175. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
176. Spotted Morning-thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
177. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
This noisy pair woke me up really early in the morning on my first morning in Tanzania, in Uhuru hostel.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Moshi
The bird watching was not limited to the sanctuaries. There were some bird encounters even at the hotels I stayed in, in Moshi town.
175. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
176. Spotted Morning-thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
177. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
This noisy pair woke me up really early in the morning on my first morning in Tanzania, in Uhuru hostel.
175. Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
176. Spotted Morning-thrush (Cichladusa guttata)
177. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
This noisy pair woke me up really early in the morning on my first morning in Tanzania, in Uhuru hostel.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ngorongoro
Birds that I photographed during my visit to Ngorongoro crater.
172. Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
Saw this one giving us a fishy look while we were driving on the rim of the crater.
173. Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)
174. Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
This was one of my favorite sights in the entire trip, a soda lake filled with Greater Flamingos.
180. Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)
172. Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
Saw this one giving us a fishy look while we were driving on the rim of the crater.
173. Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)
174. Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
This was one of my favorite sights in the entire trip, a soda lake filled with Greater Flamingos.
180. Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Serengeti
What a haul from Serengeti!
First the marquee birds of Africa.
137. Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
This male was trying to woo his mate. He eventually went on to score.
138. Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
The theory is that this bird gets its name from the unique quills that make it look like a secretary of old with quill pens tucked behind his/her ears. Nas has a more sexist explanation, something do with long legs and mini-skirts that I don't completely buy.
Starlings
139. Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)
This brightly coloured, gregarious bird doesn't seem to be afraid of people at all. They were present in all the picnic sites inside the national parks.
140. Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)
Another fairly common member of the starling family.
141. Hildebrandt's Starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti)
Looks similar to the Superb Starling, but the red irises are a giveaway.
Bustards
142. Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori)
Said to be the heaviest bird -average male weighs 12kgs-capable of flight.
143. White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)
Vultures
144. White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)
The first bird on this roster that has a "Near Threatened" status.
145. Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
Yet another old-world vulture. This one was waiting for a hyena to finish his mail so that it could then clean up the scraps.
Raptors
146. African Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)
At a little over 19 cm, this is one of the smallest raptors I've seen.
147. Eastern Chanting Goshawk (Melierax poliopterus)
Hornbills
148. Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
149. Southern Ground-hornbills (Bucorvinae leadbeateri)
Wish I could take a better picture of this ground dwelling hornbill. Its mate is blurred in the background.
Weavers
150. Rufous-tailed Weaver (Histurgops ruficaudus)
Yet another species that's comfortable around humans. This couple was shot in the Naabi hill inside Serengeti.
151. Red-billed Buffalo-weaver (Bubalornis niger)
Seemed to be picking something out of the big pile of elephant dung.
152. White-headed Buffalo-weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli)
This one was competing with the starlings in picking up scraps from the picnic area.
Wader
153. Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
154. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
One of the few birds I could recognize with any confidence.
155. Blacksmith Lapwing or Blacksmith Plover (Vanellus armatus)
Gets its name from its call which sounds like a blacksmith striking metal.
156. Coqui Francolin (Francolinus coqui)
I'm not very sure of this ID. Waiting for a friend to confirm it.
157. Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
158. Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii)
Extremely doubtful of the ID.
159. Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus)
They inhabit this park in great numbers.
160. Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)
161. African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Venerated in ancient Egypt as the symbol of the god Thoth.
Other
162. Kenya Rufous Sparrow (Passer rufocinctus)
Distinguishable from the house sparrow by the rufous coloration o its supercilium and around its ears.
163. Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
164. Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)
This bird, I think, deserves a better name.
165. Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
Very similar in appearance to the Black Drongo of our country.
166. White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)
167. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus)
168. Magpie Shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus)
169. Lilac-Breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)
170. Little bee-eater (Merops pusillus)
171. Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
A fairly common bird in this part of the world. My guide, Nas, tells me that their meat is very tasty.
First the marquee birds of Africa.
137. Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
This male was trying to woo his mate. He eventually went on to score.
138. Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
The theory is that this bird gets its name from the unique quills that make it look like a secretary of old with quill pens tucked behind his/her ears. Nas has a more sexist explanation, something do with long legs and mini-skirts that I don't completely buy.
Starlings
139. Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)
This brightly coloured, gregarious bird doesn't seem to be afraid of people at all. They were present in all the picnic sites inside the national parks.
140. Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)
Another fairly common member of the starling family.
141. Hildebrandt's Starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti)
Looks similar to the Superb Starling, but the red irises are a giveaway.
Bustards
142. Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori)
Said to be the heaviest bird -average male weighs 12kgs-capable of flight.
143. White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)
Vultures
144. White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)
The first bird on this roster that has a "Near Threatened" status.
145. Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
Yet another old-world vulture. This one was waiting for a hyena to finish his mail so that it could then clean up the scraps.
Raptors
146. African Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)
At a little over 19 cm, this is one of the smallest raptors I've seen.
147. Eastern Chanting Goshawk (Melierax poliopterus)
Hornbills
148. Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
149. Southern Ground-hornbills (Bucorvinae leadbeateri)
Wish I could take a better picture of this ground dwelling hornbill. Its mate is blurred in the background.
Weavers
150. Rufous-tailed Weaver (Histurgops ruficaudus)
Yet another species that's comfortable around humans. This couple was shot in the Naabi hill inside Serengeti.
151. Red-billed Buffalo-weaver (Bubalornis niger)
Seemed to be picking something out of the big pile of elephant dung.
152. White-headed Buffalo-weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli)
This one was competing with the starlings in picking up scraps from the picnic area.
Wader
153. Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
154. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
One of the few birds I could recognize with any confidence.
155. Blacksmith Lapwing or Blacksmith Plover (Vanellus armatus)
Gets its name from its call which sounds like a blacksmith striking metal.
156. Coqui Francolin (Francolinus coqui)
I'm not very sure of this ID. Waiting for a friend to confirm it.
157. Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
158. Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii)
Extremely doubtful of the ID.
159. Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus)
They inhabit this park in great numbers.
160. Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)
161. African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Venerated in ancient Egypt as the symbol of the god Thoth.
Other
162. Kenya Rufous Sparrow (Passer rufocinctus)
Distinguishable from the house sparrow by the rufous coloration o its supercilium and around its ears.
163. Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
164. Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)
This bird, I think, deserves a better name.
165. Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)
Very similar in appearance to the Black Drongo of our country.
166. White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)
167. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus)
168. Magpie Shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus)
169. Lilac-Breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)
170. Little bee-eater (Merops pusillus)
171. Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
A fairly common bird in this part of the world. My guide, Nas, tells me that their meat is very tasty.
Oldupai Gorge
Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is famous for the discoveries that furthered our understanding of early hominids. It lies on the Great Rift Valley that runs through East Africa. Here are the birds that I found near the Oldupai Gorge Museum.
134. Great Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)
This had perched on one of the boards near the entrance to Oldupai Gorge.
135. Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
136. Vitelline Masked-weaver (Ploceus vitellinus)
This one is the male of the species. The female is here.
134. Great Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)
This had perched on one of the boards near the entrance to Oldupai Gorge.
135. Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
136. Vitelline Masked-weaver (Ploceus vitellinus)
This one is the male of the species. The female is here.
Lake Manyara
Birds photographed from my trip to Lake Manyara in Tanzania.
126. Silvery-cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes brevis)
Got a fantastic view of this large bird. He was at the entrance of his nest, and feeding his female and/or chicks.
127. Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
Photographed this just outside the park where Storks, Pelicans and Ibises roost and breed on the huge trees.
128. African Fishing Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
This one was scanning the lake from his perch by a hippo pool. This was the closest I cold get to him.
129. Palm-nut Vulture or Vulturine Fish Eagle (Gypohierax angolensis)
One of the biggest birds of prey I've seen (and this one was probably an immature!).
130. Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta
Another African special. Gets its name from its hammer-shaped head.
131. Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
Was good to spot a familiar bird so far away from home.
132.Emerald-spotted wood dove (Turtur chalcospilos)
133. Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)
126. Silvery-cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes brevis)
Got a fantastic view of this large bird. He was at the entrance of his nest, and feeding his female and/or chicks.
127. Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
Photographed this just outside the park where Storks, Pelicans and Ibises roost and breed on the huge trees.
128. African Fishing Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
This one was scanning the lake from his perch by a hippo pool. This was the closest I cold get to him.
129. Palm-nut Vulture or Vulturine Fish Eagle (Gypohierax angolensis)
One of the biggest birds of prey I've seen (and this one was probably an immature!).
130. Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta
Another African special. Gets its name from its hammer-shaped head.
131. Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
Was good to spot a familiar bird so far away from home.
132.Emerald-spotted wood dove (Turtur chalcospilos)
133. Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)
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