Notes from a Lazy Urban Homesteader & Amateur Naturalist
Early morning as the sun comes up is a great time to go birding, but it’s not a great time to take photos of birds. I had a devil of a time focusing on this one, and the low light situation made the photo grainy. But hey, I saw a Madagascar hoopoe (Upupa marginata)! Aren’t they cool? They aren’t woodpeckers, but … Read more
Our guide in Isalo National Park, Roland, led us on a hike that ended in a climb up a 300-meter staircase carved out of the granite outcrops toward the center of the park. Although it’s the dry season, we found mud and plenty of moisture-loving species, such as sundews (a type of carnivorous plant that eats small insects), moss and … Read more
These birds are indigenous to Madagascar and eastern and southern Africa. I’ve seen them before on trips to the continent, but this is the best picture I’ve gotten off one. That’s not saying much, but at least it’s something!
Although bulbuls exist in Africa, the Madagascar bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) is more closely related to bulbuls from Asia. The Hypsipetes genus is found only in Asia and the Indian Ocean islands. Read more …
Saw these birds in the driveway of our lodge this afternoon. Their pattern reminds me a lot of American robins, though of course the color is different. The name wagtail is accurate. Their tails constantly go up and down like the handle of a water pump. I’ll try to get a movie next time I see them.
The Madagascar malachite kingfisher looks similar to the malachite kingfisher found in South Africa, but according to our Animals of Madagascar book, it’s a different species that’s found only in Madagascar and the Comoros islands. Read more …
Baltimore orioles have been visiting our hummingbird feeder and splashing the sugar-water everywhere. I don’t mind. They’re fun to watch and don’t seem to scare off the hummingbirds—at least not often. Here’s one of the orioles, as seen through my kitchen window in the early evening. You can see the ceiling light’s reflection against the glass, just above the oriole’s head. … Read more
We had an exciting evening here. It started when Companion was eating dinner and watching a pair of red-tailed hawks hanging out on the neighbor’s roof. When one of the red-tails decided to fly off, it instead ran straight into one of the roof’s satellite dishes. Read more …
Actually, house finches are more brown than red, but that made a better title …
I’m not great at telling purple finches (Haemorhous purpureus) and house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) apart, but given that purple finches tend to leave southern Wisconsin in the spring to nest up north, I’m voting that the one outside my office window (pictured above) is a house finch.
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