanding to be fed - by its "parasite" (= host) mother, in this case a Masked weaver!


A cute + "fluffy" Fiscal shrike (junior) - this bird species often frequents our garden, and I love its "cheeky attitude".










The little thief! Caught this immature Olive Thrush in the act of "stealing" a (baby) tomato in our garden.




So - who's the winner in this category?

"You be the judge" - Please vote via the comments option below.

Beauty Contest - Cat.3

[SEE Competition Rules for this Beauty Contest - Mon 30th March]

Category 3 - Seedeaters



This photo of a (not yet fully mature) Spotted-backed weaver is 'nice', i.e. not exceptional nor outstanding.





A quite 'cocky' looking (+ also not fully mature) Masked weaver! This young male was observed building quite an intricate nest, which, after inspection, a female found 'wanting' + therefore tore off - will this male weaver be more successful in the beauty contest than (his so far doubtful skill) as a nest-builder?





Ah, now we are talking business! Of the 3 (male) weaver entries, this photo of a Yellow weaver is the best in the overall-looks "department".




A 'brave' entry, because this Red-collared widow is a rather small bird - at 15cm (without its tail) = difficult to photograph 'clearly'.



What a gorgeous bird when its tail (only during the breeding season) is on 'full display'; the photo of this Long-tailed widow was unfortunately taken during the 'wrong time' of day (= over-head sun > shining from the side), which somewhat 'diminishes' an otherwise impressive image.



A guess is that this Bully canary entered the contest because ..... it can! As the sole entrant in the canary 'department' that is admirable BUT the quality of the photo is somewhat 'below par'.





Because of its 'impressive' colouring this Blue waxbill is probably a strong contender to win in this category mainly 'dedicated' to small birds!?


What a lovely photo of a Swee waxbill (only 9-10cm in size)!

["In-house" judge's footnote/explanation: the 'honour' of photographing this tiny bird goes to our son-in-law, who 'borrowed' my camera to "shoot" it]


The setting (on this photo) certainly enhances the look of this (otherwise quite 'common' ) Great sparrow - a worthy entry!




Now we are talking! Who would have thought that (another 'common' bird) a House sparrow can look so attractive? The photographer took a calculated risk, which paid off - IF only the bird could be viewed side-ways (instead of 'presenting' its back), or does that add 'quality' to this photo?




A late entry of a Cape bunting, which barely made the cut-off date for this competition - but it certainly was worth the effort, because it's one of the most handsome entries in this category -
which strangely, attracted the most (numerous) entries/category (11 > the usual 9)!?

"You be the judge" - of which bird (only 1/category!) goes through to the final round.
[To vote please use the comments option - below]

Beauty Contest - Cat. 2

[SEE: Competion Rules = previous blog-entry]

To vote please use the comments-option (below) so that the process is completely "transparent"

Category 2 - Aerial feeders & Hole nesters (including mousebirds)





This European roller is a handsome bird (= pretty good photo); it looks as if the bird is "painted" instead of for real!?







Well, well - how did this photo of a Lilac-breasted roller "slip through"? OK, the rules don't state clearly that all photos displayed must "belong" to one + only one photographer [Explanation: this photo was "poached" from our son-in-law] - in all aspects worthy of entering the competition!




The Carmine bee-eater truly is an attractive bird BUT unfortunately, this isn't the 'clearest' of photos + doesn't 'enhance' (= warrant) this entry.






So small, so cute, + again ..... "poached" (just like the photo of the Lilac-breasted roller above) - too good to not enter into this competition; successfully photographing as small a bird as this White-fronted bee-eater, is a real mission - one needs a "powerful" camera to get this kind of "result".

This hoopoe looks gorgeous! But what are its chances of winning in this category? After all, its competing against some magnificent 'specimen' in this particular category.




This entry of a Golden-tailed woodpecker is an admirable entry, because ..... it's a female (= it's common knowledge
that amongst birds, most males are more "attractive" than their female counterparts) - definitely scoring 'brownie points' for guts!

What a strange entry, or should I say, interesting? Interesting, because a Red-throated wryneck is in a 'category' of its own - although it creeps about branches like a woodpecker (and accordingly, is listed in some bird-books together with woodpeckers); unfortunately this is not a good (= clear) photo.

Breathtaking! If this Pied kingfisher wasn't competing against the Lilac-breasted roller (see 2nd entry, above) then this bird might not only win in this category but actually 'walk off' as the overall winner!? This is also a "brave" entry because it could have competed against other (more colourful) members of the kingfisher family - as it is, no other kingfisher bothered to enter the competition.

This Speckled mousebird somehow appears "lost" in this category because of its rather 'drab' appearance (in comparison to more colourful birds) - to NO fault of its own, it must be said, because the competition (organiser) decided to include mousebirds in this category.

"You be the judge!"

Remember: only 1 (one) entry per category goes through to the final round!

Beauty Contest - Start

Rules:

1) Photos of southern African birds (Adults - Male OR Female) in a natural setting.

2) 1 (one) winner per category goes through to the finals

[This contest is judged ala "Idols" = Simon Cowell OR Randall Abrams kind-of-critique]

Category 1 - Tall Birds (1m or more)



What a great way to start this competition with the entry of a Blue Crane = SA's national bird; BUT why does it hide its head instead of standing tall?






Overall an attractive photo of a Crowned crane - if rather "busy"; this entrant is also cheating - the rules clearly state that the setting must be natural! [The blue ring on its right leg is a "dead" give-away that this bird is 'marked' = belongs in/to a bird park]





So far, this photo of a Ground hornbill is the best entry in this category.









Diet aside, this Goliath heron is a magnificent bird to look at BUT like the blue crane, is 'hiding' a part of its body - very unfortunate!








The way this Grey heron poses is excellent BUT why does it 'present' its back? That certainly looses this entrant some valuable 'brownie points'!






The first reaction to this photo of an ostrich is: cute! But that's exactly why this entrant doesn't 'belong' in this category (there's a separate category for 'cute' young birds!) - even if we all know that this youngster has already reached the required height (to enter in this category). Why didn't an adult ostrich enter, which at nearly 2m is the tallest of all birds? Decision: this entrant is disqualified!


Probably the most 'colourful' entrant in this category; it's also nice to see that this Greater flamingo isn't 'hiding' its flame red wing (usually only visible during flight) BUT the long, bent bill gives this bird a rather comical instead of attractive appearance.


Well, hallo! What do we have here? Is this gannet stretching its wings to impress us OR to divert our attention, because in fact, it isn't quite 1m tall (THE requirement to enter in this category)? Only its impressive wingspan (between 170 + 185cm) just saves this bird from being disqualified.



Nothing wrong with the size of this White pelican + its wingspan (+/- 280cm); it's also a great photo BUT this bird is marred = disfigured; after all, this is a beauty contest and not a 'charity event'!



"You be the judge" - the final decision of which bird makes it through to the final round is now up to the 'voting public' [Voting open until all categories of birds are represented].

The next (blog) entry = Category 2 = Aerial feeders & Hole nesters (including mousebirds).

Earth Hour 2009

Earth hour 2009: successfully completed!

My thought of star-gazing whilst "switching off" last night was unfortunately thwarted by ... clouds (= cloud covering). Since various suggestions of what to do whilst "switching off" included lighting candles (e.g. enjoying a candle-lit dinner) I did just that (but to read - since we enjoy dinner early in the evening, not 20h30 or later) - when my husband said by lighting candles I was actually defeating the object!!

What an interesting thought - because candles (at least generally) are made from paraffin! That certainly defeated the object of saving "dirty" power (mostly generated by burning coal to produce electricity in SA).


With regard to my future entries on this blog, I'm done with "story telling" (at least for now - SEE: my latest entries). Instead I've "embarked" on a new project = a beauty contest, AND you can be a judge.

Beauty Contest?? The photo (above) is a clue of what it's all about.