South-African bird Id (Mogalakwena River Reserve, Limpopo, Polokwane) (1 Viewer)

[Gregoire BD]

That sounds fine to me.

Just as a matter of interest (no need to reply if you don't want to) - where are you in France? I worked in Brittany and Loire-Atlantique (Muscadet) for a few years, several decades ago. And have travelled through most of France at some point.

I live in Paris now but I'm actually from Bordeaux (South-Ouest). I see you're from Japan. What brought you to France ? Work ?

 

[MacNara]

I live in Paris now but I'm actually from Bordeaux (South-Ouest). I see you're from Japan. What brought you to France ? Work ?

I'm actually from Britain. When I was a student I worked in campsites in Brittany over the summer a few times. Then one year I did the vendanges in he Muscadet and ended up staying and working for that company for a couple of years. It was great to live in the countryside, as I come from a very big city. There were just nine of us in the company, and we did everything from planting vines to exporting to the US. Apart from the office accountant, we all did all the jobs, so it was varied and fun. The we got taken over by a huge conglomerate. The grand patron actually came and offered me a full-time job at their head office (I have a degree partly in economics), but I decided it was time to move on.

Then I ended up teaching at a university in Japan, and have been here for forty years with a couple of years break as a civil servant in London. In fact, I started collecting my Japanese pension just last week!

When we lived in Osaka, my Japanese wife studied French as a hobby and got to quite a high level. But when we moved to Nara, a much smaller town, she couldn't find a class at her level and eventually stopped. But we still have the occasional conversation in French just for fun.

We both like wine, and used to do wine tours in France by ourselves in a rented car. One time we did Bergerac, Pomerol, Saint-Emilion (incredible place) and Montbazillac (great with foie gras), and planned to spend a few hours in Bordeaux and go up to the Médoc region. But that year they seemed to be rebuilding the whole of the centre of Bordeaux, and after a couple of hours stuck in traffic and roadworks, we gave up, turned around and spent the night in Arcachon, and continued south the next day. So Bordeaux is still on our to-do list.

I don't know when we'll be able to stay in Paris again - the pleasant hotel that we regularly stayed at near the Odéon used to be €150-200 but got bought out by a boutique hotel group a few years ago and the rate went up to €500! Paris sounds quite lively at the moment - avoid germs and watch out for those Molotov cocktails!

Ten years ago, my wife and I went on a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip to Kenya, became addicted to Africa, and have been back almost every year. I wonder when we'll be able to go again?

Apologies if this is more than you wanted to know - we don't usually post personal stuff like this on BirdForum, but without being able to travel to go birding, I have no birding questions, so here we are!

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'm actually from Britain. When I was a student I worked in campsites in Brittany over the summer a few times. Then one year I did the vendanges in he Muscadet and ended up staying and working for that company for a couple of years. It was great to live in the countryside, as I come from a very big city. There were just nine of us in the company, and we did everything from planting vines to exporting to the US. Apart from the office accountant, we all did all the jobs, so it was varied and fun. The we got taken over by a huge conglomerate. The grand patron actually came and offered me a full-time job at their head office (I have a degree partly in economics), but I decided it was time to move on.

Then I ended up teaching at a university in Japan, and have been here for forty years with a couple of years break as a civil servant in London. In fact, I started collecting my Japanese pension just last week!

When we lived in Osaka, my Japanese wife studied French as a hobby and got to quite a high level. But when we moved to Nara, a much smaller town, she couldn't find a class at her level and eventually stopped. But we still have the occasional conversation in French just for fun.

We both like wine, and used to do wine tours in France by ourselves in a rented car. One time we did Bergerac, Pomerol, Saint-Emilion (incredible place) and Montbazillac (great with foie gras), and planned to spend a few hours in Bordeaux and go up to the Médoc region. But that year they seemed to be rebuilding the whole of the centre of Bordeaux, and after a couple of hours stuck in traffic and roadworks, we gave up, turned around and spent the night in Arcachon, and continued south the next day. So Bordeaux is still on our to-do list.

I don't know when we'll be able to stay in Paris again - the pleasant hotel that we regularly stayed at near the Odéon used to be €150-200 but got bought out by a boutique hotel group a few years ago and the rate went up to €500! Paris sounds quite lively at the moment - avoid germs and watch out for those Molotov cocktails!

Ten years ago, my wife and I went on a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip to Kenya, became addicted to Africa, and have been back almost every year. I wonder when we'll be able to go again?

Apologies if this is more than you wanted to know - we don't usually post personal stuff like this on BirdForum, but without being able to travel to go birding, I have no birding questions, so here we are!

Ever heard of the den of iniquity that was the nightclub 'Studio 54' in New York? The two owners went to prison for tax evasion and one of them, Ian Schrager, upon release from jail and the subsequent death of his business partner from aids, is the individual, responsible for the 'boutique hotel' concept which he is still involved in I believe.

 

[MacNara]

I'd suggest juv. Southern White-crowned Shrike for 87.
#62 looks more like a juv Melba Finch or Orange-winged Pytilia (an Estrildid finch, rather than a sparrow).

Back to the main topic.

I can't get a finch out of 62; I think Andy's sparrow ID is correct. I think the orange is a light effect.

As for 87, I can't see the crown, and I think Grégoire's own ID of Marico Flycatcher is most likely to be correct.