South African garden birds.

One of the joys of doing Wader Quest is that you get to visit some pretty cool places and see some pretty cool birds as collateral in the search for waders. Not that there is anything uncool about seeing Double-banded Courser, or Chestnut-banded Plover and especially not White-crowned Lapwing. But there is so much more to birding in southern Africa than this.

Garden birds can be pretty spectacular, here's a selection we saw in our friend Sue's garden on our first day!

Common Fiscal Lanius collaris: an unusual feeder bird.

Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus: makes our House Sparrow
Passer domesticus look a bit dull

Dark-capped Bulbul Pycnonotus (barbatus) tricolor: 

some split it, some don't; me? I don't really care it's a 

good looking, if common, bird whichever way you look 

at it.

Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus: mousebirds are always fun, this 

was one of three species we saw.

A feeder with a difference, at least for us Brits! Southern Masked Weaver 

Ploceus velatus (top left male, front female), Cape Sparrow (Male top right 

and hidden, female bottom left) and Palm or Laughing Dove Stigmatopelia 

senegalensis.

Some more from the Garingboom Guest Farm gardens.

Red-throated Wryneck Jynx ruficollis.

Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus nigricans.

Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas.

Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelis capicola.

Possibly the most bizarre garden bird we saw was at Afton Grove, Noordhoek in the Western Cape.

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus.

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