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we were able to see the courtship ritual and mating of a pair of Bateleur Eagles in January 2023 in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti . Our guide with over 20 years of experience had never seen this before
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
The Bateleur is a mid-sized African eagle with long wings and a very short tail.It lives in partially open savanna country and woodland within Sub-Saharan Africa. The adults have spectacular colors but the juveniles have a quite uniform brown colors. It may take up to 8 years before the birds have the full adult plumage.
Bateleur is the French word for "tightrope-walker", this aptly describes its distinctive, erratic and unstable manner of flying; the rocking flight motion very much mimics the side-to-side movement of a tight rope walker maintaining his balance. The species also demonstrates some spectacular aerial displays, particularly during courtship.
They prey on mammals (often rodents), birds and reptiles. While looking for food they stay up in the air for up to 8 hours and cover huge distances. Carrion is also a part of their diet, especially for juvenile and immature birds. Many carcasses are often first detected by a Bateleur ( or a Tawny Eagle ) well before the vultures arrive
Terathopius ecaudatus
bateleur
Bateleur des savanes
Gaukler
Águila Volatinera
Falco giocoliere
águia-bailarina
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2024
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission
Gone were but the Winter;
Come were but the Spring
I would go to a covert
Where the birds sing
~Spring Quiet by Christina Rossetti 1830-1894
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Aum Kleem. With grateful thanks to Skeletalmess for the wonderful Storm Clouds texture! Featured on the excellent group....Photos sans Frontières front page...thank you and best wishes
Peace and love be with you.
Namaste.
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We were on the shore of Lake Champaigne and could hear Oprey but couldn't find them. Walking back to the car we came around a row of tall trees and there they were. The bird on the left appeard to be a juvenile and the one making all of the noise probably wanting to be fed. The bird on the right was having no part of it. He/she just stood there . Eventually he/she flew off and started circling over the nest. The other bird got the hint and stood up and took flight as well. Last we saw of them they were headed over the lake for what I presume was a lesson in fishing.
Had my first opportunity this weekend to see and photograph this species. There were about six of them in this forested area in the snow. A lot larger bird than I envisioned. A very handsome bird.
We were in Swanage yesterday visiting friends and I thought this might make a good viewpoint. The place was very busy but with a warm and sunny weekend on the way my guess it is going to be packed, probably standing room only! This is pretty much SOOC as the light was quite good.
My apologies for lack of comments over the last few day but we have been packing in quite a lot of places after taking some holiday time off. Hope to catch up soon.
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Rya’s brows were knotted in thought as she caught back up to him. “D’ya t’ink t’ings will be different t’is year?” Her question came with a slight tip of her head. “At sc’ool, I mean.”
“Of course, Rya,” Kulaan stated with his normal confident air. “We are not First Years anymore. We practically run the dungeon now.”
He would say something like that, and Rya regarded him a moment before she placed her arm against his. “Aye. T’ha tis true.”
We were resting in Oma painted forest in the Basque country, after the long hike up.
This charming little fellow sat behind us. As long as we kept talking to him, he was happy to pose!
Doors
Have recently visited Dorset for a few days and this is the first image of that trip I will post. Hopefully I will catch up with everyone in the next few days and thanks for all the comments and visits that were posted whilst I was away.
Best wishes
Patrick
There were a lot of birds flying around here , but they were very skittish and no sooner they landed on a branch they flew off ! From no where a elderly gentleman came and filled the feeders with bird seed . He told us that he did this every day . Maybe the birds knew he was on his way . Hence the shot of the robin and many others that came to feed !
These sightings were so far away that even with full zoom they needed major cropping. We watched the Grizzly for a while as it grazed in the tundra. The Dall sheep looked like white rocks on the barren slope from our bus vantage point.
These were fisher folks in our village. The island across is Cebu .
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I wonder what this year brings . Looking at the warnings,
it gets more intense....
By the way, if you are on FaceBook, here's something nasty censorship happening ! Simply a surveillance tool !
*You Won't believe What Facebook is Doing & You Could Be Their Next Target! Exclusive Victims Report
No TVs were damaged and hurt in the process of this capture........They were borrowed!
www.youtube.com/watch?=wTP2RUD_cL0
Ear buds volume : >> louder than normal
Location : Binemust (127, 62, 969) - Adult
We were lucky and this time the Swartberg Pass was open for some days after floods of rain and repair work.
The Swartberg Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1,583 meters above sea level, located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The pass is traversed by the R328 road. Climbing 1.000 metres in 12 kilometres, it's one of the steepest passes in the country.The road is gravel and sand but you don’t need a big 4x4 car to climb the pass.
The road encompasses miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations and steep grades. Along with striking warped and twisted rock formations and interesting plant life, you will see some amazing drystone work supporting the picturesque hairpin bends. There are relics of an old prison, toll hut and other interesting historical sites too. Running between Prince Albert in the north and Oudtshoorn in the south, the route offers spectacular views over the Little and Great Karoo.
We were looking for the Lesser Kestrel - a much rarer species of Kestrel that was seen here a few days ago. But we didn't sight it at all. Instead sighted more than a dozen of these common kestrels. This is a migrant from Europe and comes around End-September to our state. This is a medium sized bird and prefers grassland habitats where it hunts for small reptiles and birds like pipits, larks and quails.
Think this is a male, sub-adult judging by the size and plumage. He was resting on the ground and flew away to catch something - an insect probably.
Thanks in advance for the views and feedback if any.
There were more and more reports of incidents of dark magic throughout the Fairlands. Even the fauns, always singing and oblivious to anything that wasn't a party, restlessness had set in. Finally, Roger, the youngest son of the faun king, was appointed to explore. The fauns had access to the Dark Woods: they used to sing a special music on their flute that managed to put all beings to sleep, so they accessed many places without anyone seeing them or preventing their passage. Roger had not yet mastered the flute so he relied more on his small size. He had left two days before for the dark woods, and as he entered the valley that preceded the entrance to the wood, he already began to see signs of that dark madness taking over everything: they were flowers, slightly pink flowers that were covering everything, with spikes. almost invisible whose friction was the cause of fatal injuries. In addition, they covered everything so they prevented the plants from feeding on air and sun and strangled them. The incongruity was evident: a place full of flowers where the plants died. At sunset he came to a clearing in the woods, with a small pool of dark water. He decided to camp there, waiting for daylight to continue. He built a small campfire and laid his sack aside. He began to invade a certain restlessness when he verified that NOTHING WAS HEARD....
Historically, snail kites were found from the Everglades to just southeast of Tallahassee, but wetland drainage and development eliminated or altered its shallow freshwater foraging habitat
Generally, the species is somewhat nomadic, moving from wetland to wetland in search of snails, but they are regularly seen in the marshes associated with lakes Kissimmee, Okeechobee and Tohopekaliga, at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, water conservation areas (Everglades), and even along stretches of the Tamiami Trail.
The Florida snail kite is aptly named - it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails and, in the United States, is found only in Florida.
The species was listed as endangered in 1967. Today, the population is considered to be stable, but extremely vulnerable to the stresses of habitat loss, prolonged droughts and anything that affects the availability of apple snails, its primary food.
Snail kites breed from December to August and lay an average of three eggs in bulky nests built in a variety of wetland trees, shrubs and emergent vegetation. During the nesting season, the birds are usually found singly or in pairs; in winter, they often roost together in communal groups.
Lucky observers will witness the snail kite in action, as it searches for its prey by flying low over shallow freshwater marshes scattered with shrubs and trees. When it spots a snail, it swoops down, extends its legs into the water and briefly hovers while it grasps the snail with its talons. While still in flight or after landing on a nearby perch, the kite uses its thin, hooked bill to pull the snail from its shell.
I found this Male perched in a Sable Palm along the shore of Lake Kissimmee, at Joe Overstreet Landing.
were hassled by the same parents:-)
Robert Brault
rose, 'Dream Come True', little theater rose garden, Raleigh, north carolina
Oliver, Chiara and me were glad the lovely Heather could join us for this picture!
pose and phone DenDen Poses - Summer End new ❤️
From left to right
Rachel is wearing:
body Maitreya - Lara Petite
head Genus - Baby Face W001
head applier and skin Glam Affair - Josie (Genus / 005 C)
hair Truth - Destiny
bikini ViSion - Tiffany (Maitreya / Fatpack)
Chiara is wearing:
body Maitreya - Lara with Petite add on
head Lelutka - Lilly Evo X v3.1
head applier, skin and shape Glam Affair - Caroline (Lelutka Evo X/ Sand)
bikini -:zk:- - Ariel (Maitreya Petite / Black) ❤️
hair Magika - Sunrise
Heather is wearing:
body Maitreya - Lara
head Catwa - Kathy ❤️
head applier and skin itGirls - Pocah (Catwa / Mel) ❤️
hair Elikatira - Karina ❤️
skirt TETRA - Kryssie (Maitreya) ❤️
Oliver) is wearing:
body Belleza - Jake (2021 update)
head Lelutka - Skyler Evo X v3.1
skin and shape Belleza - Dominic (Belleza / Tone 02)
swimming trunks Cubura - Orrec (Belleza Jake / White) ❤️
hair Stealthic - Atlas (Browns) ❤️
We were overly ambitious in planting a huge garden this year, especially with near perfect summer weather, so rather than weed the melon patch we planted buckwheat to keep the weeds down. . . not knowing every deer for miles around would be drawn for the seeds. . .they also cropped Lynn's fall greens and beets. . .
These flies were very annoying and would bother us when they didn't have birds to bother. I guess these birds don’t have too many feathers on top of their head so it’s easier for the flies to bite them. Jabiru taken in North Pantanal, Brazil.
Thank you for your visit and comments. They are very much appreciated.
There were a large number of various species of Nomada around last weekend. Females can usually be seen flying low, searching for host nests and it is a lot easier to find relatively stationary males to photograph. Nomada are nest parasites of other bees and at this time of year it is usually various Andrena mining bee species.
We were quietly returning to to the barge which sheltered our nights in Amsterdam, quite a long walk. Night had just fallen, we were in the blue hour. I recognized the place where I had taken my first Amstyerdam's canal in the mornig. Given the beauty of the light, I share the scene taken from the parapet of the bridge where I was successfully able to take the photo in a pause mode with my camera . I even managed the 3 photos in HDR mode to leave you the result all in one. I was not unhappy of the result !
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L'heure bleue à Amsterdam
Nous retournions tranquillement vers la péniche qui abritait nos nuits à Amsterdam, une assez longue marche. La nuit venait de tomber, nous étions en pleine heure bleue. J'ai reconnu l'endroit où j'avais pris mon premier canal d'Amsterdam le matin. Vu la beauté de la lumière, je vous partage la scène prise depuis le parapet du pont où j'ai réussi avec succès à prendre la photo en mode pause avec mon appareil photo . J'ai même réussi les 3 photos en mode HDR pour vous laisser le résultat en tout en un. Je n'ai pas été mécontente du résultat !
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Amsterdam - Netherlands / Amsterdam - Pays-Bas
The Killdeers were feeding along the mudflats of Tsehum Harbour, much of which was covered in snow and slush. In spite of the challenge, I saw them successfully find several worms in the underlying mud.
Don't you ever wonder how birds keep their feet warm? One of nurture's marvelous mysteries. Although I've read the biomechanics behind it, it's still a marvel to me...
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs, etc. without my permission.
Finally the weather gods were kind this morning and graced me with a misty start to the day so I dragged myself around Whiteleaf Woods and managed to bag myself some long awaited shots. Autumn colours are just starting to show, will be a good few weeks yet before some really nice colours appear.
Just loved this character as it appears to amble its merry way across the frame.
Happy Flickr Friday to you all!
We were lucky to see Azure kingfishers on every boast trip we went on (4), even in the pouring rain. This isn't my favourite but I think it show's off how gorgeous these small birds are. The beauty of these boat trips down the Daintree River is that many of the birds, particularly the Kingfishers and have no fear of the boats which are small and quiet.
They let you get very close. This image isn't cropped and is almost too close. With their striking azure blue feathers and buff breast, you can see why they are sort after by birdwatchers.
They are 16-19 cm and smaller than our Sacred Kingfishers.
They love to hang around the edges of rivers, darting from branch to branch catching insects and other invertebrates,crustaceans and rarely fish.
We were looking for a rare bird that was seen in the area - but we didn't find it. Instead came across 10-15 of these which flew from nowhere and landed on this berry tree. They were quite energetic and simply had fun with the berries. One berry was good enough for most of them after which they simply had fun. Chasing each other, flying and hiding in the trees, tree-hopping. It was quite fun to watch them. Being a colorful bird, they were easy to sight, but in the thick canopy, I found it hard to get a focus lock. This is a small bird maybe 15-20 cms in height and very agile. There are several pictures from my fellow birders where this bird was caught by a larger predator and hence guess they don't stay anywhere for more than a few seconds. Lucky for me, I got the shot I wanted!
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback. But appreciated.
There were just a few snow flurries starting late this afternoon as we drove over a railway overpass and spotted a Barred Owl sitting on a power line. Because we were on the overpass the Owl was almost at eye level. Naturally we stopped to look and get a picture. As we were watching the owl a police car drove up behind us and we thought we were in for a ticket but it was our lucky day and he only wanted to know if we needed help. We pointed out the owl, told him what kind it was and he stayed and watched with us until the owl took flight.
these photos were taken during a walk yesterday morning ....
we are having our 1st warm weather of the year.... it almost feels like summer ....a very welcome change !
There were plenty of Warblers, Reed, Sedge, Garden, Cettis Whitethroat, Blackcaps etc all still singing and looking for some action at Lakenheath Fen RSPB this morning :-)
We were out Kayaking with another couple in our tandem boats when others needed to pass. We had purposefully come to a tight inlet where seals could be seen sunbathing however, it was feeding time and none were present. Although minutes prior to this shot, one came to within 20 feet or our Kayak to have a peek at us, then bolted with a splash. All the basic colors were present, from red to green, from yellow to blue, and more. The entire spectrum delighted our eyes with a treasure trove of visual sensations.
were just having a blast creating havoc in the middle of the river. The little dude on the left was the one inciting most of the action, LOL. He's also the same cub that was harassing mama bear in my previous post. This is similar to a pic I posted a while back. Got a ton of them playing. So fun to watch. Hope you don't get bored with grizzly bear pics. I know I never could. But maybe I'm weird, who knows, LOL!
There were only a few of them on the bank of the lake, but they were quarrelsome and these two were continually fighting. I suppose they are siblings.
A dozen or so of these birds had come to a lake inside the city and this morning couple of them close to the banks I was on, were quite busy fighting with each other. It was a nice spectacle to watch, but unfortunately blocked by some small bushes and several Stilts.
Many thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
Were on our way to Engelberg from Mount Titlis when the sun decided to show it's face and I was lucky enough to capture this magnificent scene.
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One morning, there were a handful of leopard frogs who were actively hunting for insects. Behind me was a boardwalk and when anyone walked on it, the frogs totally disappeared and it took some time before they'd resurface. I had hoped to catch one in action, but that day, I was lucky just to capture a frog waiting for its breakfast.
Thank you for your visits and comments, much appreciated. Have a great weekend!
I loved being at Langedrag and being allowed to spend some time in the Lynx cage.
The Lynxes were such beautiful animals.
California quail were first introduced to NZ in 1862 in South Auckland. They spread in most parts of NZ despite a low survival rate in chicks. This year I had a family move into my garden, but unfortunately several of the chicks appear to have not survived. The family now consists of only one remaining chick. They forge in my courtyard and the papa always stands guard on the fence and warns them of any danger. They have become familiar with my presence, that I will bring them no harm.
We were all tickled by this little mirror at the Airbnb house we stayed over the weekend. Our wonderful host who normally lives here has 2 little dogs, so it was a nice whimsical touch. Oh, and Alyeska thought it was quite functional! 😂
We were just on our way back from a wedding shoot when the sun began to setting. We stopped the car and began to shoot just for fun. It turned out quite nice.
Would you like to see the before?
There were four Pine Martens running through the trees and on the ground and this young one scampered up a tree to get a better look. Photo taken in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
We were itchy to take the new car out for a bit of an off-road trip. See, we traded the VW for a Subaru with the hopes of getting better ability to go into more remote locations, where the roads get more sketchy. So we headed out for a National Park we had been to before, but had a bad experience with previously. It was also a revenge trip I guess, of sorts. I should have known that the road there would not quite be as rough as I was looking for. The car never came close to getting stuck in the one small puddle we found. Gr. Ok, I guess we should have picked something a bit more rugged than a national park. Next time.
So the hills are great, and there are so many colors in there. Part of me was glad it was overcast, the color would have popped more if the sun were out, but I would have also had to contend with shadows, which are not always good for expressing colors. This gave me more ability to bring out the color. And the clouds looked great. There are really two ways you can shoot these, you can get up above it and capture a field of color, or get on your belly and try to capture the verticality. That's what I was going for here, but I also wanted to use a wide angle to get the whole scene. Thing is, that pancaked the hills a bit. Solution? Panorama. That's what I did here.
Thanks for looking.