Birdwatching

The only short legged wader whit a long upcurved bill.
In many ways, a particularly charismatic wader.


The TEREK SANDPIPER.


Attention is often first drawn by the amazingly actieve feeding habit of this bird, typically, It moves much faster than the calidris and tringa species among which It usually feeds, with abrupt changes of direction. In all the pale brownich grey upperparts, head and breast patches recall the smaller common sandpiper, but Terek is lager, deeper chested and paler , with conspicuous orangey legs and long, evenly upcurved bill.

At closer ranges, a blackish patch can be seen at the carpal joint of the folded wing and, for most the year, an irregular blackish line down the centre of each set of scapulars.
In flight, pattern of black grey, black white across the inner half of the wing is diagnostic, as is the combination of a bold white trailing edge and a grey rump and tail.
Only the tips of the toes protrude beyond the tail. Wingbeats are rather shallow and flicking.

Do have a look at the bare parts, the bill blackish, usually with a small area of dull orange at base, Iris brown, legs short, shoter than bill, bright orange or orange yellow, sometimes duller orange or greenihs yellow. If you here the voice , typical in flight note a sharp fluty twit wit wit wit, recalling common sandpiper, and whimbrel, each syllable rises slighly in pitch. Also xit a wit tuudu and softer hu hu hu? Alarm a sharper tu li, In display, a long melodious prerrr.....



The Terek breeds in May July along lagers rivers and shores of freshwater lakes of the USSR and FINLAND.
Winters manly on tropical coasts, especially muddy bays and estuariies .











Thats the bird to look for believe me....

TRANS BOUNDARY PARK WILL BE A SYMBOL OF PEACE AND STABILITY........


The presidents of Sierra Leone and Liberia Jointly inaugurated a trans boundary rainforest Peace Park, which will protect one of the largest remaining blocks of intact of West Africa.....






DEATHLY OWL SCARES ZIMBABWEAN FAMILY.......


The Chitofu family living in Eastiea, Zimbabwe, feared that they had been bewitched by an owl which had haunted them for four months and refused to fly away when approached....





AFRICA MAKES PROGRESS IN CONSERVING IBAs.......


The annual planning and review meeting of the Africa Protected Area-IBA Monitoring Project was held in the first week of march 2009, hosted by Association "Les Amis des oiseaux". The preliminary findings of the midterm evaluation, presented at the meeting, revealed that the project is on course, and that a lot of work has gone into addressing the key deliverables....


IMPROVING EFFICIENCY IN MONITORING AFRICA'S IBA's



It is taken as given that Africa is well endowed with rich biodiversity. Increasingly, national governments, NGOs and other stakeholders are making concerted efforts to protect it. However,Africa is a vast continent and hence investments of limited resources in conservation work need to be targeted to those areas where they will deliver the highest possible returns....







ACTION PLAN FOR WHITE WINGED FLUFFTAIL MUST ADDRESS MIGRATION QUESTION.....



A workshop to develop an International Single Species Action Plan for Endangered White winged Flufftail has been held in Ababa, Ethiopia.
Although the flufftail has been recorded at nine wetland sites in the south...









MADAGASCAR POND HERON THROWN A LIFELINE.....



The Endangered Madagascar pond heron has recieved much needed attention from all its range states.....



Sort news from Africa, ant the nature happening....