If you are a fan of Raptors, then you will enjoy seeing a Cape Vulture breeding colony up close. The Mbashe River Gorge at Collywobbles in South Africa’s Eastern Cape currently has approximately 200 pairs of breeding Cape Vultures. At one stage, during the 1980’s, the figure rose to over 300 pairs making it one…Read More
Cape Vulture (pic from thegreentimes.co.za)
ForkTailed Drongo on Birding Planet
Fork-Tailed Drongo Video
The Story: The Fork-Tailed Drongos are quite common throughout Africa, and I see them often. They also go by the name of African Drongo, Common Drongo or Savanna Drongo. The birds are completely black with the male being a bit more glossy/shiny. It has red eyes and a big head, as indicated in the video…Read More
A male Plum Coolured Starling (from treknature.com)
Interesting Bird Fact – Plum Coloured Starlings Traveling in Same-Gender Groups
The Plum-coloured Starlings (also known as Violet-backed Starlings) have a marked difference between the the sexes. The Male is a bright, eye catching plum/violet colour whereas the female is a much plainer tawny brown. After breeding (which usually occurs between late February and April) the sexes form separate, nomadic flocks as they migrate from Southern to…Read More
Hoopoe eating a worm on Birding Planet
African Hoopoe Birding Video (Hoopoe eating Worms)
The Story: This is another bird I filmed while visiting some family on their farm near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. The Hoopoe is an easily recognizable bird with is long tapering, black bill and its distinctive ‘crown’ or ‘crest‘ of feathers. It is chestnut coloured and has black and white stripes on the wings and tail. The crest on…Read More
To Mock a Killingbird
Bird Cartoon
On this “Monday Fun Day” here’s an Eagle cartoon entitled “To Mock a Killingbird” Share this!
Interesting Bird Fact – Buzzard Roller Coaster
The male Buzzard performs an impressive aerial display known as “The Roller Coaster”! He flies straight up, then flips around and speeds downwards towards the Earth, all the while spiraling and twisting. He then swoops back up again and continues the display. The point of it all? To attract a female mate – or even…Read More
Blue Cranes on Birding Planet
Blue Cranes Mating Dance Video (HD)
The Story: I filmed these Blue Cranes (the national Bird of South Africa) while visiting some family on their farm near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. We were quite fortunate to witness the courtship/mating dance beginning to be performed. The male usually starts the dance by jumping up and down flapping his wings, then the…Read More
Trumpeter Hornbill on Birding Planet
Trumpeter Hornbill Photo
I took this photograph of a Trumpeter Hornbill in my back yard. I had noticed quite a few of them in the area, but this was by far the biggest one I had ever seen. They generally grow to 58cm – 65cm in length and this guy was definitely pushing the size barrier. Share this!
Armstedt Coat of Arms (from wikimedia.org)
Interesting Bird Fact – The Official Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is used in a few official circumstances: The University of Johannesburg uses the bird as their logo. The Hoopoe is also their sports mascot. And in Germany; the Armstedt municipality uses the Hoopoe in its coat of arms. Share this!
Pied Kingfisher on Birding Planet
Pied Kingfisher Video (HD)
The Story: I filmed this Pied Kingfisher while on holiday at Kei Mouth. I have filmed quite a few Kingfishers before including one dive-bombing and catching a fish which is always a spectacular sight to watch. The Pied Kingfisher has a black mask over the eyes, a white supercilium (or eyebrows) and black bands across the chest. It…Read More
Identify Parts of Bird - Birding Planet
Identifying Parts of a Bird
Below is a diagram showing the correct terminology for each part of a bird, this will help you when doing research in trying to identify birds that you’ve seen. * I copied this diagram from Ken Newman’s ‘Garden Birds’. Share this!
How This Blog Works
How Birding Planet Works: Thursday Bird Day Every Thursday a Birding Video will be posted. The majority of these videos will have been filmed in High Definition (HD), and will come with a detailed explanation of the bird, where it was filmed and interesting points to notice in the video. Fast-Fact Friday Fridays will…Read More
Welcome To BirdingPlanet.com
Welcome To BirdingPlanet.com This blog is dedicated to Birds and birdwatchers. We will have a collection of High Definition Birding Videos, Bird Articles, Audio files with Bird Calls and a host of other high quality resources to satisfy Bird Lovers around the world. Share this!
