Slightly Odd Looking Birds...

Canon EOS 7D
f6.3
1/500 sec.
ISO 200
EF 75-300mm 4-5.6 III @ 205mm

Since I have lived in South Africa, particularly in Knysna, I have been really interested in these slightly odd looking birds. The African Black Oystercatcher is an extremely shy, skitterish bird. They are easily spooked and most of the time very hard to approach. Feeding on the sandy flats around the lagoon, I often see them whilst out walking.

I have never been a person to go bird watching or “twitching”, as it is apparently called in some parts of the world. However, lately I have found myself taking lots of pictures of the birdlife around where I live. There is an immense variety of birdlife around Knysna that I have always taken for granted. I used to chuckle when I saw people from out of town sitting with their telescopes gazing out onto the lagoon all day long. Picnic baskets by their sides and all sorts of fancy equipment and books, I could never see what all the fuss was about or how enjoyment could possibly be had from such pastime… Needless to say I sometimes feel as if I have become one of them. Instead of the chuckle I used to have I find myself stopping to see what they have spotted hiding in the reeds.

I have found enjoyment in something as simple as watching birds going about their daily lives. Sound boring? I used to think it was; now I’m not so sure. But hey, that’s just me.

I managed to get close to this pair of Oystercatchers yesterday whilst at Coney Glen, a small beach at the foot of the Knysna Heads. I have never been able to get as close as I did in the past and managed to get off a few frames before they scattered.

The African Black Oystercatcher is endemic to the South African and Namibian coastal region. There are estimated to be only 5000 individual birds making them one of Africa’s rarest coastal birds. There seem to be plenty in Knysna though… Something else that I used to take for granted.

Thanks for reading…