Longer search today came up with three pairs, at different sections of the unsealed road. Possibly a territorial arrangement, maybe not. Not great pictures, but strong wind and distance made things awkward.
Quick note on voice. Guides mostly go for 'lik lik'. To my ears, insecty' 'sick-sick', or 'sick, sick, sick', or even 'sick, sick, sick, sick, sick' is closer.
Thanks Tony.
ReplyDeleteBeing a southerner, I momentarily thought of a Cisticola, but our local ones are compliant, and readily sit on tops of bullrushes, small shrubs or (as your birds) fence lines.
Also the call is different.
So your buzzing description didn't quite fit (missing the final "oink").
Glad you got the rare Zitting one.
Cheers
Denis
PS I got the flashes of blue today. A classic example of publishing my lousy images, because they are recognisable for the species.
They also tell a bit of a story - which hopefully makes up for the poor quality (really poor) images.
DJW
Hi Denis: No trouble up herre getting Golden-headeds. I too have trouble with butterflies. Have tried for years to get 'the' picture of Ulysses. No great luck. Problem is need for very fast shutter. Good luck down there.
ReplyDeleteWonder who came up with the common name 'zitting cisticola'. Wish it had been me. It's a fabulous combination of words.
ReplyDeleteHope it's not too wet and windy down your way, now that ex-TC Neville is moseying along the coast.
Which brings Q: is it cis-tic-o-la or cis-ti-cola. My guide is Agricola. But both seem commonly used.
ReplyDeleteNeville blew yesterday, rained a bit and promised more grey days. All in all, not too bad.