Egrets black and white

I'm back in Juba after a long period of leave in UK, with a week in Portugal as well.  Today I went a short distance north from Juba and found a mass of egrets and other large waterbirds in the now flooded open country about 6 kms out of town.

Egrets and other waterbirds

This gave a good opportunity to observe the feeding techniques of different species, all of which appeared to be catching small fish, and also enabled me to secure some portraits of several species at close range.  Most remarkable were the Black Egrets, a rare bird in South Sudan and the first I have seen here.  This species has a well-known umbrella feeding behaviour, using its spread wings to shield the water surface from glare.

 

Black Egrets using the "umbrella" fishing technique

The Little Egrets used a slow stalking technique, often extending their bodies forward in a snake-like manner.

Little Egrets

The Great Egrets were also using a stalking technique.

Great Egrets

There were a number of Yellow-billed Egrets, a species which I have seldom seen in the Juba area. The shorter gape, not extending behind the eye and the shorter bill, are distinctive, though the species is very similar to Great Egret, despite belonging to a different genus.

Yellow-billed Egret

Squacco Herons are considered to be uncommon at this season and not to breed.  However, there were well over 50 present, some in full breeding plumage.  Hunting birds waded in water up to their underparts and extended their necks and bodies forward prior to striking.

There are at least 40 Squacco Herons in this photo

Hunting Squacco Heron

Squacco Heron in full breeding plumage

By contrast, an adult and juvenile Yellow-billed Stork tended to stand still for periods, submerge their partially-open bills and wait for fish to swim into the trap, presumably relying on feeling the fish moving.

Yellow-billed Storks, adult and juvenile

Two immature African Spoonbills used the usual technique of this species to locate prey, a sideways motion of their partly-submerged bills.

Immature African Spoonbills

This Night Heron had no doubt been fishing the previous night, but just flew in and perched in low vegetation among Squacco Herons.

Immature Night Heron

Other species present, including smaller birds, included two Grey Herons, Long-tailed Cormorants, Black-necked Stilts, over 100 Spur-winged Geese, Knob-billed Ducks, White-faced Whistling-Ducks, African Jacanas, 1-2 Greenshanks, Spur-winged Lapwings, Pied Kingfishers and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters.

Northern Carmine Bee-eater

The spectacle was absorbing and I lingered for an hour or so.  Afterwards, I worked through two areas of bush, locating a Black-bellied Bustard in typical grassland habitat (it flushed too fast for me to photograph it) and many other species, including several Yellow-billed Shrikes, a rather unpredictable species to track down, and a Green-winged Pytilia.

Yellow-billed Shrike

Green-winged Pytilia

Referring back to my last post, male Northern Red and Black-winged Bishops were only starting to assume breeding plumage, whilst male Black-headed Weavers had almost completed their moult into breeding dress.