Dusky Turtle Dove sunning itself, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dusky Turtle Dove, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
I delight in getting good photos of birds when I go out birding. Sometimes a great shot presents itself with little planning on my part. On this occasion this Dusky Turtle Dove in Addis Ababa last December was not aware of my presence high up on the other side of a small stream. My camera was at full zoom so I was pleased with the result, a nice clear photo.
You can read more about my encounters with this species here, including the frustration of getting good photos of it in poor lighting conditions.
Dusky Turtle Dove, Ethiopia
Dusky Turtle Dove, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Dusky Turtle Dove (Streptopelia lugens) was a challenging bird for me to photograph during my visit to Ethiopia last December. Although they were relatively common on the school campus where my daughter was teaching, during our 2 week stay this species was almost reclusive in nature. One evening I stealthily chased one around the playground trying to get a photo. It was almost dark and the flash needed to be employed, but the bird keep moving around quickly and generally just out of effective reach of the flash.
On another occasion one bird was feeding in the car park right out in the open. Again it was in poor light and the bird keep moving around rapidly, to quickly to get the camera focussed on it. All those shots were blurred. In the end, I only managed to get 2 photos reasonable enough to show here. That’s nature photography I guess. You win some, you lose some – and the rest are just plain challenging.
Doing a little research on this species I have found little in the way of information online. It appears that both males and females of this species, along with closely related species, are able to produce “crop milk”, a soft lumpy substance resembling cheese. When it is fed to the young it nourishes them with its high protein content. Read more about it here.
Dusky Turtle Dove, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Speckled Pigeon, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
One of the colourful birds I saw on my visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last December was the very common Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea) shown in the photos on this post. It was one of the more common birds in the grounds of the school where my daughter was teaching. The loud cooing of this species continued throughout most of the day.
This species is common throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is common not only in urban areas like where I saw it, but also in farming areas, grasslands and open country. It is found from sea level through to land about 3000 metres in altitude.
Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
Common Bronzewing Pigeon near Murray Bridge
Bronzewing pigeons are flighty birds. As such they are easily disturbed and fly away rapidly at any human interference. I was therefore rather surprised to find that this bird stayed on the stones on the roadside long enough for several quick photos. The one above is the best of them.
This photo was taken about 20km SW of Murray Bridge on a Sunday drive out bush a few weeks ago.
Crested Pigeon and early morning grooming, Mildura
Crested Pigeon, Mildura
Just before we left the caravan park in Mildura earlier this year, I saw this Crested Pigeon sitting on a power line attending to its early morning grooming. It totally ignored me snapping away below it. After a frosty night it was probably enjoying the first rays of sunshine. So was I.
Finally it consented to pose properly for me (see photos below).
Crested Pigeon, Mildura
Crested Pigeon, Mildura