In Africa we saw many more bird species than animals - so here goes with another group of avian additions to the blog.
The Brubru is 'a type of shrike that looks like a Batis (another small bird).
Another interesting bird, snapped on the ground this time - this is either the Brown-crowned Tchagra or the Southern Tchagra - thought it's a bit hard to tell from this, the only picture I got of it.
The Brown Snake Eagle
The Amethyst Sunbird. Another tiny little bird that's quite hard to photograph because it moves so quickly, only feeds for a few seconds and flies very fast through the bushes! A real test for your AF.
A Cape Bunting hopping about among kelp that's been washed up on the beach at the Cape of Good National Park.
This was another one of those mystery little birds that could be one of several different species - after some time flipping through my trusty Birds of Southern Africa book for several hours I think this is a Green-backed Camaroptera. It's also called the Bleating Camaroptera and is described online as a 'skulking passerine' because it's usually seen in dense undergrowth (another auto focus challenge).
The Fiery-necked Nightjar sitting in the middle of a track after dark - adsorbing some of the day's heat.
This is the only good shot I got of the glorious Hoopoe with its fantastic crest and thin, long beak. There are three types of Hoopoe - the African variety, a Madagascan Hoopoe and a Eurasian Hoopoe. Very occasionally the latter has been spotted in Southern England and when that happens, traffic screeches to a halt and sightings get headlines in the National newspapers, it's that sort of an event!
This is the Burchells Coucal - one of 30 members of the cuckoo family. Named after the explorer and naturalist John Burchell who travelled through Southern Africa logging and collecting specimens for Kew Gardens and Oxford University in the late 1800s. (Pic by Natalie).
Green Wood Hoopoe eating a caterpillar. Thi is another elusive member of the Hoopoe family with a spectacularly-shaped beak and long tail. (Pic by Natalie).
Long-billed Crombec, which we renamed the 'bumless wonder' as it doesn't seem to have much of a tail but being short changed in that department didn't seem to have any negative effect on its performance. A very busy little bird! (Pic by Natalie).
Fork-tailed Drongo - you see these birds pretty much everywhere you travel in the African bush. They are very common and are usually seen singly, sitting in bushes waiting for an animal to walk past and shake up insects in the grass. According to my research there are nearly 30 different kinds of drongo. For those non-Australians reading this, a 'drongo' is also a slang word for 'a bit of an idiot'.
Duck family taking a swim in the grounds of Groot Constantia winery, Cape Town.
The Magpie Shrike is quite common in Botswana - but it's one of those birds that's quite timid so flies off as soon as you get close enough to get a shot.
Double-banded Sandgrouse - although this bird can fly reasonably well, it seems to rely more on its convincing camouflage to remain hidden from possible predators. (Pic by Natalie).
Wherever you see mammals in the African bush, you'll more then likely see Oxpeckers. These are also called tick birds and, as the name suggests, they feed off the legions of ticks and other parasites that plague all hot blooded animals. Sometimes you can see a buffalo for example, with 10 or more birds hopping about its back, neck, ears, legs and its backside. I have seen some ticks as big as my thumb dangling off elephants and giraffes so I'd imagine having a flock of these birds go through the herd would be a great relief! These are Red-billed Oxpeckers - the other species is the Yellow-billed Oxpecker (not seen on this trip).
A juvenile Red-billed Oxpecker sitting on a baby buffalo's head. (Pic by Natalie).
A portfolio of birds from Southern Africa would not be complete without the ubiquitous Common Ostrich. This male was seen wandering the coastline in the Cape of Good Hope National Park. An adult male like this one could weigh as much as 140kg while still being able to run as fast as 70 kph. Apparently these flightless birds are farmed for their feathers (for decoration and for use in the electronics industry), their eggs (for the luxury food market) and for leather (in the luxury leather goods market) - in South Africa and Namibia, as well as, surprisingly, the Philippines.
Female Common Ostrich.
Young African Penguins photographed on Boulders Beach reserve, in Simonstown, Cape Town.
Male African Penguin heading up the beach at Boulders Beach penguin colony.
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