Marwa and I were at Bahri Sewage Pools again last weekend. We caught lots of Northern Masked Weavers and Sedge Warblers, plus a few Reed Warblers and other birds. The weavers had all moulted out of breeding plumage and were in bright, fresh non-breeding plumage. A few juveniles were still in the final stages of wing and tail moult.
There were a few other good birds around including four Southern Pochards, a couple of Tufted Ducks, four White-tailed Plovers, some Glossy Ibises, and three Eurasian Coots. A Little Swift was our first at the site.
Freshly moulted Northern Masked Weaver, Bahri Sewage pools 12th December 2014
Little Bee-eater, Bahri Sewage pools 12th December 2014
There were a few other good birds around including four Southern Pochards, a couple of Tufted Ducks, four White-tailed Plovers, some Glossy Ibises, and three Eurasian Coots. A Little Swift was our first at the site.
Southern Pochards and Tufted Ducks, Bahri Sewage pools 12th December 2014
How did you get them to land in your hand like that? Sorry you're gone from Sudan. Is there a book you use here? Ben M, Khartoum
ReplyDeleteHi Ben. The birds were captured in mist-nets as part of a research project on weavers. The weavers were fitted with a small plastic ring on the leg, each with a unique number. Every bird was measured and photographed and then released. When recaptured at a later data it was then possible to look at changes in plumage with age, etc. A few other species were also captured and released without rings, though I usually took a few photos of the interesting ones. On Sep 6th 2010 I wrote a blog summarising the best books to use on a visit to Sudan (http://birdingsudan.blogspot.com/2010/09/bird-books-to-use-in-sudan.html). Hopefully this will help you decide which is best to use.
ReplyDeleteTom